Mark 11:25

Mar_11:25-26

But if ye do not forgive.

Prayer and forgiveness

1. The first lesson here taught is that of a forgiving disposition. Gods full and free forgiveness is to be the rule of ours with men.

2. There is a second and more general lesson. Our daily life in the world is made the test of our intercourse with God in prayer. Life does not consist of so many loose pieces, of which now the one, then the other, can be taken up. My drawing nigh to God is of one piece with my intercourse with men. Failure here will cause failure there.

3. We may gather these thoughts into a third lesson. In our life with men the one thing on which everything depends is love. The spirit of forgiveness is the spirit of love. The right relations to the living God above me, and the living men around me, are the conditions of effectual prayer. (A. Murray.)

Forgiving foes

I. We should forgive our enemies and all who have injured us, because of the Divine example. Let us learn to act like our Father in heaven, who forgives us without any merit on our part.

II. We should forgive because it is needful for our own peace. Revenge cherished is like a thorn in the flesh.

III. Forgiveness is one of the most important signs and essentials of spiritual growth.

IV. We should forgive one another because it is the condition of our own forgiveness. (Anon.)

Forgive

He that cannot forgive others breaks down the bridge over which he must pass himself; for everyone has need to be forgiven. As when the sea worm makes a hole in the shell of the mussel, the hole is filled up with a pearl; so, when the heart is pierced by an injury, forgiveness is like a pearl, healing and filling up the wound. (Anon.)

Generous and magnanimous minds are readiest to forgive; and it is a weakness and impotency of mind to be unable to forgive. (Bacon.)

Forgive and forget

Whilst wrongs are remembered, they are not remitted. He forgives not, that forgets not. When an inconsiderate fellow had struck Cato in the bath, and afterwards besought his pardon, he replied, I remember not that thou didst strike me. Our Henry VI is said to have been of that happy memory, that he never forgot anything but injuries. (J. Trapp.)

Forgive

A wealthy planter in Virginia, who had a great number of slaves, found one of them reading the Bible, and reproved him for neglect of his work, saying, there was time enough on Sundays for reading the Bible, and that on other days he ought to be in the tobacco house. On the offence being repeated, he ordered the slave to be whipped. Going near the place of punishment soon after its infliction, curiosity led him to listen to a voice engaged in prayer; and he heard the poor black implore the Almighty to forgive the injustice of his master, to touch his heart with a sense of his sin, and to make him a good Christian. Struck with remorse, he made an immediate change in his life, which had been careless and dissipated, and appears now only to study bow he can render his wealth and talents useful to others.

Forgiveness by those forgiven

A great boy in a school was so abusive to the younger ones, that the teacher took the vote of the school whether he should be expelled. All the small boys voted to expel him, except one, who was scarcely five years old. Yet he knew very well that the bad boy would probably continue to abuse him. Why, then, did you vote for him to stay? said the teacher. Because if he is expelled, perhaps he will not learn any more about God, and so he will be more wicked still. Do you forgive him then? inquired the teacher. Yes, said the little fellow; papa and mamma and you all forgive me when I do wrong; God forgives me too and I must do the same.

Why prayers sometimes fail

I. Let us, in the first place, enter upon an intelligent exposition of the verses just as they stand. It will be quite as necessary for us to be sure what they do not mean, as what they do mean; for the declaration has been somewhat abused.

1. It is easy to show what our Lord does not teach in His repeated counsels on this point. The new revision gives a very interesting turn to the form of expression by throwing the verb into the past tense: forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. This intensifies the admonition, and enforces the condition that ensures success in our praying; for it demands that our pardon of injuries shall have taken place previous even to our coming to the mercy seat for ourselves. It cannot be that the passage we are studying means that our forgiveness of others is in any sense the ground for our remission of sins from God. It cannot be that the passage means that our forgiveness of others is to furnish the measure of our own pardon from God.

