“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” – Matthew 6:12

In Proverbs 22:7, the Bible says “The debtor is servant to the lender.”

This indicates that being a debtor is indicative of an imbalance of power in relation to the lender.

Yet, in life, everyone is a ‘debtor’ – first, to God then to others.

The Greek word for “debts” in our meditation verse today is ‘opheilēmata,’ which refers to something owed to another, whether financially or morally.

In this context, Jesus used the word to describe the spiritual debt of sin that we all owe to God.

The related word ‘opheiletes’ means “debtor” or “one who owes something.”

By teaching us to pray, “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors,” Jesus takes the concept of debt beyond financial obligations and speaks to the deeper issue of sin and forgiveness.

By using “debts,” Jesus emphasizes the idea that sin creates a debt that can only be forgiven through God’s mercy and our willingness to forgive others.

Romans 13:8 says, “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.”

In the next verses (Matthew 6:14-15), Jesus warns, “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

This verse emphasizes the importance of forgiveness in our relationships with others and with God.

Jesus teaches that our willingness to forgive others is closely tied to God’s willingness to forgive us.

By forgiving others, we demonstrate our understanding of God’s forgiveness and our need for it in our own lives.

Forgiveness is not optional; it’s a condition for receiving God’s forgiveness.

In other words, refusing to forgive our ‘debtors’ can hinder our relationship with God and our ability to receive forgiveness for our own ‘debts.’

“However serious the offence someone committed against us is, our own failures against God are far much worse!”

To illustrate this concept further, Jesus told the Parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18:21-35.

A certain servant owed his king a massive debt of 10,000 talents, which was an enormous amount.

The king, out of mercy, decided to forgive the servant’s debt.

However, a fellow servant also owed the forgiven servant a small debt. But shockingly, the forgiven servant refused to show mercy; he demanded payment of his debt and failing to get the payment he had his debtor thrown into prison.

When the king learned of this, he was furious.

Enraged, he revoked the forgiveness he had given to the unforgiving servant, punishing him severely.

“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart,” Jesus concluded (verse 35).

Mark the key words “from the heart” – disregarding mere verbal posturing in the name of ‘forgiving.’

It’s incredible to note that some of us are harbouring bitterness and grudges for offences that were committed decades ago, but we are always on our knees pleading to God to forgive us for sinning against Him.

Science tells us that bottling up bitterness is not healthy – that it produces toxins which poison our system.

In Colossians 3:13, the Bible admonishes us; “As the Lord forgave you, so also forgive others.”

That directly implies that our forgiveness towards our ‘debtors’ should be guided by the model of God’s forgiveness towards you as His ‘debtor,’ which is characterized by mercy, grace, and love.

However ‘serious’ the offence someone committed against us is, our own failures against God are far much worse!

So, the question is; what is God telling you about releasing your ‘debtors’ and what are you going to do about it?