"Words from the Cross: 'Father, forgive them.'"
Luke 23:26-27, 32-34
Nearly all of us have been hurt by the actions or words of someone else.
And these wounds can leave us with lasting feelings of anger, bitterness or even revenge.
And if we hold grudges, if we aren't able to forgive--we are usually the ones who pay the most.
According to health professionals, forgiveness can lead to:
* Healthier relationships
* Greater spiritual and psychological well-being
* Less anxiety and stress
* Lower blood pressure
* Fewer symptoms of depression
* A stronger immune system
* Improved heart health
* And higher self-esteem
Let's all ask ourselves this question this morning:
"Am I currently holding a grudge against another person?
Is there someone who has hurt me that I have not been able to forgive?
Does the thought of that person raise my blood pressure, cause me to feel depressed or angry?"
(pause)
This is the first Sunday in Lent.
Lent is the forty days before Easter.
It's a time to reflect, repent, to "get real", and get right with God, with ourselves and others.
During the next several Sundays I am going to preach sermons based on Jesus' Words from the Cross.
(pause)
Crucifixion was and is a terrifying way to die.
It may well be the cruelest and most disgusting way to kill someone.
Those who were crucified were often left hanging, or their bodies were taken down and left on the ground near the cross until the animals were finished with them.
The goal of crucifixion was to inflict the most agony on the victim for the longest possible time.
Most of us have been taught to think that Jesus was quite a ways off the ground when He was killed.
But most scholars believe that crosses were only about 9 feet tall.
That's shorter than a basketball goal.
Most likely the feet of the person being crucified were, at most, just three feet off the ground.
So as Jesus hung from the Cross, He was just two or three feet above His mother, the disciple John, the soldiers, and those who were insulting Him and making fun of Him.
If you or I were to stand on a chair beside someone standing at ground level--that is how close Jesus was to the people at the foot of the Cross.
And those who were standing near the Cross would have been able to easily hear Jesus as He prayed and spoke.
And the first words that Jesus spoke
as He hung naked, beaten, with six-inch spikes having been nailed through His hands and feet...
...when everyone who passed by mocked Him; when the chief priests and scribes, even those thieves who were crucified with Him taunted Him and teased Him in His agony...
...the first words Jesus said as His body was in shock and He struggled for breath was a prayer.
And it wasn't just any prayer.
It was a shockingly radical prayer.
It was a prayer of perfect love and compassion.
Jesus prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing."
We might ask: "Who was Jesus praying for?"
"Who was the 'them' Jesus was asking the Father to forgive?"
He was, of course, praying for the soldiers who cruelly tortured and crucified Him and now were "throwing dice or lots" to see who would get His clothes.
But were they the only ones?
He was also praying for the crowd who were sneering, shaking their heads, and verbally assaulting Him.
Then there were the religious leaders who conspired with the Romans to kill Him.
As He hung in the most agonizing pain possible He prayed for those who put Him there: "Father, forgive them."
This is astounding!!!
Can you imagine this amount of mercy?
This is, no doubt, one of the most powerful images in all the world.
This is Love at its best.
And there is someone else included in Jesus' prayer as well.
There's someone else for whom Jesus was pleading from the Cross for God's mercy.
And that someone else is us--the entire human race!!!
We are among the "them" Jesus was praying for as He said, "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing."
There is a hymn that many of us know.
It asks the question: "Were you there when they crucified my Lord?"
And the answer to that question, in a most profound and sickening sense is "Yes!"
The entire human race was there.
The death of Jesus is an event that transcends all time.
I was there.
You were there.
The rich person in the suburbs was there.
The homeless person under the bridge was there.
The terrorists of ISIS were there.
The person or persons who have hurt us with their words or actions were there.
We were all there.
And Jesus prayed for all of us: "Father, forgive them for they don't know what they are doing."!!!!
The Bible tells us that Jesus is God's Word made flesh.
Jesus is both God's messenger and God's message.
Every part of Jesus' life was God's Word.
