English follows after the Afrikaans
Matteus 6:12: “Vergeef ons ons skulde, soos ook ons hulle vergeef wat teenoor ons skuldig staan.”
Lukas 11:3: “En vergeef ons ons sondes; want ook ons vergeef elkeen wat teenoor ons skuldig staan.”
- Wat staan vir jou uit?
- Hoe laat die gedeelte jou voel??
Oordenking: Matteus sien vergifnis deur God deurgaan gekoppel aan die Christen se gereedheid om ook ander te vergeef. Verder sien Matteus “skulde” meestal as letterlike geldelike of ander materiële skuld. Vergifnis word gesien as die opheffing van skuld. ‘n Mens sien hierdie siening duidelik in die gelykenis in Matteus 18:23-35 oor die mense wat geld geskuld het. Lukas weer fokus meer op die “sonde” deel van die skuld, die morele gedeelte. As ‘n mens onthou dat die oorspronklike woorde bes moontlik in Aramees uitgespreek is, is dit nie vreemd nie. “Sonde” en “skuld” (geldelike skuld) word in Joodse gebruik as sinonieme gehanteer. Verder word skuld, slawerny en slawerny as gevolg van skuld baie naby aan mekaar gehanteer in die Bybel. Baie (die meeste?) Christene sien die verwysing in die “Onse Vader” egter net metafories (sondes) eerder as letterlik (skuld) – wat dink jy hiervan?
Een dag het Petrus Jesus probeer beïndruk deur sy gewilligheid om ander tot sewe maal te vergewe. Jesus was nie beïndruk nie. Werklike vergifnis hou nie rekord nie en persone wat werklik vergewe hou nie telling nie (Matt 18:21-35). Vandag sien ons dat werklike vergifnis eerder vervang is met die vae konsep van “toleransie” Op sy beste is dit ‘n tweederangse nabootsing van vergifnis, op sy slegste vee dit die werklike probleme tussen mense net onder die mat in.
Vergifnis is ryker en dieper en moeiliker en meer skokkend as wat ons gewoonlik dink. Jesus bied die werklike artikel aan en wil nie hê dat ons ‘n mensgemaakte plaasvervanger aanvaar nie. In die buitebybelse boek 4 Makkabees word dit mooi opgesom: “So gou as iemand ‘n lewe volgens die wet aanneem, al is hy ‘n liefhebber van geld, word hy gedwing om teenoor die natuurlike weë op te tree en om sonder rente te leen aan die noodlydendes en om elke sewende jaar skuld te kanselleer” (2:8).
Die Onse Vader gebed was uitdagend vir die vroeë gelowiges. Aangesien hulle God se vergifnis ontvang het, moes hulle dit onder mekaar beoefen. Om nie te vergewe nie was nie maar bloot om moreel te kort te skiet nie, jy was eerder besig om die tak waarop jy sit af te saag. Om Koninkryk-mense te wees, om Jesus-mense te wees, is afhanklik daarvan dat God jou vergewe. As jy nie vergifnis uitleef nie is jy besig om die fondament van jou bestaanswyse te ondermyn.
Op hierdie punt sluit die Onse Vader gebed iets ongewoons in, naamlik ‘n sinsnede wat gedrag aandui om die versoek om vergifnis te ondersteun: “Vergeef ons ons skulde, soos ook ons hulle vergeef wat teenoor ons skuldig staan.” Gebed en lewe word hier deel van mekaar gemaak. Onthou egter dat dit nie beteken dat hierdie tweede deel ‘n voorwaarde vir God se vergifnis is nie. Dit is eerder ‘n verdere uitdrukking van ons lojaliteit aan Jesus en Sy Koninkryk. Om vergifnis te verwag maak net sin as ons dit self uitleef.
Soos wat ons God se vergifnis ervaar kan ons makliker ander vergewe.
- In watter situasies is dit vir jou die moeilikste om te vergewe?
- Wanneer jy God vra om jou sonde of waar jy gefaal het te vergewe, is jy seker van Sy vergifnis of twyfel jy? Hoekom voel jy so?
Iets om aan te herkou: As Jesus aan die kruis gesterf het vir ons sondes, hoekom is daar nog sonde en boosheid in die Bybel? Hoekom moet ons hierdie gebed deurgaans bid al bely ons in ons geloofsbelydenisse en liedere dat die gebed eintlik al klaar beantwoord is? Die antwoord hierop is dat ons nou die mense is in wie die unieke oorwinning van die kruis en opstanding geïmplimenteer word in en vir die wêreld. Die kerk van Christus is die voorhoede van die groot vergifnis wat God in die hele kosmos wil implementeer.