2. What then does our Lord mean when He gives this warning? How is a forgiving spirit connected with our prayers? If our having pardoned those who have injured us be not a ground for our own pardon nor a measure of Divine grace, what is it? For one thing, it may be used as a token. It can be looked upon as a hopeful sign that our transgressions have been removed, and that we are now heirs of the kingdom. For, if ye forgive men their trespasses your heavenly Father will also forgive you. Such a token can be employed very easily. If used faithfully, it would set at rest many a doubt concerning religion in ones heart. For another thing, this passage may serve as an admonition. And it is likely that it will have in this its widest use. The petition of the great universal prayer cannot be pressed without its comment. In this demand for a forgiving spirit, there is nothing less than a permanent reminder that when we come asking for pardon, we must be prepared to exercise it likewise; if not, we are to turn on our track and seek preparation.

II. This being the exposition of the verses, and the conclusion having been inevitably reached that we cannot even pres without the spirit of forgiveness, it is evident that we must move forward to a higher plane of Christian experience in this one particular. So we inquire, in the second place, concerning the reach and the limit of the doctrine of forgiveness.

1. The reach of it is indicated in an incident of Simon Peters life (Mat_18:21-22).

2. But now, with a sober sense of inquiry, and a sincere wish to be reasonable, some of us are ready to ask after the limit as well as the reach of this counsel. (Luk_17:3-4.) Before this question can be plainly answered, we must be careful to see that forgiveness does not imply that we approve, condone, or underrate the injurious acts committed; we forgive the sinner, not the sin-the sin we are to forget. Nor does forgiveness imply that we are to stifle all honest indignation against the wickedness of the injury. Nor is it settled that we are to take the injurious man into constant companionship if we forgive him; Jacob and Esau will do better apart. What, then, are we to do? We are, in our very heart of hearts, to cease forever from the sore sense of a hurt; we are to shut our souls against all suggestions of requital or future revenge; we are to use all means for furthering the interests of those who have done us harm; we are to illustrate the greatness of Gods pardoning love by the quickness of our own. All this before our wrongs have been atoned for; before our honest acts and decent deeds have been shown! It does seem a little difficult; but think over Augustines searching question: Do you who are a Christian desire to be revenged and vindicated, and the death of Jesus Christ has not yet been revenged, nor his innocence vindicated? It is related of the chivalric leader, the great Sir Tristam, that his stepmother tried twice to poison him. He hurried to the king, who honoured him as he honoured none other, and craved a boon: I beseech you of your mercy that you will forgive it her! God forgive it her, and I do! For Gods love, I require you to grant me my boon! (C. S. Robinson, D. D.)

Forgiveness of injuries

A young Greenlander said to a missionary, I do love Jesus-I would do anything for Him; how good of Him to die for me! The missionary said to him, Are you sure you would do anything for our dear Lord? Yes, I would do anything for Him. What can I do? The missionary, showing him the Bible, said, This Book says, Thou shalt do no murder. Oh, but that man killed my father. Our dear Lord Himself says, If ye love Me, keep My commandments, and this is one of them. Oh, exclaimed the Greenlander, I do love Jesus! but I-I must- Wait a little, calm yourself; think it well over and then come and let me know. He went out, but presently came back, saying, I cannot decide; one moment I will, the next I will not. Help me to decide. The missionary answered; When you say, I will kill him, it is the evil spirit trying to gain the victory; when you say, I will not, it is the Spirit of God striving within you. And so speaking, he induced him at length to give up his murderous design. Accordingly the Greenlander sent a message to the murderer of his father, telling him to come and meet him as a friend. He came, with kindness on his lips, but treachery in his heart. For, after he had stayed with him a while, he asked the young man to come and visit him on this side of the river. To this he readily assented, but, on returning to his boat, found that a hole had been pierced in the boat, and cleverly concealed by his enemy, who hoped thereby to destroy him. He stopped the hole, and put off in his boat, which to the surprise and wrath and indignation of the other, who had climbed a high rock on purpose to see him drown, did not sink, but merrily breasted the waves. Then cried the young man to his enemy, I freely forgive you, for our dear Lord has forgiven me.

