Matthew 6:11-12 Bread and Forgiveness The prayer for daily bread is short. In terms of how we often or normally pray, this is particularly noticeable. For it does seem that we spend a great deal of time on the things we perceive we need. All of that he here addressed in seven words. The basis for God s bounty appears to be in the first three petitions concerning God s holiness, kingdom and will. When one lives live with a primary interest in these three, few words are needed to address the material needs of live. Very often before we even ask, God has provided. Matthew 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread, Bread is a synecdoche, a figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole. The bread is the part; all our material needs is the whole. All are implied in this prayer. Up to this point our prayers have been directed to three great themes, 1) making God s name holy on earth (6:9), 2) the coming of God s kingdom on earth (6:10), 3) the doing of God s will on earth (6:10). Now the prayer becomes more personal to the petitioner. These first three petitions will take time to reach their fulfillment, but the bread is needed today. Give I ve heard it said that what you turn to in crises is in some sense your God. In our era today when crises appears in our life, there is almost a universal cry to the government to do something. And governments like it that way; they want to be god. But here Jesus instructs his followers to look to the Father in heaven to give what is needed for life. In doing this, you demonstrate who your God is. this day our daily bread In the Sermon on the Mount, we see Jesus dealing with problems in practicing righteousness. The first problem was hypocrisy in giving (6:1-4). The second was hypocrisy in prayer (6:5-15). The third will deal with hypocrisy in fasting (6:16-18). Here Jesus discussion hypocrisy in prayer. Here Matthew inserts the Lord s Prayer, material that was particularly precious to him. In the prayer, Jesus gives us this comment about provision for this day. This is a particularly important subject as is seen by the expansion on this topic in Jesus soon discussions on laying up wealth (6:19-24) and his extended conclusion on anxiety (6:25-34). daily ἐπιούσιος Understanding the word daily will help in understanding the whole petition. Traditionally this Greek word has been translated one of four ways. The confusion in what it means is simply because the Greek word has not been found in any Greek document outside of this prayer. As a result, there is little to go on in determining its meaning. Epiousios means:
1. the bread of today (time) 2. the bread of tomorrow (time) 3. just enough bread to keep us alive, and no more (amount) 4. the bread we need (amount). 1 No one has been able to determine which of these ideas are meant by this word, or if any of them are a good fit. However, in the nineteenth century an ancient translation of the Bible from the second century A.D. was discovered that sheds light on this passage. It is called the Old Syriac translation. This Old Syriac translation of the Gospels is probably the oldest and earliest translation of the Greek New Testament into any language. 2 This venerable translation reads: Give us today the bread that doesn t run out. 3 Until the industrial revelation, famine was a recurring part of most of the cultures of the ancient world. To pray like this would address this sadly, common, condition in the world of these people. It also suggest that subsistence faith was not viewed as particularly holy or practical. Instead, they prayed big asking God to provide for them as he provided for Joseph in Egypt. We need to see this petition for bread in the light of coming discussions on worldly greed and earthly fear. In this insecure world, many people are anxious about the future and reasonably want to be prepared for whatever may come. We will discuss the implications of this request for daily bread in greater detail when we cover that material below. But, Matthew s comments there are a useful reminder now: Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? (Matthew 6:25, ESV) Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matthew 6:34, ESV) Preparation in the Past Bread is prayed for daily. But bread takes months to prepare; soil has to be prepared, seed planted, grain harvested, processed into flour and then baked. This is how we all live in the world; this is how the world now works. We don t simply pull a loaf of bread off a tree that is in full bloom 12 months of the year as it will be one day! Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (Revelation 22:1 2, ESV) 1 Kenneth E. Bailey, Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2008), 120 121. 2 Kenneth E. Bailey, Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2008), 121. 3 Kenneth E. Bailey, Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2008), 121.
