The story of Abraham bargaining with God is essentially a message about the power of prayer, the prayer of intercession. It finds its true meaning in the New Testament, especially in the simple phrase, "with him", which Paul repeats in today's passage the Letter to the Colossians. Our Christian prayer of intercession is even more powerful because we are united with Christ through baptism.

When Jesus teaches us to pray the "Our Father", he reminds us that we are all children of the one Father. He also unites us with himself in his prayer, for he is the only Son of the Father.

Jesus lives forever as High Priest in the presence of the Father in heaven, to make intercession for us (Heb 7:25; 9:24). Part of the fruit of his intercession is that "he has forgiven us all our sins".

Since Jesus is our High Priest, our prayers for others are united with his. So, too, when we forgive those who sin against us, we do so with Christ, in Christ and through Christ. The grace of forgiveness becomes the grace by which we are able to forgive.