Text: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34).
Story: “Abraham Lincoln and the Spy”
When I was preaching in the Southern States of America, the minister called my attention to one of the elders. He said: “When the Civil war broke out, that man was in one of the far Southern States, and he enlisted in the Southern Army. He was selected by the General and sent to spy the Northern Army.
“As you know, armies have no mercy on spies if they are caught. This man was caught, tried by court-marshal, and ordered to be shot. While he was in the guardroom waiting the day of execution, he would call Abraham Lincoln by every vile name that he could think of.
“One day while he was in prison, a Northern officer came into his cell. The prisoner, full of rage, thought his time was come to be shot. The officer, when he opened the door, handed him a free pardon, signed by Abraham Lincoln. He told him he was at liberty; he could go to his wife and children.
“The man who had before been so full of bitterness and malice and rage suddenly quieted down, and said: ‘What! Has Abraham Lincoln pardoned me? I have never said a good word about him.’
“The officer replied: ‘If you got what you deserved, you would be shot. But some one interceded for you at Washington, and obtained your pardon. You are now at liberty.’”
------------Christian Endeavor World
Here was a soldier caught in the act of spying on the Northern army and ended up getting caught. The penalty for such an act was court marshal than execution. The soldier knew in his heart the end was quickly approaching. He would soon stand before a firing squad and be shot to death. He would never see his wife and children again.
Someone was to blame for what was happening to him. He thought that someone was President Abraham Lincoln. He had nothing to lose by calling the President every foul name he could think of. The President would never know, but at least the prisoner would release some of the anger in his mind.
We have had people do things to us that were not favorable. Perhaps, we were blamed for something we had not done. Maybe something came up missing and one of our friends accused us of stealing, but in reality, we were innocent. We paid the price in money or time. What did we think of our accuser and what names did we call him? When we were proved innocent, could we forgive our accuser?
Maybe you have heard the name, Corre Ten Boom. Corre was the youngest in the Ten Boom family. She had 2 sisters; Betsie and Nollie and 1 brother whose name was Willhem. Corre’s father had a clock repair shop on the first floor of their 3 story apartment.
The Ten Boom family was noted for taking in children. Corre organized the Haarlem Girl’s Club in 1923. She prayed for and with the girls and told them how much Jesus loved them. She told them how important they were and what Jesus did for them.
The German government brought much harassment upon the Jewish people. There were restricted as to where they could dine as well as to which sidewalk they could walk on. Also, they were not allowed to speak or talk to non-Jews. Every Jew was given a gold or yellow star to wear so that they could be easily identified.
Corre’s father, Casper was Dutch, but he insisted upon wearing a yellow star upon his clothing. As the Germans made things more and more unbearable for the Jews, the Ten Boom family began hiding the Jews until they could escape. A man by the name of Smit, a friend of the family, went to the Ten Boom house and determined one of the rooms was an excellent place to build a hiding place.
The room was built and no one could tell where it was. Every precaution was taken to make it appear there were no additional people living there. One evening the German officers came in and tore the house apart looking for Jews. The German officers found some extra ration stamps which was enough to have them arrested and placed in jail.
Corre never again heard from her father and eventually her and her sister ended up in the German concentration camp named Revensbruck. Here is where Betsie died.
All the time in prison, Corre was able to hide a little Dutch Bible and every change she got, Corre would tell other prisoners about Jesus. There was one prison guard who was very mean and nasty to Corre and the other prisoners. Corre could see his face in her dreams as she tried to sleep.
After the war, Corre had occasion to meet this man who was the prison guard. He came up to her after one of her meetings and introduced himself. Corre knew who he was and hesitated to shake his hand, but God spoke to her and she not only shook his hand, but she forgave him for all the horrible things he had done. He was a changed man. He came to know the Lord as his own personal Lord and Savior and that is what Corre’s mission was all about.
