Forgiveness
“Forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Lk. 23:42
It was midnight at midday.
The place was Calvary, scene of the greatest human ministry people have
ever known. It was a Friday and Jesus,
having been arrested and charged with the label, King of the Jews, was demanded
by the people to be crucified. So He was
brought to the hill, nailed to the cross, and as the hours passed by, Jesus ministered
from that cross. He ministered until the
prophecies were fulfilled and He accomplished that which needed to be
done. He ministered in prayer from the
cross, prayer even for His enemies.
Jesus spoke words of life from the cross – seven times He spoke – to
fulfill and complete things. One day I
realized – He spoke those words for me.
Luke 23:42 indicates that Jesus spoke from the cross:
“Forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Bloodied, beaten and nailed, Jesus’ first
spoken words were words of forgiveness.
Forgive them: the Roman soldiers;
forgive them, the politicians; forgive them, the Jewish priests. Father, said the Son, forgive them – they
don’t know what it is that they do. They
all failed to understand the fullness of WHAT they were doing to Jesus. It was after the beating, the whipping, the
questioning, the accusing – it was AFTER all of that, when Jesus hung from that
cross, that He asked His Father to forgive them.
I began to realize Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive her. Forgive them.
They don’t know what they do.” I
began to see in my heart that in the moments, the hours of the cross, Jesus
identified with me – with all of us.
There He was, afflicted, beaten, and accused. I understood that Jesus had to ask His Father
to forgive – forgive all of us – because Jesus hung there for us. He was my substitute, not in the place of
authority, but in the place of sacrifice.
I realized I’d sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. His first spoken words released me, cleansed
me. I was forgiven, as His blood flowed. I accepted His forgiveness and was set free.
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