That will be a glorious day, but it is not today. Instead, the Bible teaches us diligence in what is necessary to provide for that daily bread. Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. (Proverbs 6:6 8, ESV) The hardworking son who labors in summer and autumn is praised. He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame. (Proverbs 10:5, ESV) The excellent wife of Proverbs 31 prepares to feed her household months, even years, before the meal is to be served. She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. (Proverbs 31:16, ESV) The fields must, no doubt, be cultivated, labour must be bestowed on gathering the fruits of the earth, and every man must submit to the toil of his calling, in order to procure food. But all this does not hinder us from being fed by the undeserved kindness of God, without which men might waste their strength to no purpose. 4 So, to pray for daily bread is in fact to pray for the strength to work in order to obtain that bread. And those that won t work for daily bread should not eat daily bread. For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. (2 Thessalonians 3:10, ESV) Preparation for the Future Bread is also saved for the future as Joseph, that extraordinary man of God, noted. Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land and take one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven plentiful years. And let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it. (Genesis 41:34 35, ESV) The sages in ancient Israel praised the benefit of increasing wealth for the future. Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it. (Proverbs 13:11, ESV) A good man leaves an inheritance to his children s children, but the sinner s wealth is laid up for the righteous. (Proverbs 13:22, ESV) Paul says some similar to Proverbs 13, noting the importance of saving and of capitalizing the next generation. 4 John Calvin and William Pringle, Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists Matthew, Mark, and Luke (vol. 1; Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 325.
. For children are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. (2 Corinthians 12:14, ESV) So, as we consider the phrase give us this day our daily bread or better yet, Give us today the bread that doesn t run out, we must also consider the broad picture in Scripture on how the distant past and distant future play into our faith not simply the immediate. Preparation for the Present The Bible is consistent; its messages do not conflict with each other. That being the case, it is clear that the command of diligence and saving in the past, and the command to lay up for our future do not, if properly understood, conflict. There are messages for the past, present and the future that differ slightly but harmonize completely. You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you. (Psalm 128:2, ESV) The Provider As Jesus talked of bread, would the mind of his audience be far from that wilderness story in which God fed millions of Israelites their daily bread with angels food? and he rained down on them manna to eat and gave them the grain of heaven. (Psalm 78:24, ESV) Soon other crowds will find themselves in need of daily bread as well and again God will provide. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. (Matthew 14:21, ESV) Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. (Matthew 15:38, ESV) These are more than fascinating stories; they are lessons on trusting God. These stories of God s provision are to engender faith. The prayer of those that ask God for their daily bread is a prayer of faith by those that live by faith.. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20, ESV) To trust God for food and all else is to live by faith. And in fact, crops do fail and savings are lost, so in faith we can and must pray, give us this day our daily bread. A False Message But there is another message more recent in Church history. It is a message by those that proclaim a prosperity gospel. For them prayer for bread is almost ludicrous, that is a given, they have far greater ambitions in obtaining the good things this life offers. It is
a lesson easily forgotten when wealth multiplies and absolute self-sufficiency is portrayed as a virtue. 5 But praying for daily bread speaks to the fact that we realize we are not self-sufficient. Life is precarious and only God s omnipotent power can guarantee today s provisions. Forgiving Sin Matthew 6:12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. What the Righteous Need Let s look at the broader context. In Matthew 5:20 we read: For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:20, ESV) Keeping the law of God, as Jesus explained that law, was an expression of their righteous condition, one that exceeded that of the scribes and Pharisees. In doing this, they are viewed by God in a functional sense as perfect (5:48). The righteous were followers of Jesus and they took the Law of God seriously. Coming to 6:12 it turns out that the righteous need something; they need forgiveness. So, here in this verse they are instructed to pray for forgiveness. Other than Jesus himself, all that live on this earth sin, some willingly, some with deep regret; to the later, Jesus offers forgiveness. forgive 6 One of the first things that may cross one s mind when coming to this prayer is this, I thought I took care of that when I became a Christian and Jesus forgave me of my sins. All sins, past, present and future were judicially forgiven in Christ in the new birth. But even after we are saved, we still sin. Here John addresses this subject when he says: If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. (1 John 1:8 2:1, ESV) John is writing to believers and ministering the Word to them. As a part of this message, he discusses the topic of sin in the lives of believers and encourages them to confess their sins. From this and other passages in the Bible, as well as our own experience, it is clear that Christians sin. This sin does not result in the loss of salvation and confession does not result a new salvation. But, because we are not yet in heaven in a sin free environment, we continue to sin, this effects our day-by-day walk with God and our relationship with our neighbor. So John explains the importance of confession and forgiveness as Jesus does in this passage in the Lord s Prayer. 5 Carson, D. A. (1984). Matthew. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke (Vol. 8, p. 172). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House. 6 ἀφίημι let go, leave, leave alone, release, forgive liberation, forgiveness. Balz, H. R., & Schneider, G. (1990 ). Exegetical dictionary of the New Testament. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans.
