[A]nd forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation.

Luke 11:4

In Luke 11:3, Jesus taught his disciples to pray “each day” for bread. The next verse adds to what we should ask our Father on a daily basis: "And forgive us our sins..." (11:4). This simple request reflects several profound theological truths.

First, Jesus assumes that we all have sins in need of forgiveness. Luke 11:4 uses the standard Greek word for “sin” (hamartia), unlike the more familiar and metaphorical request in Matthew that is traditionally rendered either as “Forgive us our debts” or “Forgive us our trespasses.” Sin, linguistically speaking, is “missing the mark.” It’s falling short of God’s standards, and it’s something that every human being does.

Second, by teaching us to pray for God’s forgiveness, Jesus helps us understand that we cannot forgive ourselves in a way that heals our broken relationship with God. No amount of human effort, no collection of good intentions, no mountain of good works will take away the guilt of our sin so that we might be one with God. God, and God alone, has the authority to forgive sin.

This is either really bad news or really good news. It’s really bad news if God is not a forgiving God. In this case, we are forever tainted by sin and thus separated for eternity from God and his goodness. It’s really good news if God does, in fact, forgive. And this is what Jesus implies in his model prayer. He would not teach us to ask from our Father in heaven that which would never be granted. By teaching us to ask for divine forgiveness, Jesus underscores God’s forgiving nature, that which the Lord had repeatedly revealed to Israel (see, for example, Exodus 34:6-7).

Of course, Jesus did not just reiterate the reality of divine forgiveness. In time, he also embodied that forgiveness, offering himself as a sacrifice for our sin. Thus, when we pray “Forgive us our sins,” we are doing more than following Jesus’ example. We are also putting confidence in his saving work on the cross. We are saying, in effect, to our Heavenly Father: “Forgive us our sins, because Jesus took our guilt upon himself so that we might be forgiven.” Therefore, the simple prayer, “Forgive us our sins” stands as a signpost pointing to the cross, which points beyond itself to the love, grace, and mercy of the triune God.

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: Do you regularly ask God to forgive you? Why or why not? How confident are you in God’s forgiveness? How might your experience of God’s mercy impact your daily life?

PRAYER:

There's a wideness in God's mercy
like the wideness of the sea;
there's a kindness in his justice,
which is more than liberty.
There is welcome for the sinner,
and more graces for the good;
there is mercy with the Savior;
there is healing in his blood.

There is no place where earth's sorrows
are more felt than in heaven;
there is no place where earth's failings
have such kind judgment given.
There is plentiful redemption
in the blood that has been shed;
there is joy for all the members
in the sorrows of the Head.

For the love of God is broader
than the measure of man's mind;
and the heart of the Eternal
is most wonderfully kind.
If our love were but more faithful,
we should take him at his word;
and our life would be thanksgiving
for the goodness of the Lord. Amen.

"There's a Wideness in God's Mercy" by Frederick William Faber, 1862. Public domain.