As we forgive our debtors (those who trespass against us)
Before I start this meditation on this part of the Lord’s Prayer, I must say that these are my meditations on my sins and short comings and not given as a desire to correct anyone else. I have no hidden agenda in publishing these meditations, no desire to point the finger at anyone and “get back” at anyone. These meditations are my nightly repentance ritual, meditating on the words, commandments and covenants of the Savior. President Russell M Nelson, a surgeon like me, asked us to blog on social media about the gospel of Jesus Christ last April Conference. This is the reason why I am posting these prayer meditations. There is no hidden or ulterior motive in doing it, no thought about others actions. I have a website that has been up for 5 years on the Lord’s Supper and the Sacrament prayers. www.blessandsanctify.com It has been viewed by thousands of Filipinos but not many Americans. It also contains my Lord’s Prayer meditations. Only recently have I been posting in volume on Facebook and only because of President Nelson. Before Facebook, I thought if I could help just one Phillipino feel closer to the Savior and His love, then I had accomplished something worthwhile.
The King James Translators changed the original Greek here from the original Greek and Hebrew “trespass” meanings to monetary meanings. “Trespass against us” seems far removed from “as we forgive our debtors.” It does have a scriptural basis in the parable of the unjust steward who couldn’t forgive his dime debtors when he had just been forgiven billions. However, the emphasis of debtors is wrong because the more accurate translation “trespass” includes all the hurts, hateful words, shaming, harming, robbing, murdering one’s family and every other grievous sin against oneself by others.
The Lord’s Prayer does not introduce here an idea that is different and new in the Savior’s teachings. He had already given the Sermon on the Mount about being kind to those who harm us. Revenge and payback are not a part of the Redeemer’s teachings. The Lord’s simplest teachings about our thoughts and feelings towards those who abuse and hurt us are most beautifully expressed in the Sermon on the Mount:
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.[i] (Mercy is forgiveness where no restitution is possible, like forgiving a loan out of charity. This beatitude is another way of saying blessed are those who forgive, for they shall be forgiven. This is the essence of the Lord’s prayer pleading petition, Forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.)
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.[ii] (Peacemakers are those who forgive and forget injury in order to make peace with a presumed enemy. A modern day example is Mahatma Gandhi who convinced hundreds of millions of his fellow Indians to not only forgive the British who conquered them, but also the Muslims who attacked and killed them. Instead of revenge, hatred and never ending payback for crimes, there was forgiveness which led to peacemaking and self-rule when the British left.)
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.[iii] (Those persecuted did not fight back but suffered silently like Jesus in righteousness, letting the Lord judge and correct things where possible. Forgiving the enemy makes this Christ-like suffering possible for the martyrs.)
Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.[iv] (One does not let disagreements continue like the Hundred Years War of the British Isles. Agreeing with presumed enemies quickly and forgiving them settles disputes before they escalate. The more the dispute escalates the harder it is to forgive, but Jesus and Gandhi showed it is possible no matter how bad it gets.)
But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.[v] (This humility to no resist persecution and harm, to forgive so quickly that one is able to receive a second harm is beyond the reach of most of us. It requires a humility beyond words. The greatest example is Jesus Christ and the many Christian martyrs who suffered for belief in him. The Book of Mormon people, Anti Nephi Lehites, bowed down before their enemies and suffered death at their hands rather than get angry and fight and lose salvation. A thousand Christians were slain and of the enemies, not one soul went to hell, but a thousand of them threw away their swords and became Christians. This is God’s way, the righteous suffer so that the wicked are saved.)
