Father Forgive Them

 

Scripture: Luke 23:33-34 (ESV)

³³ And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. ³⁴ And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Devotion:

            The situation Jesus finds himself in here in today’s scripture is difficult for us to even imagine. A sham trial, no credible accusations of any kind, let alone any deserving of death, and yet here he is. A brilliant Rabbi, a teacher of the people who never led even one person astray from God’s will. This Holy One of God soon to be food for vultures.

            This man who had done nothing wrong had no one in all the crowds who would speak up in his defense lest they be next to face the cross. An innocent man hung between two scoundrels. No voice from heaven declaring that this was the man that they were killing was actually the true Son of God. (See Matthew 3:17, Matthew 17:5, John 12:28) No the heavens were silent that spring day.

            Yet, Jesus said some of the most revolutionary words ever uttered on that day. No, I am not speaking of Jesus crying out to His Father asking why Jesus had been forsaken. Nor even the dying words, “It is finished.” Although much ink has been spilt over each of those phrases and rightly so. All that Jesus said from the cross was surely worthy of note and explication. The words we are faced with are, “Father, forgive them, for the know not what they do.”

            In today’s culture these words have lost their punch. Today, it seems there is so much to be sorry for, to beg forgiveness for, these words of Jesus are hard to hear with their true force. The scene that played out on that hill on that probably otherwise picturesque spring day outside of Jerusalem presents us with the problem of pure evil. Satan captures and kills the very Son of God, and seemingly gets away with the crime of all eternity.

            Jesus looking down from the cross was very aware of the scene played out before him. He, being God’s son could have called on legions of angels to rescue him from his fate. Jesus, however, calls out over the death squad assigned to the crucifixion detail that day. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” These men for whom Jesus was pleading knew nothing of the prisoners they were to execute that day. The men considered them no different from the hundreds of others that were executed under the thumb of the Roman “justice” system.

            Jesus’ love would have held him to that cruel Roman cross that day. Nails and other bindings would not have been necessary. This was all in God’s sovereign plan from the beginning. No matter how you look at it love won out over the forces of evil that day. Let us give thanks.

Prayer:

            Lord, forgive us who nailed you to the cross with our sins. We do not deserve the gift of love and forgiveness you gave us that day. We are guilty sinners. We are deserving of the punishment you received in our place that day. Thank you, most holy God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, for the power of your love that you showed us on the cross that day. Finally, we ask you to forgive us just as you forgave those Roman soldiers on that day so long ago. Give us courage, O God, to see and to forgive the sins of others the way your forgave us. Amen.