Forgiveness: The Forgotten Biblical and American Value

In my previous email I discussed a line from The Lord’s Prayer:

 

And forgive us of our sins,

as we have forgiven those who sinned against us.

(Matthew 6:12)

 

I pointed out that before these words could be prayed, the one praying it had already forgiven those who sinned against him or her -- before asking for forgiveness from God. Two hundred years before the birth of Jesus, the Jewish sage Ben Sira wrote:

 

Forgive your neighbor the wrong he has done,

and then your sins will be pardoned when you pray.

(Ben Sira 28:2 NRSV)

 

When I first began doing research on the life and teachings of Jesus, one of my most surprising discoveries was other people had taught many of those things before Jesus was born. It became clear that they shared many of the same ideas, but those ideas are unknown to most American Christian readers of the Bible. One idea related to the Lord’s Prayer is:

 

The individual bears the responsibility for his or her own actions

as well as a collective responsibility for the society in which he lives.¹

 

Failure to forgive can have serious consequences on the lives of individuals as well on the society in which they live.

 

These words are easy to say, but of all of the teachings in the Jewish Scriptures and teachings of Jesus – forgiving someone is often the most difficult of all. Below are some cultural insights about forgiveness that will help you more accurately understand what forgiveness meant in the Jewish culture of Jesus.² They should be included in our conversations and discussions about forgiveness.

 

● The sinner and the one sinned against are both “created in the image of God.”

 

● “Sanctification of God’s name” makes “holiness the corner-stone” of the ethical teachings of the Jewish Scriptures.

 

● The Jewish Scriptures warn against all manner of “hatred” and “vengeance” (Lev. 19:2, 17, 18). 

 

● A sin is viewed as both an offense (crime) and a debt (something owed). It is an “offense committed by the sinner” and creates “a debt owed to the one sinned against” – a debt of restoring and repairing the damage and/or harm done to them.

 

● In the Torah (Genesis-Deuteronomy) forgiveness was granted by God through the sacrificial system of the Temple, but it was “only for sins committed unintentionally, and for ignorance that has caused ritual defilement.” For other sins, sinners must rely on God’s mercy and grace.

 

● Forgiveness is “a conscious, deliberate decision not to retaliate or take vengeance” (demand payment) toward a person who has harmed you.

 

● Forgiveness “does not mean forgetting, condoning or excusing offenses.” It can help repair a damaged relationship, but “it doesn’t obligate you to reconcile with the person” (especially if that person presents a danger to you), “nor releases them from legal accountability in the justice system.”

 

● Forgiveness “brings the forgiver peace of mind” and “frees him or her from corrosive anger” by letting go of deeply held negative feelings.

 

● Forgiveness “empowers those sinned against to recognize the pain they have suffered without letting that pain define them” – it is part of the healing process that enables us to move on with our lives.

 

● You have “the right to demand that every one that sins be punished to the full extent of the law,” but remember that “everyone that you sin against has the right to demand that you be punished to the full extent of the law, too.”

 

The followers of Jesus knew these things, but they are unknown to most Christians today. We must find ways to consciously keep them in mind when we read or discuss the words of Jesus. Take a moment to apply that information to the words of Jesus below (Matthew 7:12 & Matthew 6:12):

 

Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you,

do also to them, for this is the Torah and the Prophets.

 

And forgive us of our sins,

as we have forgiven those who sinned against us.

 

Above I pointed out that “failure to forgive can have serious consequences on the society.” Based on my observations, since the introduction of personal computers and smartphones, America is increasingly becoming a more unforgiving society.

 

We are immersed in tsunamis of unresolvable conflicts between

people driven by hatred, vengeance, corrosive anger and greed.

 

Forgiveness has disappeared from American conversations – especially political discussions. Anything that anyone has ever done that was wrong can be turned into a weaponized meme used to destroy an opponent’s reputation.  This has bled over into other areas of life too. Since all humans are by nature “imperfect creatures,” no one is safe from “human predators that use weaponized memes to exploit and dominate others.”

 

Consider forgiveness as a first option for resolving conflicts

and creating a safer society for children to be raised in.

 

Shalom,

Jim Myers

 

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SOURCES

¹ A Prayer to Our Father: Hebrew Origins of the Lord’s Prayer by Nehemia Gordon and Keith Johnson, © 2009; p. 143, 145.

² http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/6233-forgiveness & https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/forgiveness/definition