And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.[vi] (This is especially hard in a legalistic society like ours today where lawsuits are as common as bread and butter. To think of giving more to someone suing us is beyond belief, because we cannot forgive them for suing us in the first place. But from Christ’s perspective, it gives one an eternal sense that the things of this world are worthless compared to the glories that can be inherited by the truly Christ-like)
And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. (The wicked government overlords whom we cannot forgive for any abuse in modern times are alluded to here. In the time of Jesus Christ, Roman rulers, citizens, and soldiers could by law compel any Jew to carry his cloak a mile. Here Jesus is telling his followers to carry the cloak twice the distance, two miles. The Jewish leaders hated the Romans so bad that they would eventually be annihilated by them for refusing to surrender and pay taxes and keep the peace in the region. If they had followed Jesus’ teaching here to the letter, they would have avoided complete destruction of their homeland. In order for them to follow Jesus’ teaching, they had to forgive their enemies first, then be humble and obedient to their overlords. Any society that hates and lacks forgiveness to its leaders is doomed to destruction unless God intervenes for his purposes to save the oppressed people.)
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.[vii] (The beatitudes have been building up to this commandment which teaches a lesson far more powerful than forgiveness. Everyone, even our enemies is made in the image of God, the Father. We are all God’s children. He wants us to love Him and serve one another with love and unity. He does not want wars, persecutions, bitter personal struggles against enemies that eat away at our precious souls like a cancer or infection. God is no respecter of persons, like we are. He treats his lost and wayward children the same as the righteous ones, sending blessed rain and prosperity to all. Jesus even bent over backwards to forgive Judas and give him every chance to repent, keeping his traitor close to him. Then Jesus died to pay for his sins. This is the God we worship, one who can say from the cross, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.”[viii])
Jesus goes on to reiterate this message of being like the Father in forgiving and doing good to one’s enemies with the final statements of the beatitudes:
“For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”[ix]
David Hawkins MD PhD used to run one of the most successful and internationally popular psychiatric hospitals in the world. It was devoted to schizophrenics and the worst bipolar diseases. So many came to him as catatonic schizophrenics, no longer speaking to anyone, laying in a paralyzed state. He cured many of them using love, vitamins and his unique world view. He wrote a book called “Letting Go: The Pathway of Surrender”. In it he said how important it is to let go of all past negative thoughts, deeds, interactions with people and rededicate ourselves to God. He also said:
“What can you actually do to be helpful to the world? Make a gift of your life and lift all mankind by being kind, considerate, forgiving, and compassionate at all times, in all places, and under all conditions, with everyone as well as yourself. That is the greatest gift anyone can give….
The best resolution of guilt is to rededicate oneself to God and one’s fellow man, and to the forgiveness of self and others.”[x]
Modern day revelations from Jesus Christ give these added helps in forgiving others:
“My disciples, in days of old, sought occasion against one another and forgave not one another in their hearts; and for this evil they were afflicted and sorely chastened.
Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin.
I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men.
And ye ought to say in your hearts—let God judge between me and thee, and reward thee according to thy deeds.”[xi]
Here the Lord gives us help to forgive and forget by telling us to say in our hearts “let God judge between me and thee…” By saying this we remove from our thoughts and hearts any desire to punish the person for his or her crime against us. By doing so we acknowledging God’s perfect justice, trusting His omniscience and will, believing that God can help that sinner in more ways than our puny efforts to punish or correct them.
When someone harms us and moves on in life, we are left with the pain and memory. Like PTSD it will stay with us forever, sometimes increasingly painful, until we forgive and see the other person as a child of God like we are making mistakes like we do and loved of the Father as we are. Letting go of the hurt through forgiveness is the only way for our peace of mind. It allows us to move on and not be stuck in the painful past or the worrisome future. We are free in the moment to enjoy all that God has seen fit to give us and be thankful for it. Jesus Christ is the Lord of experience. When we experience painful life events, like those triggered by others, especially like those created by the ones we love, we can go to Jesus who has all power to heal us and help us forgive ourselves and forgive others because he has done so in the most extreme of all circumstances.
[i] Matthew 5:7 KJV
[ii] Matthew 5:9
[iii] Matthew 5:10-11
[iv] Matthew 5:25
[v] Matthew 5:39
[vi] Matthew 5:40
[vii] Matthew 5:43-45
[viii] Luke 23:34 KJV
[ix] Matthew 5:46-48
[x]David Hawkins. Excerpted from Along the Path to Enlightenment: 365 Daily
[xi] D&C 64:8-11