The Lord's Prayer is the only prayer that Jesus Christ himself taught his disciples. It is recounted in two Gospels. It is the best-known prayer of Christians and unites Christians worldwide. At the same time, it is thoroughly Jewish and closely related to other Jewish prayers. In this series, we want to explore the Jewish roots of the Lord's Prayer in more detail.
By Kees de Vreugd, translation by Marie-Louise Weissenböck
"Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us."
Forgiveness, one could say, has a vertical and a horizontal aspect. It's not just about our relationship with God, but also with our fellow human beings. Our relationship with God also influences our relationships with others, and vice versa.
What kind of "debt" is meant? The Greek word can literally mean material debt. The Bible and the rabbinic law based on it give all sorts of instructions on how to deal with debt. One of the most striking is the forgiveness of debts every seven years in the Sabbatical year (Deuteronomy 15).
The word can also refer to moral guilt and sin. Biblically speaking, sin is the transgression of God's commandments. This can also occur in the ritual context. But here, and in similar Jewish sources, the focus, as mentioned, is on the relationship with God and one's fellow human beings. The Aramaic word *chova*, which likely underlies this meaning, has the same dual significance. For the rabbis, "guilt" signifies a failure to fulfill one's obligations to God. In Jewish liturgy, the Day of Atonement is clearly about the forgiveness of guilt.
But the prayer for forgiveness also has a place in the regular daily prayers: “Forgive us, our Father, for we have sinned; grant us forgiveness, our King, for we have sinned. Blessed are You, Eternal One, who is merciful and forgives readily.” This prayer is preceded by a prayer for a return to the Torah. There is no forgiveness without renewal.
The Book of Sirach says: “Forgive your neighbor what he has done to you, and when you pray, your sins will also be forgiven.” (Sirach 28:2) Jesus says the same thing and underscores its meaning by also reversing it: If you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. Earlier, he had said: If you are on your way to the altar and realize that your brother has something against you, go and be reconciled to him first. This is the essence of the Day of Atonement as it is observed in Judaism.
Our Father in heaven…
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever.
Amen.
(Translation after Martin Luther from Matthew 6:9–13)
In fact, the entire Sermon on the Mount is dominated by the central values of this time of the Jewish year: prayer, fasting, and giving alms.
"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."
Like the preceding petition of the Lord's Prayer, this one also has two parts. They are formulated as a contradiction ("but"). But it can be understood that the second part explains the first. What is this temptation? Temptation has a negative connotation. A more neutral translation would be "trial." It's the same as "to try," one could say. God tested Abraham (Genesis 22). God tested him. According to Jewish tradition, Abraham was subjected to ten trials, all of which he passed. Was the purpose to see where Abraham stood, whether he remained faithful to God? Or were they meant to make him stronger and thereby elevate him?
Jesus was tempted in the desert—by the devil, but it was the Spirit who led him into the desert to be tempted. That's strange. The same verb is used here. It's clear that the devil is intent on bringing Jesus down, but Jesus is victorious.
God does not tempt anyone, writes James. Every person is tempted when they allow themselves to be carried away by their own desires. And giving in to them leads to sin, and the end result is death (James 1:13ff). Jewish tradition calls this the "evil inclination," which exists alongside the good inclination in every person. The evil inclination has both creative and destructive power and is sometimes associated with Satan. The evil inclination must be turned around and used for good. This is the personal struggle of every individual.
A few verses earlier (verses 2-3), James also speaks of temptation. But we can rejoice in this! This kind of temptation is indeed a test (verse 3) to try us and strengthen our faith. “My brothers and sisters, consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” (James 1:2-3) Here, the evil urge is subdued by the good urge.
Perhaps the petition in the Lord's Prayer also reflects this inner struggle: Do not give in to our evil impulses, but help us to control them. In the desert, Jesus not only set an example, but also won the victory for us.
Parts 1, 2 and 3 of this series appeared in our newspaper “Israelaktuell”, 3rd + 4th quarter 2024 and 1st quarter 2025.
This article first appeared in our newspaper "Israelaktuell," issue 141. You can order the newspaper here . We would also be happy to send you several copies for distribution.
