Father Forgive Them

Happy Sunday. Today we begin our study of the seven last statements Jesus made before he was put in the tomb. Hanging on the cross, Jesus taught us some great truth. Seeing Jesus on the cross is painful. It bothers me.

I never have watched the Mel Gibson movie The Passion of the Christ. I just can't bear to see Jesus tortured. In Indiana our church performed a recreation of the crucifixion on Good Friday. It was well done. We began with Pilate sentencing Jesus and proceeded to the cross and then to the tomb. Seeing the actor on the cross was hard enough for me.

On Good Friday fifteen hundred years ago, Bishop Ambrose stood in his pulpit in the cathedral of Milan and he said, "I find it impossible to speak to you today. The events of Good Friday are too great for human words." I agree. It's hard to do, so we will focus on the words of Jesus from that day.

In the Gospel of Luke, beginning in the 22nd chapter, we find Jesus praying while the disciples were sleeping. Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss. The chief priest took Jesus away to his death. Peter, the great disciple, denied even knowing Jesus. And then Jesus is mocked and insulted and beaten.

In chapter 23 we find Jesus standing before Pilate and before Herod, and the crowd demanding for Jesus to be crucified. We will pick up the story in Luke 23, verses 32-34. This is the first of the seven words from the cross. There Luke tells us, "Two others also, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. When they came to the place that is called The Skull, Golgotha, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right side and one on his left. And then Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. And they cast lots to divide his clothing."

These are staggering words: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." This is the most amazing prayer I've ever heard. "Father, forgive them." How could Jesus say that to the man with the hammer, to the soldier with the spear, to the one who pushed a crown of thorns into his head, to the crowd that cheered for his death, to his unfaithful disciples, to Herod, to Pilate, to the chief priest? These words are startling, yet they're not surprising if you follow Jesus and his teaching.

Remember these words from Matthew chapter 5 and verses 43 to 48. Jesus said, "You've heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

We are told the love of God is different from all other loves. Loving our enemies doesn't come naturally. Only with God's help can that be possible. What Jesus does on the cross is not of this world. What Jesus demands of us is also beyond this world.

And praying "Father, forgive them," I believe that Jesus is also praying for you and for me, for all of us. Don't forget that he's on the cross because of sin, because of all sin. He's there to forgive all of us. "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."

Surely the soldiers knew what they were doing. They did this for a living. They'd done it before. Pilate knew what he did, it seems. He washed his hands and tried to cleanse himself. Peter knew what he did. He went to pieces when the rooster crowed.

Judas knew what he did as he fetched the rope to hang himself. But truly, none of these and none of us realized the seriousness of our transgressions. If we realized how much our sins hurt God, I believe we'd be very different people.

March first is right around the corner. It's Fat Tuesday this year. It's the day before Ash Wednesday. Fat Tuesday to many, not to all, but to many, is all about sin. "Party while you can, because we have to calm down for a few weeks," is the idea to many. Again, if we realized how much our sins grieved God, I think we would change.

Another amazing point about this first word from Jesus from the cross is that it was a fulfillment of prophecy. 700 years before Jesus spoke those words, Isaiah said this. It's found in chapter 53, verse 12: "Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sins of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."

As amazing and spot on as that prophecy is, I find what happened after the prayer more amazing. The prayer was answered. In the book of Acts, chapter 2, we're told of the day of Pentecost. On this particular day, Peter is preaching to a large crowd. This is after the resurrection.

The people there are mostly Jewish. They'd all heard of the resurrection. They were curious, and that day Peter held nothing back. He said that they had killed their Messiah. The crowd listened intently.

They were convicted of their sin, and they ask what they should do. Peter told them to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus so that their sins would be forgiven. We're told that day about 3 000 people came to receive Christ and his forgiveness, and they were baptized. Can't you just see the scene?

In my imagination I see someone say, "I slapped Jesus. Can I be forgiven?" Another, you might say, "I yelled, Crucify him. Can I be forgiven?" Perhaps a soldier came and said, "I drove nails into his hand. Can I be forgiven?"

That word from the cross, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing," was one powerful prayer. It is still being answered today. They were forgiven that ask for it, and we are forgiven who asked for it. We all have memories of our past. Some bless and some burn.

There are things we would like to forget. Here at the cross God sets things right. Our tears are dried up and our sins are forgiven. These words are for us.

Pray with me. Lord God, thank you. Those words seem like they're not enough. Help our lives to thank you by the way we live, by the way we accept your love and forgiveness, and by the way we offer love and forgiveness and grace to the world around us.

Father, help that prayer to keep being answered, and help it to motivate our lives to be loving and forgiving and to point to you. Bless us in this study in the weeks ahead as we look forward to Easter. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. God bless.