Luke 23:34 (NLT) Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.
This scripture has never been so powerful to me then right now. Jesus in the midst of His crucifixion calls out to God not to save himself but to plea for forgiveness for what the people have done. The most humble thing Jesus could do is ask God to forgive us for sending His son to die on the cross for our sins. Jesus who was in pain, suffering and agony cried out to His father, not for himself but for us.
Last Sunday Ryan touched upon how during COVID-19, many of us have needed to exercise forgiveness to one another or to those around us. It is no coincidence that our last Sunday Service Message by Ryan, before COVID-19, was about forgiveness. God was preparing His people for a time of growth in this very area. In Luke 17:4 it says “Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive.” We are commanded by God to forgive, whether we are hurt, wronged, betrayed, offended, you name it, we must forgive. This is a tough pill to swallow but by the strength of the Holy Spirit we are able to do all things.
The world is hurting right now and there is a lot of injustice that is being seen. Every video/news article ignites emotions of anger, sadness, fear, disgust and even shame in me and I don’t know what to do with it all. But when I turned to the word and read this verse in Luke 23:34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” I am reminded that we are called to forgive in our suffering and pain. We can cry out to God, not just for ourselves but for others like Jesus did. My prayer is that we would not just be hearers of the word but doers of the word. Let us pray the Lord’s prayer:
Matthew 6:
9 Pray like this:
Our Father in heaven,
may your name be kept holy.
10 May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today the food we need,[a]
12 and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
13 And don’t let us yield to temptation,[b]
but rescue us from the evil one.[c]