THE LORD’S PRAYER: REFLECTIONS FOR LENT (Reflection 6)

Reflection 6: 5^th Petition: And forgive us our debts as even we [ourselves] have forgiven our debtors!

[See Feb. 22, 2026 for translation and Reflection 1.]

The first three petitions put us in a right relationship with God.  God’s honor and God’s agenda are primary.  The second three petitions turn attention toward ourselves, but they still require that we put God first.  The 4^th petition is essentially a prayer to grow in faith, to grow in dependence on God and not on the material world.

The 5^th petition, while for ourselves, effectively transforms us to grow in God’s characteristic of mercy.  In the first clause we plead for forgiveness.  Now we Methodists, along with Anglicans, Lutherans, and English-speaking Catholics tend to use the sin word “trespasses” rather than “debts” in our translations.  This tradition apparently goes back to Tyndale’s translation of 1526, and it is likely that he used “trespasses” because that term fits well with the sin word that follows in Matt 6:14-15, which itself might be better translated, “transgression.”¹  Still, the Greek word here more properly refers to a debt.  I prefer to use this term because to me “trespass” or even “transgression” might not communicate well.  They miss the concept of sin words and forgiveness words backgrounded in the Old Testament, particularly in the Temple sacrificial system. 
        Sin, like a debt, always produces the reality of a negative consequence.  We should think of sin as leaving something “tangible” behind.  It creates an impediment of chaos in our relationship with God and is often compared to a burden upon us.  God forgives, not because one offers a sacrifice but because one remorsefully repents.  The main Old Testament term for “forgive” (Hebrew nasa’) communicates that God lifts or bears that burden.  The sacrifice that follows symbolizes the removing of the “stain” or “pollution” of sin, showing that a right relationship with God is restored.

Shockingly, whereas the first clause is quite rational from a human perspective – seeking forgiveness – the second clause is not.  Here our words impose upon ourselves a condition for receiving our own forgiveness, “as even we have forgiven our debtors.”  I do not like saying that.  It places a weighty obligation on me.  Here is a facile but hopefully helpful illustration.  If someone walked up to me and stomped on my foot, I would know that I have the right to stomp back on their foot.  To forgive that person, however, I must in a sense bear or lift the weight of their sin.  That understanding about forgiveness incredibly amplifies the nature of God’s mercy.  God lifts our sins against God’s honor and will.
        More stunningly, Jesus follows the Lord’s prayer by stating that the mercy we receive is conditional on the mercy we give (6:14-15).  To my mind that deliberately shocking language is not meant to convey a limitation on God’s mercy; rather, it clarifies what personal submission to God means in our relationship with others as we represent the Kingdom of God on earth.  In the second clause of this petition, we are taking on our responsibility as followers of Jesus when we pray that we want to receive the mercy of God in direct relationship to the mercy we show others.  That is a difficult petition for  me!
        The goal of this petition is really about transformation.  Yes, the 5^th petition first does move me to repent and ask forgiveness.  However, the main thrust, of this petition is not about me turning to God for forgiveness.  It is focused on the “as even we” clause.  It is about me and you expressing a desire before the throne of God to be so transformed that we become merciful as God in our ability to forgive others.

Journal Reflections

1. This petition first confronts us with the need repent and ask forgiveness.  Before voicing this petition, you and I might ask the Holy Spirit to show us the matters over which we need to repent.
2. More deeply this petition challenges us to examine how merciful we are.  Just as God’s mercy is offered regardless of whether I repent and accept it, so our hearts should be merciful to others, whether they are sorry or not.  Is there anyone toward whom you feel bitter?  You might try praying Jesus’ prayer while putting their names in replacement of the first-person pronouns.
3. During Lent, we look at Jesus on the cross who said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34).  Moreover, when Peter says, “Who our sins he himself bore in his body on the wood [cross]” (1Pet 2:24), Peter is employing the language of the Old Testament about God lifting/bearing our sins.  What does this reflection on Jesus mean to you?

Prayer quote:

The power of prayer has never been tried to its full capacity in any church.  If we want to see might wonders of divine power and grace wrought in the place of weakness, failure and disappointment, let the whole church answer God’s standing challenge: ‘Call unto me and I will answer thee, and show thee great and might things, which thou knowest not.’ (J. Hudson Taylor, Royal Exchange, p. 30.)

Note:

1. In Tyndale’s culture, “debt” might have seemed like too much of a financial transaction, as it might in our culture; however, we can also use it figuratively as something intangible, as even a moral debt.  Tyndale’s wording was adopted in the 1549 Book of Common Prayer and became traditional.