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mar 11:25-26. When ye stand praying — Standing was their usual posture when they prayed. Forgive, if ye have aught against any — If you expect your prayers should prevail with God, you must take care to offer them in love as well as in faith; and, as you have offended the Majesty of heaven by many provocations, if you expect forgiveness from him, you must forgive your fellow-creatures if you have any matter of complaint against any of them. See notes on Mat 6:14-15; Mat 18:23-35.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mar 11:25. Καὶ ὅταν, and when) The connection is, We must pray “without doubting and wrath,” 1Ti 2:8.—στήκητε, stand) When in respect to the very attitude of your body you have laid yourselves out for prayer: com. Jer 18:20. To stand is the attitude of one praying with confidence [Luk 18:11; Luk 18:13]: to lie prostrate is that of one praying so as to deprecate vengeance. στήκω, from ἕστηκα, signifies I am he [one] who have betaken myself to standing; a signification which admirably suits the other passages also, where στήκω is read. When standing we touch the earth with as small a part of us as possible; for which reason it is an apt posture for those who pray; in which the ascetics forbid ‘appodiare’[1]—ἀφίετε, forgive) [Thus an especial hinderance (Mar 11:26) to believing (faithful) prayer is removed. Sin not yet forgiven hinders all things else.—V. g.] Jesus cursed the fig-tree: the believer ought not to curse his brother.

[1] Lit. ad podium stare, podioque inniti, “to lean upon some prop.”—ED. and TRANSL.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mar_11:25-26. Comp. Mat_6:14 f. To the exhortation to confidence in prayer, according to Mark, Jesus links on another principal requisite of being heardnamely, the necessity of forgiving in order to obtain forgiveness. And how appropriate is this to guard against a false conclusion from the occurrence with the fig-tree! Nevertheless (in opposition to Holtzmann) it is hardly here original, but introduced[145] into this connection by Mark from the collection of Logia in the way of thoughtful redaction, not of unadjusted insertion (Hilgenfeld).

στήκετε] Comp. on ἑστῶτες, Mat_6:5. The indication is not incorrect, but ἄν has its relation merely to the particle ὅτε, and does not affect the verb; see on Mar_3:11.

Mar_11:26. Observe the antithesis, in which οὐκ (not μή, as in Matthew) is closely associated with ἀφίετε and constitutes with it one idea (Hermann, ad Vig. p. 831; Winer, p. 423 f. [E. T. 597 f.]; Buttmann, neut. Gr. p. 297 [E. T. 346]).

[145] Which, however, is not, with Weiss in the Jahrb. f. D. Theol. 1864, p. 63, to be supported by the argument that Mark has nowhere else the expression: ὁ πατὴρ ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρ. For Mark has no place at all, in which this designation would have been applicable instead of another that he has used.

Meyer — Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament — English translation by Peter Christie, edited by Frederick Crombie (T&T Clark, 1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

When you shall appear before the altar.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 25. When ye stand praying] This expression may mean no more than, When ye are disposed, or have a mind, to pray, i.e. whenever ye perform that duty. And it is thus used and explained in the Koran, Surat. v. ver. 7. See Clarke on Mt 21:20-22. But the Pharisees loved to pray standing, that they might be seen of men.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(25-26) And when ye stand praying, forgive.—See Notes on Mat_6:14. The reproduction of the words which are recorded as having been spoken in the Sermon on the Mount, is very significant. The prayer even of intensest faith is not perfect, unless the temper of the worshipper is also that of the Charity which forgives offences. Such words exclude from the prayers of Christ’s disciples wishes more or less vindictive, which, as in Psalms 69, 109, had seemed natural and right under a less perfect manifestation of the will and mind of the Father.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

