If You Forgive the Sins...
Have you ever wished you did not hear or see something? What we see and hear is hard to put back into a box of non-existence. Once we experience something we simply cannot put it out of our minds. Basically, we can’t unknow what we know. This is true when it comes to interpreting the Scriptures. Knowing the context of any passage usually helps immensely in interpretation. The original languages help too, but sometimes what holds us inches away from a better interpretation is what we know, or rather, what we have been told. Here is an example of what I am trying to explain. Take this verse from the Gospel of John.
“If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.” (John 20:23 NASB)
A seemingly simple verse, very straightforward teaching. It is very easy for Catholics to interpret, but a tough one for non-Catholics.
Is Jesus really saying that his disciples have the power to dispense the forgiveness of sins? It sure looks that way. They can also choose not to issue forgiveness and those sins will remain. The Protestants naturally struggle with sin absolution as they recall the practice of church selling indulgences in the Middle Ages. And for Jews, this teaching makes no sense either. This stubborn verse is hard to explain away. How else has can one read it except that the apostles have the power to dispense forgiveness of sins to anyone they find worthy?
One way the Protestant tradition deals with this verse is to suggest that this is not about “forgiveness” but the proclamation of salvation. In other words, the word “forgive” is not to be understood literally. If they proclaim the available forgiveness of sins to people, the people will have their sins forgiven, but if they withhold the message, those will not receive the forgiveness (because they will know about God’s gift of grace). Such a twist essentially makes this verse about evangelism. I do not know if this explanation satisfies you. Me… not so much.
By the way, I am not putting down Catholics or Protestants, each group has their reasons for understanding the Bible the way they do. But let’s look deeper into the context. There is another way to see this teaching and much of it has to do with context. First of all, there is a key phrase many people miss that precedes this passage. Verse 21 says, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” To me this means that this greater context is about Messiah sending his messengers out into the world to continue his mission. And the rest of what he says could be related to this sending. He breathes on them, giving them the spirit, and only then talks about forgiving people’s sins. This is the natural context that leads up to the teaching we are trying to understand.
Secondly, there is another important tidbit of information. The verb ἀφίημι (afiemi) is typically translated as “forgive” and κρατέω (krateo) as “retain” as in “not forgive.” There are some alternative ways to translate these key verbs in this enigmatic statement. For example, ἀφίημι (afiemi) can mean “let go,” “release,” “leave,” and even “allow.” And κρατέω (krateo) “hold on strongly,” or “hold back, “restrain,” “grasp,” and even “rule.” Allowing for these alternative translation choices, we see some broader possibilities and can read this verse in a whole new way. Still, the notion of forgiving or not forgiving seems to be what this is about, so let's keep looking deeper.
Thirdly, this passage sounds so much like Matthew’s "binding and losing" promises. Let's review them for similarity.
“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” (Mat 16:19 NASB)
“Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. “Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.” (Mat 18:18-20 NASB)
It is also interesting that just after this explanation of the legislative power Yeshua gives to his followers, Peter asks a question about, you guessed it… forgiveness. “Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him?…” (Mat 18:18-19).
This brings me to a very simple point. Who says that “If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them” (John 20:23 NASB) is about forgiving the sins which were committed against God? There is absolutely nothing in this text to suggest that the disciples are dispensing forgiveness for the sins related to God. My simple assertion is that this text is about letting go of the offenses that were committed against the disciples, not sins in general! After all, Jesus is sending them out into the world. Their message will be rejected (just as he was rejected). “As my Father sent me, I am sending you.” Some people will mistreat them as they go out and proclaim the message of their teacher. They can choose to "let that go," and those sins will not be held against those who mistreated them. But if they choose to "hold on to those offenses," those who mistreated them will have to answer for their actions later.
In Jewish tradition, we are encouraged to seek forgiveness directly from those whom we have wronged. That is why Jews familiar with traditional teachings do not ask God for forgiveness for wronging a fellow human being. Torah provides us a pattern of making proper restitution with one another on a personal level, eliminating sin between brothers. When it comes to sins against God, we take those matters directly to him. Torah provides for priestly mediation in such cases as well. But when transgressions are against our fellow humans, we settle those matters with them. This is a fundamental Jewish value of Teshuvah (repentance). Perhaps a good example would be Jesus' teaching to abandon the gift on the altar and make peace with one's neighbor (Matt 5:23-24). Unforgiveness impedes proper personal worship.
Pinchas Shir
Thus, I offer a very simple alternative, a very straightforward interpretation. The only part that changes in this verse is "what type of sin" the disciples are supposed to be forgiving. Each one of us has the power to not hold on to the pain of being wronged and forgive the offenses other people perpetrate against us. All the teacher was saying was, "If you forgive those sins, they will be forgiven to those who harmed you." This power of personal absolution, from one human to another, is always within our grasp.
But to forgive the sins that others sinned against the Almighty himself… well, that is a tough one. Clearly, I do not see this passage teaching such practice. If human beings indeed have such authority, would there even be a need for judgment in the end of times? That is not the justice and righteousness of the age to come that I remember reading about.
Hopefully, now you see what I meant by saying that sometimes a simple interpretation of biblical verse is just inches away. But the things we have been told before, the ideas we entertained in our minds, can hold us back from seeing the path clearly. If you assume that forgiveness for all sins is sought with God exclusively, then you would not be able to see the scenario I propose. If you assume that sin against people and against God are all the same, then this verse would read very differently. That is not the historical Jewish perspective on sin, however.
Pinchas Shir
This article is one of the many examples I offer in my book, which explains what is commonly missing in how many people today read and interpret the Bible.
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