Introductory Considerations
1. This cross on whom my Saviour died remains a mystery to me. I cling to it because it is the center symbol of my faith. I know my Saviour died for me. I know he took upon Himself all of my sin. I have heard countless sermons about the cross and preached many about it myself.
2. I can close my eyes and see the horrid scene of my Jesus hanging there. Pain fills His blood-stained face. The crowd yells and calls out words that cut him to His heart.
3. What I have so much trouble understanding is how he hangs and looks at those who kill Him, how He looks at me and you - because we too would probably have been in that crowd. He sees how pitiful we really are and so He pulls His head up and looks up to His Father and says "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."
4. I get angry when I hear Him say this. It is not right. How can He seem to excuse those who kill the Son of God?
5. I have been hurt by people before - they did not put me on a cross or kill me, but I know how hard it was to forgive them, I still know. It takes time for me to forgive those who have killed my joy, my pride, who have
killed little parts of who I am.
6. How then can Jesus ask God to forgive them while they are still in the act of sinning against Him and afflicting great pain on Him?
Teaching
1. Those words are etched in our minds simply because they are so hard to understand.
2. Today we begin to look at some of the words that Jesus spoke while he was on the cross - amongst the most important words in Scripture.
a. Said on cross - central to faith.
b. Spoken by Jesus.
c. He was dying - last words that someone speaks are usually very important words.
d. We are told that Jesus did not say much. (Isa 53:7)
3. According to Luke these are first words Jesus spoke after He was placed on the cross
4. Jesus speaks to His Father.
a. The key to why He is able to forgive those who sinned against Him, in the midst of His greatest suffering, in the time of His darkest moments - Jesus is close to His Father.
b. He knows that he is not alone. He feels His presence and is moved by it.
c. I can look back at times when I felt I was being mistreated. I was angry, I was bitter, I was hurt deeply. I also did not feel close to God. My anger and bitterness put a wall between Him and me. It was only later when I could no longer deal with anger that I brought it before God and I started to sense His presence and started to see things as He did.
d. Because Jesus was always one with Father, He could suffer injustice and still forgive those who persecuted Him.
e. Shows that he places trust in Father.
5. When I hear Jesus say "Forgive them", I am made aware of how many times I been unable to forgive and I am aware that it is because I am not living in communion with my Father.
6. Do you think it unfair that Jesus should let them get off so easy? If you do, how close are you walking with God? Is He really your Father?
7. When Jesus asks His Father to forgive them, He asks Him to forgive us, for we are all part of the crowd that crucified Him thru our sin.
8. Jesus was ready to forgive those who crucified Him and so He asked Father to forgive them.
9. When we forgive, we must also ask God to forgive - easy for Jesus to say "I forgive you" but my Dad will get you". We forgive but God will deal with you.
10. Is this really forgiving which means to release from wrong they did? To say God’ll get them is not releasing them but giving them over to God to hold on to them. If I really forgive, I ask God to forgive them.
11. I know they will answer to God, but I ask God to be as merciful to them as I want Him to be merciful to me.
12. Jesus is asking Father to forgive those who killed Him. Not only asks but provides means by which God could forgive them.
13. Does this then mean that these people don’t need to repent? No, what Jesus is asking His father to do is "in your sovereign grace, thru your HS, cause them to repent genuinely so that they can and will be fully forgiven" Scripture cannot contradict Scripture and as said we need to repent to be forgiven.
14. So when sinned against by unbelievers, we are to ask God to change hearts so they can be forgiven by Him
15. Does this mean that God did change hearts of all?. That we do not know. Seems that Judas was not changed(John 17:12) Many did, including 3K on the day of Pentecost.
16. Jesus seems to give a reason as to why God should forgive them. "For they do not know what they are doing."
17. Does this mean that ignorance is an excuse for sinning? This seems to contradict Rom 1:18-20.
18 And not only that, but did they not know what they were doing was wrong? The priests made false charges of insurrection, Judas later killed himself, Pilate knew Jesus was innocent. The thief on cross knew his own sin.
19. Ssometimes we are ready to be quicker to forgive someone if they we can say they did not know any better. But this is not the case here
20. Jesus is saying that they did not know how wicked they really were and that does not mean that they should be forgiven for that reason.
21. They were blinded to how great their sin was and as to what Jesus was really doing for them. (vs. 35) - READ vs 35
22. Jesus asks Father to make them aware of their sin so they will repent and also trust in Him. I get very concerned when Christians do not think they are terrible sinners, when they don’t realize that their sin caused Jesus to suffer.
23. If seeing Christ on cross does not make you aware of how awful you are, your pride has blinded you and I question if you really know Him
24. But you still have hope. For words Jesus spoke on cross are words He still says today. (Heb 7:25). It is His purpose for living - he lives to intercede so that you will come to God thru Him
25. Not only His death but His prayer which enables us to be saved.
26. Did He die for you? is it your blood that should have been shed on cross? Do you share in His desire for others to be forgiven and do you forgive them?