debts 7 Luke s version makes clear what Matthew means by debts, by saying and forgive us our sins. (Luke 11:4, ESV) So, debts refer to sin. any purely monetary understanding of debt is ruled out by the fact that it is debts to God for which forgiveness is asked. 8 A few verses later in 6:14-15 Jesus make this clear with the use of trespasses substituting for debts. Debt is an image for sin in Matthew 18:23-35 and Luke 7:41-43. Both of these passages illustrate the point made here. Jesus uses the word debt because we owe to God our full obedience. When we do not pay it we are debtors to God, and only he can remit the debt 9 as we also have forgiven 10 our debtors or as we also are forgiving 11 our debtors Earlier we read in 5:21-26 of the danger of anger toward a brother. There we were told that such a person would be liable to the hell of fire (5:22) and that one should come to terms quickly with your accuser (5:25). And if not Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny (5:26). The Lord s Prayer again addresses this condition with a new warning that one must forgive. So, this brings us to a major problem, sin in our lives, and an unwillingness to forgive others. Jesus makes it clear that sin cannot be forgiven as long as we continue in this sin an unwillingness to forgive others of their debts. As long as we do this, we sin without remorse and repentance. As long as we harbor this sin of unforgiveness, we cannot expect God to forgive. So, if we truly want forgiveness of our sins, we must stop sinning, that is, we must repent of our unrepentance. Only then can we be taken seriously by God as candidate for forgiveness. Of course, this discussion on the forgiveness of sins references our day-by-day walk with God. As stated, it does not related to our conversion experience. Our conversion is not conditioned on previous good works; our sanctification is. If we do not forgive, we are not forgiven; our walk with God is interrupted. This is not to say that the source of our whole understanding of forgiveness is not in the mercy of God (he is addressed as Father), but it is to say that failure to forgive closes the door to ongoing forgiveness (cf. Mt. 18:23 35). 12 And why do we find this so difficult to do, after all Once our eyes have been opened to see the enormity of our offense against God, the injuries which others have done to us appear by comparison extremely trifling. If, on the other hand, we have an exaggerated 7 ὀφείλημα the moral debt incurred as the result of sin offense, sin, transgression, guilt. forgive us our sins Mt 6:12. Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Vol. 1: Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: Based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition.) (773). New York: United Bible Societies. 8 France, R. T. (2007). The Gospel of Matthew (p. 250). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publication Co. 9 Leon Morris, The Gospel according to Matthew (The Pillar New Testament Commentary; Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press, 1992), 147. 10 ἀφίημι To send forth or away, let go from oneself. Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2000). 11 Either the Minority Text, aorist active indicative have forgiven or better yet, the Majority Text, present active indicative are forgiving. 12 Nolland, J. (2005). The Gospel of Matthew: A commentary on the Greek text. New International Greek Testament Commentary (291). Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press.
