Thank you for the interpretative question on debt and debtor in Matthew 6:12
The Greek word for debt is οφειλετης (opheiletes). This is the noun form. It means a debtor; someone who owes. It has the idel of someone who sold or borrowed against something in which that borrower couldn’t delivered. It’s liken to an IOU with nothing to secure that loan.
Two thoughts for one’s considerarion:
A. The Debt Owe to God.
Jesus is teaching that every person has a debt to pay to God. It’s not that the has reserved funds to pay off the debt. He is bankrupt, drowning in that debt while the debt continues to accumulate.
God can call in that “loan” or debt at any time. It’s not if he will call in for the full payment, but when will he call in for the full payment. The debt has to be settled at some point in time.
The debt is the violation of God’s commands or laws. Who has enough wealth or possession to “pay off” the debt owed to God? The debt includes both omission and commission of sins against God. If the debtor loses track of what is owed that doesn’t mean that God ignores the debtor and the debt.
Without any means to repay the debt to God, the debtor pleas for grace and mercy. S/he can only ask God to forgive him/her of that debt. Forgiveness is the key word. Forgiveness is releasing the debtor of his debt. It’s coming to God empty-handed and asking him to grant forgiveness.
Jesus further teaches that when the debtor asks God to forgive his/her debt, there is the confidence that God will hear and grant that forgiveness of one’s debt. God is compassionate and gracious. He forgives if we only asked him. See I John 1:9. By confessing our sins, God forgives us and even those sins that we are unaware of.
B. The Debt Own by Others To Us.
In a corollary Jesus teaches his followers that they must have that same attitude of forgiveness to those who offended or owed us a debt. The followers of Jesus must be willing to forgive what debt is owed to that person. There is the inclination of one’s heart and mind to forgive the other person.
The followers of Jesus are not to have any IOU’s from the offending party. There isn’t to be any secret accounts of debt owed by a party. It’s not the attitude of I forgive you, but I want to forget you. It is the restoration of friendly relationship through gracious forgiveness.
If we seek God’s forgiveness, then we must be willing to forgive others. It is inconsistent to hold a debt over someone while asking God to release all of our debts against him. The Parable of Two Debtors is a further explanation from Luke 7:36–50. It’s worth pondering.
If I may venture to say that many people, including myself, do not truly forgive others. We say to ourselves, “I will forgive you, but let it ever happen again!” is our attitude. It’s a conditional forgiveness on our part.
Peter once asked Jesus, “How times must I forgive my brother?” Three strikes and that person is out of my life forever! Can we imagine if God was to say that about our debts against him! If we humbly ask for forgiveness from God and he grants that to us, shouldn’t we forgive those who humbly asked us to forgive him or her.
Forgiveness does not mean that there is a lack of boundary or consequences. It’s not letting the other person “run” one over. It’s confronting the sin and seeking to help that person overcome that sin in his or her life even as God has given his Holy Spirit and believers to help us overcome our sins.
Summary: We are to graciously forgive others even as God freely forgives us of our sins.
-Kingston