- Wat kan jy vandag met jou saamneem?
Bibliografie:
Connelly, D. (2003) The Lord’s Prayer: 8 Studies for Individuals or Groups: With Notes for Leaders. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Connect: An Imprint of InterVarsity Press (A LifeGuide Bible Study).
Crossan, John Dominic. The Greatest Prayer: Rediscovering the Revolutionary Message of the Lord’s Prayer. HarperCollins.
Houlden, J.L. (1992) “Lord’s Prayer,” The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary. Edited by D.N. Freedman. New York: Doubleday.
Wright, N. T.. The Lord and His Prayer. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co..
Afrikaans hierbo. English below
Matthew 6:12: “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
Luke 11:4: “Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.”
- What strikes you?
- How does it make you feel?
Reflection: Matthew consistently sees forgiveness by God as bound up with the Christian’s readiness to forgive others. Matthew is inclined to see sin in terms of debt, and forgiveness as dispensation from debt, notably in the parable of the Two Debtors (Matt 18:23–35). Luke retains the concept “sin” in the second half of the petition. In any underlying Aramaic version, this would not surprise, for “sin” and “debt” are attested as synonymous parallels in Jewish usage. In the biblical tradition debt, slavery, and slavery for debt are very closely connected. Many (most?) Christians saying the Lord’s Prayer take those “debts” metaphorically (sins) rather than literally (debt) – What do you think of this?
Peter tried to impress Jesus one day with his willingness to forgive other people up to seven times. Jesus wasn’t impressed. Genuine forgiveness doesn’t keep a record, and genuine forgivers don’t keep count (Matthew 18:21–35). Instead of genuine forgiveness, our generation has been taught the vague notion of ‘tolerance’. This is, at best, a low-grade parody of forgiveness. At worst, it’s a way of sweeping the real issues in human life under the carpet.
Forgiveness is richer and higher and harder and more shocking than we usually think. Jesus’ message offers the genuine article, and insists that we should accept no man-made substitutes. Deuterocanonical 4 Maccabees summed it up succinctly: “As soon as one adopts a way of life in accordance with the law, even though a lover of money, one is forced to act contrary to natural ways and to lend without interest to the needy and to cancel the debt when the seventh year arrives” (2:8).
This prayer was a challenge to the early Christians. Having received God’s forgiveness themselves, they were to practice it amongst themselves. Failure to forgive one another wasn’t a matter of failing to live up to a new bit of moral teaching. It was cutting off the branch you were sitting on. The only reason for being Kingdom-people, for being Jesus’ people, was that the forgiveness of sins was happening; so if you didn’t live forgiveness, you were denying the very basis of your own new existence.
So the Lord’s Prayer contains, at this point, a most unusual thing: a clause which commits the prayer to actions which back up the petition just offered. ‘Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.’ Prayer and life are here locked indissolubly together. And, please note: this isn’t saying that we do this in order to earn God’s forgiveness. It’s a further statement of our loyalty to Jesus and his Kingdom. Claiming this central blessing of the Kingdom only makes sense if we are living by that same central blessing ourselves.
As we experience God’s forgiveness, we can more easily forgive others.
- In what situations do you find it most difficult to forgive?
- When you ask God to forgive you for a sin or failure in your life, are you confident of his cleansing or do you have doubts? Explain why you feel secure or insecure.
Food for thought: If Jesus died on the cross, why is there still sin and evil in the world at all? And why should we go on praying this prayer day after day if we say, in creed and hymn, in liturgy and scripture, that it has already been answered? The response to this question is that we are now called to be the people through whom the unique victory of Calvary and Easter is implemented in and for the whole world. The church is to be the advance guard of the great act of Forgiveness of Sins that God intends to accomplish for the entire cosmos.
- What can you take with you today?
Bibliography:
Connelly, D. (2003) The Lord’s Prayer: 8 Studies for Individuals or Groups: With Notes for Leaders. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Connect: An Imprint of InterVarsity Press (A LifeGuide Bible Study).
Crossan, John Dominic. The Greatest Prayer: Rediscovering the Revolutionary Message of the Lord’s Prayer. HarperCollins.
Houlden, J.L. (1992) “Lord’s Prayer,” The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary. Edited by D.N. Freedman. New York: Doubleday.
Wright, N. T.. The Lord and His Prayer. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co..
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