Message
“Father Forgive Them”
A sermon on Luke 23:34
On the day that Jesus is condemned to death many people would have had many different thoughts about these events.
Take Pilate as an example. He would have gone home at the end of the day and spoken about these events to his wife. After all, during the trial of Jesus, Pilate’s wife had sent a message out to him, "Don't have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him." As Pilate entered his house his wife would have asked how the trial went. Together they would have come to the conclusion that Pilate had allowed the decision making process to be misdirected by the angry crowd. Together they would have concluded that it wasn’t Pilate’s fault. It would have been more dangerous to let Jesus go. After all, why should Pilate get into trouble for the sake of one Jew?
Or what about the thoughts of one of the Pharisees involved in the arrest and condemnation of Jesus. He would have entered his home that evening and his wife would have been able to see that it had been a good day at the office. The Pharisee would have told his wife triumphantly that the Sanhedrin had finally cleansed Jerusalem and Israel from the teachings of the heretic Jesus. Now the crowds will stop following Him and come back to the synagogues where they belong.
In another part of the town an excited teenage youth would have been telling his mother how he had yelled Barabbas’s name much louder then all of his friends. As she listened to what happened a worried frown crossed her face, “Why were you down there? You could have been hurt!” And his father, who was also in the crowd, said, “Don’t worry so much, the boy needs to grow up sometime”.
Of course we don’t know exactly what the people who witnessed Jesus’ last hours were thinking. But we can make some pretty good assumptions. And as we make these assumptions we can also be sure that there were many people involved in the process.
The soldiers who arrested, mocked, whipped and crucified Jesus.
Political leaders like Pilate, Herod and those within their courts.
Spiritual leaders including many Pharisees, Scribes and Priests.
Ordinary people who cried out for his death, and who hurled abuse, and who stood back and watched it all happen.
Each one of these people has a story of their involvement in the crucifixion of Jesus. And if we had a record of all of these stories you can be sure of one thing.
Out of all those who were involved in the process to bring Jesus to the cross few of them felt the need on that day to ask God for forgiveness on account of their actions.
They were just fulfilling the commands of their leaders.
They were just following the crowd.
They were just making decisions so that the law would be upheld.
They were just doing their job.
But is that how it really was?
Let’s read the Scripture.
Luke 23:26-34
Very few of those involved in the death of Jesus would have felt that their actions are worthy of punishment. Very few would have felt the need to seek forgiveness.
That is how the crowds, and soldiers and leaders saw it.
But that’s not how Jesus saw it.
As the cross is stood upright, with Jesus firmly attached to it by nails in His hands and feet, a prayer is heard from His lips. Father, forgive them because they do not know what they are doing.
And it is not just spoken once. The original Greek tells us that Jesus kept on praying:-
Father, forgive them because they do not know what they are doing.
Father, forgive them because they do not know what they are doing.
Father, forgive them because they do not know what they are doing.
Why does Jesus pray this prayer repeatedly?
Because those religious leaders and the ones who engineered the whole process may not know what they are doing …
Because Pilate and the mob which pushed Roman law aside may not know what they are doing …
Because the soldiers who beat, mocked, spat on and pinned Jesus to a cross may not know what they are doing …
They may not know what they are doing, but Jesus knows … and more importantly Jesus knows the consequences of their actions. So He prays.
Let’s stop and think about what is really happening. As the spiritual leaders fulfil their determination to get rid of Jesus they were, in reality, cursing the One who was sent by the Father as the gift of salvation.
Instead of receiving Him with open arms and recognising Him as the Messiah.
Instead of thanking God for answering their prayers – prayers which they had prayed for centuries.
Instead of humbling themselves before Him and recognising His power because of the miracles He did.
Instead of that; they brought false accusations against the One who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Jesus never twisted the truth for His own gain; nor did He use His power to manipulate.
Jesus can only be condemned by lies, conspiracies and blind hatred. As such God the Father has every right to immediately punish these leaders because of the contempt they have shown.
Or stop for a moment and think about the crowds. They’re such a fickle lot really. One day they are praising the Lord because they think He is going to be the new King – a few days later they are having a shouting contest so a condemned criminal can be set free.
They should be falling over themselves to free Him from the Roman guard.
They should be standing against the religious leaders – condemning them for their professional jealousy.
Instead they are calling for the blood of the One who they want banned from their homes, their families, their hearts and their lives.
Jesus the Saviour is being lynched by a crowd that has seen His ministry in action, but who still refuse to humble themselves and accept His authority. As such God the Father has every right to immediately put them to death.
Or think about the Romans who were involved. Pilate. Herod. The many soldiers. They have been dragged into this by the Jews but they are certainly not innocent participants.
It’s not just a matter of arrest, trial, sentence and punishment.
During the trial they make sport of Jesus – treating Him like a punching bag.
