Father Forgive Them

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

Jesus’ body hung in the most brutal, barbaric manner, after already suffering great torture and unspeakable pain. His life, made a spectacle by Roman oppressors, was nearing its end. He had been publicly mocked and humiliated. We are reading his last recorded sentences before He committed His spirit into the hands of the Father.

Honestly, this sentence has always confounded me. We know Jesus proclaimed radical forgiveness and enemy love all throughout His time on Earth. In Matthew 5, he famously said, “If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also,” and later on he instructed his disciples to forgive their brothers not once, but seventy times (Matthew 18).

So in theory, it shouldn’t be surprising that while Jesus’ crucifiers publicly shamed Him, he publicly sought their forgiveness. The part that trips me up is the second part of the sentence: “for they do not know what they are doing.” On its face, it seems pretty obvious to everyone what they were doing; they were killing Jesus in the most gruesome way possible.

Yes, they knew they were murdering someone. They likely even knew they were murdering someone who was actually innocent. They did not know they were slaughtering the Son of God. But Jesus knew, and yet he still forgave and sought their forgiveness. Jesus perfectly lived out love of enemy up until His last breath, as only God Himself could do.

It’s compelling to me that in this way, Jesus shows himself to be exactly who he said he was. He not only offered his other cheek, but his entire body to those who sought to do him harm. He held nothing back for the sake of personal justice or self-preservation. He saw the image of God in his murders. And he sees the image of God in you and I, for whose sin he endured the cross.

Coming to Good Friday, I’m incredibly humbled at this God who saw the worst of humanity and still showed compassion. I find myself drawn to the line in the Lord’s prayer: “forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors.” I know my debt, past, present, and future has been forgiven through this ultimate sacrifice. And now the call is for me to go and do the same, to forgive those who have wronged and will continue to wrong me. I must see the image of God in the person who chews with their mouth open, takes my ideas at work without giving me credit, or is the cause of my deepest and most tender wounds. Further, seeing the image of God in these people must compel me to ask for the grace of God over their lives.

On my own, this task is insurmountable. It can only be done through the Holy Spirit empowering and enabling me. To that end, let’s pray:

Humble and forgiving God, we thank you for perfectly living out true forgiveness. We confess the ways we have not been able to forgive as you taught us and ask that you help us through your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name, Amen.