Forgiveness and Persistence in Prayer

"Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father, who is in heaven, may also forgive you your transgressions."

—Mark 11:25 WEB*

Jesus is talking about standing to pray to God for forgiveness. Scholars suggest that Jesus is referring to the practice of praying before the altar at the temple in Jerusalem. We presume this is when the priest is sacrificing and burning an offering in order for God to forgive the sins of the one who brought the offering and who is now praying before the altar.

For the Christian, there is no longer the need of a recurring sacrifice because Jesus, God's Son, became our sacrifice, dying once for the sins of all. We have only to claim what Jesus has done for us in order to become a child of God and have eternal life with Him. And yet, being human, we will continue to sin, and these new sins must also be recognized and given to God so that we may daily enjoy a relationship with our Heavenly Father that is unhindered by sin.

In this passage the reference to sin is the Greek word transliterated as paraptóma, meaning a false step, a trespass, a transgression, or an offense. In this sense, our sins can be thought of as the things we do, whether intentionally or unintentionally, that go against the laws of God; that offend God. With regard to forgiveness, the passage uses the Greek word aphiémi, meaning to send away, to leave alone, to permit or allow. Since God is God, He cannot forget any sin that we commit, but He can acknowledge that Jesus has paid for the sins that we bring to him, and He can then choose to not hold those sins against us.

But in this passage Jesus warns us that God's forgiveness of sins involves more than just giving our sins to God. We must also acknowledge and forgive the wrongs done to us by others. God knows that the grudges that we create can be as bad for us as the sins we commit ourselves. We must forgive not only to obey God, but also for our own spiritual benefit.

Finally, with regard to the practice of standing to pray, there are other references to this in Scripture (Zechariah 3:1 Matthew 6:5; Luke 18:11 Revelation 11:4). The Greek word used is stékó. This word can mean to stand, but it also can mean to stand firm or to persevere.

While we should not read into Scripture any meaning that may not be intended, this reference gives us a wonderful opportunity to recognize that prayer does require a measure of persistence on our part. It is a valid argument to say that the intensity of our desires is often reflected in the energy and persistence we invest in order to fulfill them. It is, therefore, only natural for us to expect that our prayer life reflect this same energy, persistence and determination as we bring our concerns before our Lord.

Let us praise God and thank Him for his forgiveness of our sin. In obedience to Him and for our own good, let us ask His help in forgiving just as He forgave, and let us pray with persistence.


* WEB - The World English Bible, a Public Domain, Modern English translation of the Holy Bible developed by Rainbow Missions, Inc. URL: ebible.org

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