view of the offenses of others, it proves that we have minimized our own. 13 So the bottom line is that The heart that will not open to forgive others will remain closed when God s own forgiveness is offered. 14 It is God s intent that he deals with us by means of mercy but, Though God prefers the coinage of mercy, he will deal with us in the coinage with which we have chosen to deal with others. 15 Do We Thereby Earn Forgiveness by Forgiving Others? The answer to that question is found by distinguishing between, on the one hand, earning or meriting forgiveness, and, on the other hand, adopting an attitude which makes forgiveness possible the distinction, that is, between deserts and capacity. 16 By forgiving others, we do not earn forgiveness, but in forgiving others, we are now in a position to receive forgiveness. Love Covers a Multitude of Sins We read as we also have forgiven our debtors or perhaps as we also are forgiving our debtors. Peter also talks about sins saying: Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8, ESV) The sins of others do not have to stick in our throat demanding exceptional effort on our part to confront and forgive. Instead we can simply cover them (forgive them) with love. This is in fact, the proper life style of the believer to be constantly forgiving our debtors. In some sense, we have to recognize that many sins by others are not hateful, they in fact may not only be unintended, and they may not even be recognized as sins, more thoughtlessness than maliciousness. So love is the great starting point in dealing with these offenses with the result that the great majority of these issues will never develop as serious transgressions they have been wiped clean by our love. In life, we often meet two types of people: 1) the easily offended and 2) those difficult to offend. Why are some so easy to offend? They simply take offense to almost every slight in life. As a result, these slights become major crises and relationship destroyers. These people have few friends; it s dangerous to be their friend for someday the hammer will fall and we too will become the object of their thin skin. But on the other hand, others take offense in very little; their default position is to cover offenses with love. As a result, few crises develop in their lives and relationships are strong. These people often have many friends; it is not dangerous to be in close fellowship with them. If you say something amiss, they will not even notice! 13 Carson, D. A. (1984). Matthew. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke (Vol. 8, pp. 172 173). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House. 14 Tom Wright, Matthew for Everyone, Part 1: Chapters 1-15 (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2004), 60. 15 Nolland, J. (2005). The Gospel of Matthew: A commentary on the Greek text. New International Greek Testament Commentary (291). Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press. 16 D. A. Carson, Matthew, in The Expositor s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke (ed. Frank E. Gaebelein; vol. 8; Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984), 8172.
But, whether it be easy or hard, God calls us to forgive those that sin against us. But before we start taking pity on those that find it so easy to be offended and so difficult to forgive, let us take one more look at ourselves. Even though at one level we may not be people that offend easily and hold grudges, at another level there may be hidden problems. Consider how easy it is to be annoyed when someone takes your parking place, your seat at church, moves right in front of you as you walk or drive. Take note of how you react when a favorite pen goes missing from your desk or in some way, your schedule is interrupted by some thoughtless act by another. There are only so many hours in a day and so much strength to get through it and thoughtless people don t make life easier. We could go on, but the point is this, we take offense more often than we realize and are not so quick to forgive as we might think. This too Jesus is addressing when we request forgiveness as we also have forgiven our debtors. Have we? But Can We Actually Forgive Sins? Can we tell someone I forgive you for murdering my daughter with the result that when that person stands before God, that sin does not now exist, it has been forgiven and God can no longer hold that person guilty of murder? If the answer is, no then in what sense do we then forgive sins? We simply cannot forgive sins against God; we have no power to do this. And What if Forgiveness is Not Requested? But there is one other difficult question to be asked, are we here instructed to forgive people who have not asked to be forgiven? People who would find the thought of asking for forgiveness intolerable? And in considering an answer to that question, I think we need to ask, does God himself forgive sins when people have not repented and asked for forgiveness? He does not. Are we more holy than God is? No, of course not. Then what are we being asked to do here? The answer is found in God s own behavior. He stands willing to forgive when asked; we must as well. He will forgive when people ask; we must as well. He has a forgiving spirit; we must as well. But before actual forgiveness is granted, actual repentance is required. Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, (Luke 17:3, ESV) So, should we forgive arbitrarily when people do not ask? God does not; we must not. Should we be willing to forgive when asked? God does and we must as well. So, forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors is conditioned by God s own example in forgiveness. That example is rooted in God s willingness to forgive when requested in repentance. That is what we are also called to do. But wait a minute; didn t Jesus forgive those who murdered him without them requesting forgiveness? And Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. And they cast lots to divide his garments. (Luke 23:34, ESV) Jesus did not forgive them, Jesus prayed for their forgiveness. And in fact, that prayer was answered 50 days later at Pentecost and in the years that followed as they repented and asked for forgiveness. But Let s Make This Even More Confusing
It is clear that people ought to repent of their sins, and it is sometimes our duty to rebuke them for their sins. But let s go back to those whose sin is covered by our love. To those, no rebuke was offered and no forgiveness was requested, we simply covered those things with the love that God put in our hearts. So, sometimes you have to decide what is to be ignored and what must be addressed. I would generally start with covering with love. However, if you find that this thing will not stay covered, that it constantly intrudes into your thoughts, then it would appear that this needs to be addressed more seriously. So in a spirit of humility and prayer, you must then address this issue with the offending person always willing to forgive. In summary, our sins are not forgiven without a loving heart and a forgiving spirit that willingly forgives others.