She forgave this man as well as all the other German officers and officials who carried through Hitler’s orders. Her mission was to spread the Gospel and that included the German people. This is forgiveness to the nth degree. This is forgiveness according to the words in red. This is the ultimate in forgiveness.
Each one of us is in need of forgiveness because we are sinners. Since the disobedience of Adam and Eve, every person born is born in sin. God tested Adam and Eve by giving them a choice. Their wrong choice was the beginning of sin. Prior to this there was no death.
The Garden was beautiful and nothing died or rotted. The Garden was like a hot-house. The moisture was just right, the plants were healthy and there was no need for a rainstorm. All this changed when sin entered the world.
After the original sin, murder entered the scene. “Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him” (Genesis 4:8). Sin entered the picture because of jealously and anger. This very thing happens today.
The heart of man turned in opposition to Almighty God. Men were doing things they should not have been doing. Marriages were taking place in a sinful atmosphere. Ungodliness was more prevalent than godliness.
“Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the LORD said, ‘I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them’” (Genesis 6:5-7).
Although God said this and God did destroy all but eight people and two of every species of creature, He was a forgiving God and had a plan to redeem humankind.
Since the flood, humankind has not changed to a great degree. Over 2000 years ago, God decided to give man another chance. His love for man, woman, boy and girl was so great that He was willing to go the extra mile and send all He had in a last effort to redeem humankind.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
This verse is the silver thread that runs throughout the entire Scripture. This is what His Word is all about. This was God’s plan before He ever created man. This plan was on the drawing board before the six days of creation. This is love to the greatest degree. This is the ultimate in forgiving each one of us.
Jesus came into the world and was rejected by His own people. Long before Jesus appeared on the face of the earth, Isaiah prophesied “He is despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, or faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him” (Isaiah 53:3).
Have you ever been rejected? I believe each of has faced rejection from someone at sometime. How did we feel when we were not wanted or not needed? I am sure we felt let down. Maybe we even felt we were worthless or of no account.
Were we able to forgive those people who rejected us? I can’t speak for you, but truthfully, I have found forgiveness to be difficult at certain times. I did come through each time, but I had to think about it and dwell on it before I actually took the steps toward full forgiveness.
Some people say, “I will forgive, but I will not forget.” This is really not good enough. True forgiveness includes the act of forgetting. If we keep remembering, then we haven’t forgiven as Christ forgives. We are not following the words in red.
Jesus said, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14, 15).
Each day of Jesus’ adult life was for the benefit of man. He talked about those who were “poor in spirit; those who mourn; the meek; the hungry and the thirsty; the merciful; the pure in heart; the peacemakers, and those who are persecuted for righteousness sake” (Matthew 5:3-10).
He talked about things like murder and adultery that begins in the human heart. He talked about love for all people, including those considered to be our enemies. Jesus spoke about serving God more than serving worldly riches. He said a foundation of rock is more secure than a foundation of sand.
Jesus performed many miracles. For example, He fed five thousand with 5 loaves and 2 fish (Matthew 14:17, 21). Then He fed four thousand with seven loaves and a few small fish (Matthew 15:34).
Jesus healed epileptic boy (Matthew 17:18); cleansed the leper (Luke 5:13); raised the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:14); forgave a sinful woman; (Luke 7:48); cured a man of dropsy (Luke 14:4), and cleansed 10 lepers, but received thanks from only 1 of them (17:12-14).
Jesus had embarked upon a mission that was planned by His Father. This mission was a mission of love. The plan was to make a way for every man, woman, boy and girl to find a right relationship with the Father. The mission was carried through without a flaw, but there was a price to be paid. This price could never be paid by man because of his sinful nature. The debt was paid by God’s Son who knew no sin, but was ready and willing to take the sin of the world upon His own shoulders.
Many people did not understand Jesus. They saw His good works, but did not understand them. Many did not believe His words. They were more interested in living the way of the world. They found it difficult to believe in something not visible to the naked eye.
