Matthew 6:14 Meaning and Explanation
“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Maybe someone wronged you and the wound still aches, and you wonder how to release a grip you didn't ask to hold. Forgiveness can feel impossible while the hurt is fresh. Yet Jesus speaks this promise into exactly that struggle. The mercy you extend to others is woven together with the mercy your heavenly Father pours back over you. To forgive is to step into the very kindness God has been waiting to show.
Jesus ties our forgiveness of others to the Father's forgiveness of us, weaving the two into one cloth.
The Context of Matthew 6:14
Spoken in the Sermon on the Mount, just after Jesus teaches the Lord's Prayer. He returns to one line of it, 'forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors' (verse 12), and underlines it with this explanation.
What Does Matthew 6:14 Mean?
Of all the petitions in the prayer He has just taught, Jesus circles back to this one alone to press it home. The connection He draws is close and searching: as we release others from the wrongs they have done us, our heavenly Father releases us. A trespass is a stepping over the line, the real ways people hurt and offend us. Jesus does not pretend those wounds are small. He simply links the open hand that forgives with the open hand of God, so that the mercy we extend and the mercy we receive flow together.
This is the Father drawing His children into His own likeness, with no grudging tally of wrongs. A heart clenched shut against others has nowhere to receive the pardon God is offering; a heart that forgives is a heart already shaped by grace. Jesus, who would soon pray for those who crucified Him, makes forgiveness the family resemblance of those who belong to His Father. The mercy we give away is the very mercy we are learning to live inside.
Matthew 6:14 in the Original Language
aphiemi (ἀφίημι), 'forgive' -- to let go, to release or send away; to cancel a debt and free the one who owed it.
How to Apply Matthew 6:14 Today
This verse gently presses us toward the people we are holding something against. Forgiving them opens our hands to receive the mercy He longs to give, never buying His pardon as a price. As we let others go free, we find ourselves living inside the Father's own forgiveness.
Frequently Asked Questions About Matthew 6:14
What does Matthew 6:14 mean?
Jesus ties our forgiveness of others to the Father's forgiveness of us, weaving the two into one cloth.
What is the context of Matthew 6:14?
Spoken in the Sermon on the Mount, just after Jesus teaches the Lord's Prayer. He returns to one line of it, 'forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors' (verse 12), and underlines it with this explanation.
How can I apply Matthew 6:14 today?
This verse gently presses us toward the people we are holding something against. Forgiving them opens our hands to receive the mercy He longs to give, never buying His pardon as a price. As we let others go free, we find ourselves living inside the Father's own forgiveness.
Reflection & Prayer
Forgiving is rarely a single moment. It is often a daily choosing, releasing the same offense again whenever the memory returns. Yet Jesus ties this letting go to the Father's own heart toward you, so that the hand you open to others becomes the hand that receives His mercy. The wrong was real, and you can name it honestly while you place it into the hands of the One who heals. Father, soften my heart toward those who have hurt me, and let me rest in the mercy You so freely give. Amen.