Last week, we looked at another verse of the Lord’s Prayer. Though we only covered one verse, there is a lot to unpack from it: “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12)
One of the cool things about this verse is that it talks about forgiveness. Now, you might be wondering, what is so interesting about that? Well, throughout the Bible, we see the importance of forgiveness.
When I was growing up, I actually had a horrible time forgiving people. I remember one time when someone was trying to help me study my lines for a play, and I kept messing up. Not only did they throw the paper back in my face, but they also gave up on me, even though they had volunteered to help me. I remember holding that against that person for a long time. Though they never actually apologized for it, I learned to forgive them, and we are still pretty close to this day.
Why is forgiveness so important, though? Why does Jesus teach us in this prayer to forgive others while also asking for forgiveness ourselves? Well, if you look at the previous verses, you’ll see that it says, “Your Kingdom come.” In the Kingdom of God, it’s not just you and God; obviously, we will be with other people as well. If we don’t forgive one another, how will we commune with others in the Kingdom? Therefore, forgiveness is essential.
Another thing to consider is that we often ask God for a lot of things. However, much like we learned in a previous Bible study, God wants us to reconcile with one another before coming to Him. Therefore, our prayers will be hindered if we don’t make amends with one another.
Another important thing to recognize in this verse is that Jesus is pointing out that we need forgiveness as well. So, as we ask God to forgive us, may we also develop the same character as our Heavenly Father and show mercy and forgiveness to everyone.
Summary by Eric