And on the Cross, the sins of the world--all the hatred, unfaithfulness, bigotry, poverty, violence, and death--were placed on "the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world."
When we see Jesus hanging on the Cross we are meant to see the costliness of God's grace.
Our sin is not a small thing.
The Son of God was crucified for it.
But at the same time, we are also meant to see on the Cross God's willingness to offer us His forgiveness, mercy and love!!!
And even though Jesus' death for the sins of the world is something which has already occurred, for each one of us, it only becomes real when we accept it in the present--right here and right now!!!
God knows the things you have done that you may be embarrassed about or ashamed of.
God knows your humanity and how easily we all get off track.
And knowing all that--all that you and I have ever done, and all we ever will do--Jesus prayed: "Father, forgive them."
How does that make you feel?
Jesus not only wants to forgive us our sins; He wants us to "take up our cross and follow Him."
And those of us who choose to follow Jesus are called by God to forgive as we have been forgiven.
That's some pretty heavy stuff.
It can be very hard to forgive.
When we've been hurt by someone we love and trust, we might become angry, sad or confused.
When we are treated in a way that we resent we can easily be swallowed up in bitterness and a desire for revenge.
But in allowing God to guide us and enable us to let go of grudges, we might just find that our lives will no longer be defined by how we have been hurt.
We might even find that we will have compassion and understanding for the person who hurt us.
We must be careful to remember that forgiveness may take time.
Jesus lived the only perfect life, and following Him is not easy...
...it takes a lifetime.
Keep this in mind:
It's a fact that "hurt people hurt people."
They often dislike themselves and criticize others in a misguided effort to validate themselves.
If one of these injured souls lobs a criticism grenade in your direction, defuse it with understanding, compassion and love.
One pastor writes: "Part of considering the source is seeking awareness of what that person may be going through…"
He continues: "One time I was praying during worship, a few moments before preaching.
Eyes closed, focusing on God, I felt someone slip a note into my hand.
I never saw who it was, but the note was marked 'Personal.'
I thought to myself, 'Someone probably wrote a nice note to encourage me before I preach.'
A warm, loving feeling settled over me as I unfolded the paper.
A moment later, I lost that loving feeling.
Evidently, the note was from a woman who had tried to see me on Friday, my day off.
She took offense at my absence and blasted me with hateful accusations.
This happened literally seconds before I was to stand up to preach.
In that moment, I had a choice.
I could internalize the offense and become demoralized and discouraged.
Or I could ask myself, 'I wonder what she's experiencing that caused her to lash out?'"
The pastor finishes with, "I chose compassion over depression.
My heart hurt for her.
I knew that such a disproportionate reaction must indicate deep pain, so I didn't take her note personally."
There can be no doubt that forgiveness is the answer to so much of the pain in this world.
War is about getting even, forgiveness is about getting along.
It's the key to relationships, and every area of life.
If we hold grudges we are going to be miserable people.
But again, forgiveness is hard.
Even the disciples struggled with forgiveness.
They asked Jesus, "How often must we forgive?
Is seven times enough?"
Jesus replied, "Not seven times, but seventy-seven times."
In essence, we are to keep forgiving and forgiving and forgiving without limits.
On the Cross, Jesus' first words were the Gospel in a nutshell--"Father forgive them."
It's the reason Jesus came to this earth, to forgive us, save us and make us new.
And part of our newness of life is learning to forgive others.
In the sermon on the mount Jesus taught, "Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy."
Then He taught His disciples to "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."
And He instructed us to pray: "Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us."
Let's all ask ourselves this question this morning:
"Am I currently holding a grudge against another person?
Is there someone who has hurt me that I have not been able to forgive?
Does the thought of that person raise my blood pressure, cause me to feel depressed or angry?"
Let's take a moment to think about people who have wronged us.
Perhaps you would like to write their names on the sticky note in your bulletin.
After you have done this, you are invited to come forward and pray: "Father forgive them."
And then leave all your anger and all your pain at the foot of the Cross where our dear Savior died.
Amen.