People did not understand Heaven and Hell. These things were not visible to them. Some believed that when they took their last breath, there was nothing else. Living worldly meant they could do whatever they wanted. The Ten Commandments were God’s Word, God Law, but many used them to their advantage by inserting their own interpretations.
Jealously, greed, wrath, pride, lust, envy and gluttony have been a part of man’s life since the original sin. These same sins are prevalent in the world today. These sins and all other sins were deposited at the foot of the cross. Since man has a sinful nature, they seem to be resurrected on a daily basis.
God’s plan was to change all that. God’s plan gave people the opportunity to repent of their sin and to invite Jesus to come and take up residence in their heart in the Person of the Holy Spirit. We will sin, but as soon as we do, the voice of the Holy Spirit talks to us and puts us back on the right path leading to the kingdom of Almighty God.
Jesus suffered for us while He was on the face of the earth. “The chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people. Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot…so he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in absence of the multitude” (Luke 22:2, 6).
Jesus knew exactly what was in store for Him. After celebrating the Passover with His disciples, He instituted a Sacrament for them and all future generations. “And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying’ This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me’” (Luke 22:19).
After Jesus gave the bread to the disciples “He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘this cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you’” (Luke 22:20).
I am not sure the disciples really understood the meaning of the bread and cup, but it was Jesus way of telling them what was going to happen and they should do this often in remembrance of Him. He told the disciples that He would be betrayed (Luke 22:22) and He predicted Peter would deny Him three times (Luke 22:31).
While praying in the Garden He was betrayed by Judas and arrested. He was blindfolded, mocked and beaten. Jesus was judged, beaten, spit upon and a crown of thorns pushed into the flesh of His head. Spikes were driven into His hand and into His feet. The Cross was raised and dropped into a hole creating more pain and agony.
His Cross was placed between the crosses of two criminals. The soldiers mocked Him, gave Him sour wine and gambled for His garments. “And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS” (Luke 23:38).
He suffered a cruel death upon the Cross, but He prayed to the His Father saying, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34). This was the ultimate in forgiveness.
When one of the thieves looked over toward Jesus and said, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom” to which Jesus replied, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:42, 43). The thief believed and accepted Jesus and Jesus forgave him for all the sins he had committed.
Jesus does the same thing for each of us today. He is waiting for us to look to Him and ask for forgiveness or pardon. He says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne” (Revelation 3:20, 21).
Story: “When Forgiveness was Sought”
A young man who had sinned against his mother became convicted after she was on her death-bed. He went to her room, knelt, and sobbed for forgiveness.
With her last departing strength she drew close to him, placed her lips near his ear, and said, “My dear boy, I would have forgiven you long ago if you had only accepted it.”
Jesus has made atonement (amends or compensation) for the sins of the whole world and we all would have been forgiven long ago had we accepted his pardon.
---------------Arnold’s Commentary
Jesus did not come to save Himself, but He came to save man. He did not have to forgive those who persecuted and crucified Him, but He did it out of love. One thief asks for forgiveness, but the other did not ask for forgiveness. One asked to spend eternity with Him. The other thief was only interested in being saved from physical death. When Jesus forgives our sins, He forgets them.
Story: “Forgive and Forget”
The woman who said, “I can forget and forgive, but I shall always remember it,” has far too many imitators. True forgiveness is not based on forgetfulness; nor are we to wait till time has worn away the sense of wrong, before we pardon a penitent offender. When we do forgive that should forever end the matter? Forgetfulness should follow forgiveness.
Remembering wrongs benefits no one. If we have a sore finger we bind it up, and let it alone. Is there any use in pulling off the bandage ten times a day, and showing the hurt to every man we meet: talking over a wrong often does more hurt than suffering it, recollecting it is worse than receiving it.
-------------Florida Baptist Witness
Jesus said we should pray in this manner: “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:12).
From the Cross Jesus prayed to His Father saying, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34).
This is the ultimate forgiveness.
Amen.
