Matthew 6:15 says:
"But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." (KJV)
"But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." (NIV)
I. Historical Analysis (looking at the world outside the Bible): x
A. Geography: x
B. Political History: x
C. Wars: x
D. Economy: x
E. Pagan Cultures: x
F. Manners and Customs: The Jewish people were under the perverted, highly legalistic leadership of the Pharisees and the governmental leadership of the Romans. In this sermon, Jesus was teaching them to reject the Pharisees and Rome and to put God first.
G. Culture-based or Trans-cultural: From a cultural perspective, He was telling the people of that time that they should reject the religion of the Pharisees. To all cultures, He was saying to reject the religion of legalism. People should seek a personal relationship with Christ rather than the phoniness of legalism.
II. Grammatical Analysis (looking at the words in a sentence): x
A. Words: According to the "Online Bible," by Kevin Rintoul, the Greek word used for "forgive" was "aphiemi." In fifty-two cases, that word was translated "leave," forty-seven times "forgive," six times "forsake," and six times as "leave alone." John 14:18 says, "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." Matthew 5:24 says, "Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift." These two examples of the word, "leave," show the diversity of aphiemi.
1. Lexical Analysis: Based on the context of the word "leave," aphiemi seems to suggest a type of separation. Therefore, to forgive someone, when using this word, most likely means a willingness to separate oneself from the anguish of the hurtful experience. If you can let go of the hurt, then you can much more easily forgive the one that has caused the hurt. This word can also mean to forsake or leave alone, so forgiving someone does not necessarily mean that fellowship is always restored. Sometimes forgiveness can occur, and the two people go their separate ways. Sometimes forgiveness can occur when only the offended person knows that it has occurred.
2. Figures of Speech: x
3. Different Translations: x
B. Level of Words: x
C. Syntax: x
D. Verb Tenses: According to the Blue Letter Bible (www.blueletterbible.org), the first use of the verb "forgive" is in the Greek subjunctive mood. By definition, that means that the action may or may not have actually occurred. The subjunctive mood considers potential and possibility rather than actual occurrences. It is talking about a type of person rather than a specific incident. Therefore, Jesus was not saying that a failure by one person to forgive another in an isolated case would lead to that person not being forgiven by God. What He was saying is that people that abide in Him exhibit a general willingness to forgive others.
By using this verb tense and the subjunctive mood, He was implying that the ability to forgive comes from the indwelling Holy Spirit. Therefore, a quick, steady willingness to forgive others is an evidence of a mature salvation rather than a threat of future judgment. By contrast, a consistent unwillingness to forgive others is evidence of either an immature salvation or of no salvation at all, and those that are not saved have also not been forgiven by God. When a person does not have a personal relationship with Christ, then he or she is still under the condemnation of the Law, hence not forgiven.
E. Use of Book Endings: x
III. Literary Analysis (looking at the whole thought or concept): The Bible often teaches in embryonic form, which means that a whole truth is not immediately presented. An example is Genesis 3:15 where God first mentions to Adam and Eve a coming Savior. Throughout the Old Testament, that theme of a coming Savior is developed so that God’s people eventually realize that their Messiah is coming. By the time that Jesus is incarnated, the Jewish people are looking for Someone to come to their aid. The Sermon on the Mount is also teaching a Bible truth in embryonic form, and the truth being taught is that people can enter into a personal relationship with the Lord. Jesus does not teach all that He will teach over the next three years, but He simply gives the people a glimpse of what they can have through Him and with Him.
A. Exegesis: x
1. The passage as "world literature": x
2. Genre of the passage: This verse is part of the Sermon on the Mount, which was Jesus’ first recorded sermon and also His longest. His message was in the form of a discourse, so He was trying to educate the people as to how a genuine relationship with Him affects someone. In other words, a person through Him will be better able to forgive someone in an instance where forgiveness may not be very easy to give. Being able to forgive, in the context of His message, is the characteristic of someone that has been forgiven.
3. The author’s emphasis: Jesus was preaching this sermon to Jewish people. It was His first recorded sermon in the Bible, and it was also His longest. His message was threefold. First, He wanted people to understand that He was and is the Son of God. In Matthew 5:17, He said, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil." Second, He wanted them to know that He had the power to change or upgrade the Old Testament Mosaic Law. In Leviticus 24:20, Moses wrote, "Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: as he hath caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him [again]." But in Matthew 5:39, Jesus said, "But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also." Third, He wanted them to realize that they could not live by His Words unless they were indwelled by the Holy Spirit. Galatians 3:24 says, "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster [to bring us] unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith."
4. The author’s intended meaning: The Pharisees had perverted the Mosaic Law and elevated it in importance above the Lord. Matthew wrote this sermon to show that Jesus wanted to put an end to that perversion. Matthew also wrote this sermon and his entire gospel to show that Jesus is the King of the Jews, and this sermon clearly shows Jesus as having the power of a king.
B. Application of the passage: The Sermon on the Mount teaches people that they need to have a personal relationship with Christ. It shows the general misunderstanding of the Mosaic Law and the always successful results of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Matthew 6:15 and the other judgmental-type verses in this sermon were not intended to scare people into submission to a certain lifestyle. That is what the Pharisees had been trying to do with their perversion of the Law. Instead, this sermon was meant to bring people to Christ so that they could have an ongoing personal relationship with Him rather than an impersonal, legalistic relationship with their version of an out-of-touch Supreme Being. In general, religion is impersonal and restrictive. But Jesus was teaching His listeners that Christianity is personal and liberating. Being able to forgive someone that has wronged you is great blessing, and the message of this verse is that one can do that through a personal relationship with the Lord and the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Matthew 6:15 is positive and encouraging and certainly not a verse meant to scare Christians.
Tom of New Heights "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (I John 5:12)
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