“Forgive them Father, they don’t know what they are doing”
(Luke 23:34)
“Forgive them Father, they don’t know what they are doing”. Ten pretty simple, unambiguous words which do not leave much scope for misinterpretation, and yet ten words that have implications far beyond there perceived simplicity. I would like to concentrate on only this sentence this morning, and try to establish exactly what Jesus was saying in this prayer to God.
Who was Jesus talking about here? Was he asking for forgiveness for Judas, who had betrayed him with a kiss? Was He perhaps asking for forgiveness for the Rock of the church, Peter, who had denied Him 3 times as Jesus said he would? Was it for Pontius Pilate, who had basically found no reason to condemn Jesus and yet allowed Him to be crucified anyway?
Was he asking for forgiveness for the people who had bayed for Barabbas to be released and for Jesus to be crucified? Or was it for the Roman soldiers, who had flogged him, mocked Him and nailed Him to the cross?
I am sure that all of you already know the answer to these questions. Obviously it was to all these people that Jesus was referring. The answer is seemingly just as simple as those ten words, “Forgive them Father, they don’t know what they are doing”. Or is it?
Hindsight often provides wonderful clarity and insight into past events, and also highlights mistakes which were made which, when looking back, it seems could have been easily avoided. It is extremely simple for us to be critical of the treatment meted out to Jesus by various people mentioned in the Gospels, but before we go down that road, I think that we all need to be reminded that we are not to judge others. So let’s eliminate all the people above from the question I asked earlier. Who was Jesus talking about?
As Christians, we all know and believe that Jesus died for the sins of all mankind, past, present and future. This is a concept I have personally struggled with a great deal. If Jesus died on the cross for my sins, and if it is accepted that I will be a sinner until the day I die,( and just to ensure that you don’t become too comfortable in the pews, so will all of you), then do we really need to worry about the sin in our lives? After all, we are told in Romans 8.1 “There is no condemnation now for those who live in union with Christ Jesus”. So really, why should we be concerned about the sin in our lives? Why do I still wonder, involuntarily, in spite of Romans 8.1, whether my continuing sin will affect my judgment and salvation. After all, the Bible tells me unequivocally that it will not. Why do I still feel guilty? Is there anyone else present here this morning who feels the same? Undoubtedly, it is due to the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. But there is another reason – another reason that should most certainly make each and everyone of us think twice before we sin again.
Did any of you notice that the words used most frequently in the questions I’ve just been asking were the words I, my and me? Sadly, I believe most of us are guilty of this human selfishness and my apologies to you if you are not. We need to remind ourselves constantly that sin affects not only us but Jesus, who died for our sins, and I ask again, who is Jesus referring to when He says “ Forgive them, Father, they don’t know what they are doing”.
If Jesus died for my sins and for your sins, then it stands to reason that we cannot set ourselves apart from those terrible hours which lead to the death of our Saviour on the cross, we cannot, simply because of the passing of time, rely on hindsight to be critical and judgmental of those who killed the Son of Man. We cannot do that, for one simple reason – and that is because each and every one of us is one of those people.
How many of you have seen the movie “The Passion of the Christ”? It is an extremely violent portrayal of the events surrounding the crucifixion – some even say that Mel Gibson is guilty of gratuitous violence. But I am 100% certain that even the gut wrenching violence depicted in this movie does not come anywhere near to the horror of witnessing the crucifixion in person.
There are a few scenes in the movie where we are introduced to a shadowy, caped figure with evil eyes and a cynical, knowing stare. As I recall, he appears while Jesus is praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, and again later while Jesus is being flogged by the Roman Soldiers, he is seen moving furtively through the crowd. Anyone like to hazard a guess as to who this was? The obvious response is the devil. But I would like to make an alternative suggestion. That figure is not the devil, and this is only my interpretation, but a depiction of sinners to come, you and me, and he places us at the scene of Jesus’ last hours as surely as if we were there in person.
So I ask you again, who is Jesus talking about when He says “Forgive them Father, they don’t know what they are doing”. We have already decided to ignore the people I mentioned earlier. Before we do that, though, I just want to leave with you the possibility that perhaps they did, indeed, not know what they were doing. Most of these people did not know Jesus very well, if at all, and it is quite possible that they did not know that they were putting to death the Son of God. It took Peter, the Rock upon which Jesus built His church, a considerable period of time in Jesus’ company, and some prodding from Jesus Himself before he came to the realization that he was in the presence of the Messiah. So let’s not be too quick to pass judgment on them.
I know that none of you is going to be surprised when I say the people that Jesus is talking about includes you and it includes me, that again is basic Christian knowledge. But I am going to try to move you from your comfort zone (and please understand that when I refer to you or yours, I am including myself). Not only is Jesus referring to you and to me, but I am going to say this morning that we are far worse than the people I mentioned earlier, because we know what we have done and are still doing. I want to repeat that – we know what we have done and are still doing. Am I calling Jesus a liar when I make this statement? The answer is an emphatic no, and I will explain this a little later.
I am now going to give you a number of reasons why you should think twice about sinning, and they do not revolve around your own salvation. Every time you sin, you are kissing Jesus’ cheek just as surely as Judas did in the Garden of Gethsemane. Every time you sin, you are displaying the indifference that Pontius Pilate displayed as he casually handed Jesus over to be killed, despite himself acknowledging that he could find no guilt in Jesus. Every time you sin, you are flogging Jesus with a cat-o’-nine-tails and ripping the flesh from His bleeding and battered body, just as callously as the Roman soldiers did. Every time you sin, you are mocking Jesus and spitting on Him as He stumbles with His cross toward the hill of skulls. Every time you sin, you are picking up a hammer and nails and piercing Jesus’ hands and feet with them, and displaying complete indifference to His pain. Every time you sin, you are picking up a spear and thrusting it into Jesus’ lifeless body, just to ensure that He is indeed dead. Every time you sin, you are killing a man who loves you so much that with almost His dying breath, He turns to God in prayer and says “Forgive them, Father, they don’t know what they are doing”. And you know what; you and I do know what we are doing!!
A little earlier we sang the song “Jesus Christ I think upon your sacrifice” and at one point we sang the following: “I’m humbled by your mercy and I’m broken inside”. During Holy Week this year, we sang the same song a number of times and I remember asking those of you who were present to think about the words and reflect on whether you were really broken inside. I am being completely candid when I say that I looked around me at those present and the realization dawned on me that no-one really seemed to appreciate the meaning of those words. And before you think I am pointing fingers, let me immediately say that I asked the same question of myself, and realized that if I was totally honest, I was not broken inside. This has lead me to question the words of what has definitely become one of my favourite songs. I believe we should be singing that “we should be broken inside”, not that we are broken inside. It is also the reason why I can say with great confidence that you and I do know what we are doing when we sin, and yet not be implying that Jesus was lying when He said “Forgive them, Father, they don’t know what they are doing”.
I say again, each and every one of us knows the consequence of our sin, not only for ourselves, but for Jesus. But we know this with our human intellect only, that part of us that will revert to dust the day we die. By the grace of God, and only by the grace of God, we do not know with our hearts and souls, otherwise we would indeed be broken inside, outside and everywhere else. The loss of a loved one on this earth would pale into insignificance if we really understood the consequence of our sin in our hearts and souls. I can think of one man in history who I believe understood fully, with his heart and soul, the consequence of his sin, and he hung himself from a tree.
We are not broken inside because of the great love of a Man hanging from a cross – the great love He displays for you and for me as he implores His Father in heaven to “Forgive them, Father, they don’t know what they are doing”.