25. when ye stand praying] The posture of prayer among the Jews seems to have been most often standing; comp. the instance of Hannah (1Sa_1:26), and of the Pharisee (Luk_18:11). When the prayer was offered with especial solemnity and humiliation, this was naturally expressed by (a) kneeling; comp. the instance of Solomon (1Ki_8:54), and Daniel (Mar_6:10); or (b) prostration, as Joshua (Mar_7:6), and Elijah (1Ki_18:42).

forgive] In this place, where our Lord connects the strong assurance of the marvellous power of faith with the cursing of the fig-tree, He passes on most naturally to declare how such a faith could not be sundered from forgiving love, that it should never be used in the service of hate or fanaticism.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

But if ye do not forgive,.... Freely and fully, such as have trespassed against you, remit the debts they owe, and pass by the offences and injuries done you, and put up with every affront and indignity:

neither will your heavenly Father forgive your trespasses; that is, such persons do not appear to have any true, or right notions of forgiveness; nor is there any evidence that their hearts are duly affected, or truly impressed with a sense of it; nor can they, upon their own principles and conduct, expect it: not but that to whomsoever God stands in the relation of a Father, and they are his children by adopting grace; these he pities and pardons, Christ's sake; the same covenant which contains the blessing of adoption, provides for pardoning mercy, and a non-remembrance of sin; the same persons that are predestinated to the adoption of children by Christ, and whom he has redeemed, that they might receive it, have the forgiveness of their sins, according to the riches of God's grace; for redemption and forgiveness of sins go together; and as many as are the children of God by faith in Christ, by the same faith receive the remission of sins; and without a view of pardon through the blood of Christ, a child of God cannot draw nigh to its heavenly Father, with that boldness, and cheerfulness, and filial fear it should; but there is forgiveness with him, that he may be feared; to whomsoever God stands in the relation of a Covenant God and Father, to them he manifests himself as a God pardoning iniquity, transgression, and sin: unless the word "father" here not to be taken for such a special relation of grace, but only as expressive of him as the God of nature and providence, who has made; and takes care of all his creatures; in which sense he is the Father of all: as it is said, "have we not all one Father? hath not one God created us?" Mal 2:10; and so "our heavenly Father", or "our Father" which is in heaven, may be so called only from the place where he dwells; and not from the grace he bestows on men, making them partakers of his heavenly gifts and calling, and blessing them in heavenly places, or things in Christ Jesus: in the former view of him it will not necessarily follow, that he does forgive sin, whereas under the latter consideration of him it will; for forgiveness is one of the heavenly gifts and things which he blesses his children with; See Gill on Mat 6:15.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

Ver. 25. And when ye stand, praying] Several gestures in prayer are described, not prescribed, in God’s book. The word στηκητε, here rendered stand, importeth a presenting one’s self before the Lord, whether he stand, sit, or kneel, &c.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

25. Forgive — In the very act of prayer. God’s forgiveness of all our transgression must lie at the bottom of all other blessings. Otherwise we are unreconciled to him and our prayers are unheard. But how can we expect forgiveness of God, against whom we have most highly offended, if we refuse to forgive our fellows who have offended us far less. So this forgiveness by us is requisite in order to our possessing true faith, and that faith is necessary to procure anything from God.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And wheresoever ye stand praying (sthkhte proseucomenoi). The ordinary attitude of Eastern nations in prayer is here indicated, namely, "standing," with the head, doubtless, bowed in reverence. The promise of this text is that requests offered in prayer by a faithful heart will be granted granted as God knows best. The connection of these verses with the former is close. One great hindrance to the faith without which there can be no spiritual power, is the presence of angry and uncharitable feelings. These must all be put away if we would hope for a favorable answer from God.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

When ye stand praying - Standing was their usual posture when they prayed. Forgive - And on this condition, ye shall have whatever you ask, without wrath or doubting. Matt. vi, 14.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

25. When ye stand praying, forgive. This is one of the conditions of prevailing prayer. See notes on Matt. 5:23, 24.

B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.