To many this is just a great big game – a local boy claiming to be King – the citizens of the land rejecting Him totally.
And even though they prided themselves on justice … and even though all had to be treated with respect under their laws … the system failed.
God gave the Romans authority to rule and they abused that authority by belittling God’s Son. As such God has every right to immediately remove them from authority.
Mankind is showing their true colours as they deal with Jesus. The whole event is an atrocious abuse of human dignity, a blatant miscarriage of justice, and a sickening display of an innocent being sacrificed. God should have been responding in anger as He witnessed these atrocities against His Son. But God doesn’t.
Heaven is silent and God does nothing because Jesus spoke in defence of all who were involved … Father forgive them because they do not know what they are doing.
Father, forgive them because they do not know what they are doing.
Jesus prays these words because He knows His Father so well. Jesus knows the peril which the accusers, and the mockers, and the beaters, and those calling for His death, and those who are nailing Him to the cross are facing right at this very moment. In the eyes of Jesus this is not a crowd of murderers … this is a crowd of people who will have to stand before God and answer the question, “Is there any reason why I should not punish you eternally for crucifying My Son?” And despite the fact that these are the ones who are responsible for His death in one way or another … He still wants to see them given a place in God’s family.
Father forgive them because they do not know what they are doing.
Jesus prays and He asks God to be patient once again. Just like He was patient with Adam and Eve – who deserved to die straight away. For was it not they who single-handedly brought sin into the world.
Jesus asks God to hold back His anger and preserve people, just as He did in the days of Noah when every inclination of the thoughts of man’s heart was only evil all the time.
Jesus seeks that God will again give an opportunity for the people to come to their senses … just as God has done so often through Israel’s history. A stubborn and hard-hearted people they were – God was gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and great in love.
As Jesus prays He is asking for the grace of God to continue to be shown. Dear Father don’t destroy them, but let them know that they are still loved despite the atrocities they are committing.
That is the prayer.
Father forgive them because they do not know what they are doing.
What does this prayer mean for you?
As Jesus prays we are seeing the work of our Saviour in full flight.
This is our Mediator. The One who stands in our defence between us and God. The mediator who was even willing to give His life if it meant saving people from their sins.
This is our Saviour – a Saviour who calls us to love our enemies. A Saviour who now shows us what it means to put those words into action.
This is our King. A true King who puts the interests of His subjects before His own interests. A King who will take all the punishment if it means giving us an inheritance.
This is Jesus. His name means “He saves”.
Which means that Jesus is praying for us just as much.
We may not have been the ones who engineered His arrest – but there have been times when we have sided with Judas. Times when we have betrayed Jesus for the sake of materialistic gain. Times when money was more important then faith and wealth took priority over a living relationship with Jesus.
We may not be those who corrupted the trial – but there have been times when we have looked like Pharisees. Times when we have demanded the standards in everyone else, then excused ourselves when we fail. Times when our religion has been nothing more then an outward show, but where our hearts are not changed.
We might not be those who held the arm of Jesus down and then drove the spikes into His wrist. But whenever we allow ourselves to lured and hooked by sin it is as if we are crucifying the Saviour all over again. Our sin causing His suffering.
That is who we are. That is what we have done. But for each one of us there is hope. Because, for each one of us, this prayer is still being spoken. Jesus continues to pray for the Father to be patient – and that patience will last until Jesus comes back in judgement.
As Jesus prays we realise that no sin is too great to for Jesus to forgive.
• If you had been a member of the Sanhedrin that blind-folded Jesus so you could strike and spit on Him …
• If it was your hands which plaited the thorn bush into a crown so it could be pressed upon His head …
• If you were the one who took the whip and scourge Jesus’ back with it …
• If that was you in the crowd calling at the top of your voice for the release of Barabbas …
• If it was your hands which took up the hammer to drive the nails through Him …
If you looked back and saw your involvement in His crucifixion – and then sought forgiveness – you could have peace.
That is the hope of the cross.
All the sin you carry can be handed to Jesus … because that is the way He wants it.
All the guilt which burdens you can be lifted by trusting in the crucifixion … because that is the way He wants it.
All the shame you hide can be covered by the Saviour … because that is the way He wants it.
Jesus would rather die than see you judged and abandoned by God. That’s what Jesus meant when He said Father forgive them because they do not know what they are doing.
As we think about the words of Jesus of forgiveness we are struck by the frankness of his admission … they do not know what they are doing.
In many ways they were following the crowd.
They were just doing what they were told.
They were taking the easy way.
And it was the path to eternal separation from God.
In the middle of all that Jesus steps in and show that there is another way.
The way where we realise we don’t know what we are doing ... then we see what we have done ... then we confess our need of Jesus.
Jesus is dying to hear you say this.
You know what you need to do.
Prayer
