Luke 23:33-43

23:33 When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left.

23:34 Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." And they cast lots to divide his clothing.

23:35 And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!"

23:36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine,

23:37 and saying, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!"

23:38 There was also an inscription over him, "This is the King of the Jews."

23:39 One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!"

23:40 But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?

23:41 And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong."

23:42 Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

23:43 He replied, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise."

Once we have lived long enough, we have the scars from hurts either intentionally or accidentally inflicted by others. We also know personally the challenge that comes with God’s call to forgive everyone, everything. I have had people say, “Well, I forgive, but I will never forget.” It is statements like this which reinforce my gratitude that God isn’t like us. By the grace of God, once we have repented, our sin is forgotten. Although he is not like us, we are called to be like him: As those created in the image of God. So how do we forgive everybody, everything?? As Jesus hung on the cross after being beaten, pierced through with nails, hurled insults and forced to drink vinegar to quench his excruciating thirst, he said the most amazing words,

“Forgive them Father, for they know not what they are doing.” Luke 23:34

For most of my life I thought he was asking God to forgive them because they did not know they were crucifying the Son of God. This interpretation makes me feel uncomfortable today, because this is not the Jesus I have come to know.

Jesus’ prayer had nothing to do with him and everything to do with the souls of others. In this case his prayer was directed at the people torturing and killing him. Jesus knew these men and women were ignorant of their actions toward others. They had not been reached by his ministry or message of love and they lived in fear and ignorance. When and if they ever realized the depraved cruelty of their actions toward other human beings, they may not have the understanding to be able to repent to God AND forgive themselves. This was the tragedy Jesus was wishing for avert by asking God to forgive them.

In human terms, Jesus would have been totally justified in not forgiving his torturers. The popularity of revenge movies plays out our human desires to get people back for hurting us. Don’t be ignorant of the consequences of unforgiveness. As those seeking to live in the light, God asks us to follow the lead of Jesus in this extremely important trait: forgive everybody everything.

Of all the horrible things that anyone has ever done to us, in most cases, none come close to the torture Jesus experienced. I guess it begs the question: how can we ever carry unforgiveness in our hearts if we live intentionally as followers of Christ? Non-forgiveness is a bitter pill we take and expect the other person to die!

Jesus lived and died in peace partly because he did not give others the power to take his peace away. He chose to see the negative actions of others toward him as their shortcomings and he had compassion for them.

Forgive everybody, everything: There’s a lot of power in these three words. They will change a life: yours.

The Reverend Dee Shaffer, Vicar
Our Savior at Honey Creek
Spiritual Care Director Heartland Hospice