Read the transcript below, or watch a video of the teaching by Yves Perriard.
If God has already forgiven all our sins, why do we need Yom Kippur?
Why set aside 25 hours to fast, afflict ourselves, pray, and openly recognize and confess both our personal and collective sins? Why spend the 10 days before Yom Kippur repaying debts, returning what is not ours, making restitution, settling disputes, seeking forgiveness, and giving to charity?
The answer, my answer, is simple. We do all of this because God has already written our names in the book of life. Yes, we should be doing all those things the whole year long. But unfortunately, too often we delay, and our relationships become strained by unresolved conflicts and all the debts and everything else that comes.
That's why God gave us Yom Kippur. This is the great reset. It's our golden opportunity. It's our new year resolution to finally make things right.
Now my friends, after 45 years of dealing with all kinds of problems in all kinds of congregations in nine different countries, I've come to that one deep conviction. I believe there's one problem that we should all repent from before Yom Kippur - in fact, all the time.
According to Mishna chapter 8:9, Yom Kippur atones for sins between a person and God. But for sins between one person and another, Yom Kippur does not atone until the wrong person has been appeased.
Because of this, rabbinic tradition teaches that people must personally seek forgiveness from anyone they have wronged. They must ask at least three times, and if the other person still refuses, their duty is considered fulfilled, but they must still wish that person well. In practice, however, most people skip those three repeated attempts and simply give a general apology in person, by phone, or by message - and so the conflict doesn't really get solved.
Jesus offers a very different solution, and it's incredibly radical. In Matthew 5:23–24, he says:
"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them, then come and offer your gift."
Now what does that mean? To the people who heard him in Galilee, they understood right away. It meant that if, after walking 3 to 5 days to Jerusalem, they remembered that someone had something against them, they had to turn back home to Galilee, reconcile, then return to the temple in Jerusalem before going back home in Galilee.
That meant at least 10 to 15 more days of traveling back and forth, sacrificing half a month of wages - just to be reconciled with that one person. In other words, the message is extremely clear: we cannot ever leave the conflict between us unresolved. We must always remain on good terms with our brothers and sisters.
So what does that mean practically for us today? My friend, just buckle up, because what I'm going to tell you right now may really radically improve all your relationships.
It means five things. That’s my experience.
You cannot say, "Oh, this is not my problem. If he doesn't like me, it's up to him to come to me." Jesus said on the contrary - you must take the initiative to go to him and speak to that person face to face.
You cannot conveniently say, "I forgive him," because actually, if you're willing to talk, you may discover that you are the one who might have caused the problem. Then you may be the one who has to apologize and repent. My gut feeling is that for some reason most people just say, "Ah, forgive," without really dealing with it.
You cannot keep any negative feelings in your heart. You must resolve the conflict as soon as possible, because the smallest amount can grow to irrational proportions and, as we all know in relationships, eventually destroy everything.
You cannot gossip. What's gossip? It's just talking about someone's problem behind their back instead of directly talking to them. And that's wrong. Gossip is a very serious sin and, in my experience, it has caused numerous divisions and destroyed many congregations.
You cannot wait. The passing of time will never improve anything. Actually, just the contrary - it makes things worse. Ephesians 4:26 clearly says that we should not let one day pass with negative feelings inside of us, but we should immediately start the process of reconciliation.
So, my friend, just take this as your opportunity to settle your conflicts. Talk until both sides have forgiven and they feel good about each other. Repentance has come. If that doesn’t work, bring one or two mature believers, bring the leaders of the congregation. In any case, in every case, make absolutely every effort to live in peace with everyone.
As Rabbi Jonathan Sacks said:
"On Yom Kippur we stand before God, but we cannot stand there alone. We bring with us the peace we have made with others."
So my sincere prayer and wish, and everything inside of me, my pleading for all of you, is that before the deadline of Yom Kippur passes, you will have solved all your conflicts.
May God richly bless you in this.
This is exactly how Yeshua taught us. May we all (שמע) his Words, for they demonstrate our Father’s desire for mercy and not sacrifice.