25. ὅταν στήκετε προσευχόμενοι. Whenever ye stand in prayer. Christ says “stand” because that was the usual posture among the Jews (1Sa 1:26; 1Ki 8:14; 1Ki 8:22; Neh 9:4; Mat 6:5; Luk 18:11; Luk 18:13). Yet kneeling was not unusual in cases of special earnestness (1Ki 8:54; Ezr 9:5; Dan 6:10). Christ knelt (Luk 22:41), and kneeling has become usual among Christians (Act 7:60; Act 9:40; Act 20:36; Act 21:5; Eph 3:14). But the Eastern Church still prays standing. Stanley, East. Ch. p. 159, ed. 1883; Hefele, Chr. Councils, I. p. 435. For the very rare use of ὅταν with pres. indic. see Winer, p. 388; Burton § 309; Blass § 65. 9.

ἀφίετε εἴ τι ἔχετε κατά τινος. A necessary caution against the supposition, which Peter’s remark might encourage, that our curses on other men will be executed by God. “The tree which Thou cursedst is withered away; therefore we may curse with like effect.”

ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. A remarkable expression in this Gospel, and an echo of the Lord’s Prayer.

παραπτώματα. “Slips aside,” “false steps,” and so transgressions.

A.V. uses five words for παράπτωμα, “fault,” “offence,” “fall,” “trespass,” “sin,” of which R.V. uses the last three.

The similar saying, Mat 6:14-15, may have been taken from this passage and inserted, as other Sayings seem to have been inserted, in the Sermon. We infer that the Lord’s Prayer had already been taught to the disciples. Christ does not say that our forgiving others suffices to secure forgiveness for ourselves; but refusing to forgive others is a bar to our being forgiven. Cf. Sir 28:2; also the Testaments; “Do ye also, my children, have compassion on every man in mercy, that the Lord also may have compassion and mercy on you” (Zebulon viii. 1). Nowhere else in Mk does ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν occur.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

25.] On the matter cf. Mat 6:14 f. See also ib. 5:23 f., where the converse to this is treated of.

In ὅταν στήκετε, the ἄν connects, not with the verb, but with the ὅτε, giving indefiniteness to the occasion, not to the act. See Klotz, Devar. p. 470, 475. He gives an example from Lycurgus contra Leocratem, p. 162 (§ 107), ὅταν ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις ἐκστρατευόμενοί εἰσι.

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

25. Καὶ ὅταν στήκετε1 προσευχόμενοι, ἀφίετε—And whenever you stand praying, forgive.

στήκετε, instead of στήκητε, Tisch. Treg. WH. ACDHLM2 VX 1, 124, etc. The subj. is an apparent emendation. Omit v. 26 Tisch. Treg. WH. RV. אBLS Δ 2, 27, 63, 64, 121, 157, 258, two mss. Lat. Vet. Memph. edd.

This injunction to forgive can be joined logically with the injunction about faith in prayer, since the Divine forgiveness of sins, of which it is the condition, is itself the condition of the Divine favor, without which answer to prayer becomes impossible. But it is, notwithstanding, inapposite and diverting here, where the subject is not prayer, but faith in God, prayer being adduced as an instance of the places in which faith is needed. It is found in its proper place in the discourse on prayer, Mat 6:14 sq. Moreover, it is still further limited here, being placed in connection with the special prayer for forgiveness, and not with prayer in general, which removes it still further from the general subject. This limitation of the Divine forgiveness is not as if God limited himself by the imperfections of our human conduct. But forgiveness is a reciprocal act. In its very nature, it cannot act freely, but is conditioned on the state of mind of the offender. And the unforgiving spirit is specially alien to that state of mind. It shows the offender to be lacking in the proper feeling about sin and forgiveness, which can alone warrant his asking forgiveness. This is an important text in the discussion of justification by faith.

JESUS’ AUTHORITY QUESTIONED BY THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE SANHEDRIM

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Trespasses. See on Mt 6:14

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.