Forgiven
By Pastor Jim May
I want to focus only on one scripture this morning, but to me it is one of the most powerful scriptures in the Bible.
Luke 23:34, "Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots."
All of us know the story of the crucifixion of Jesus. I won’t go into it in detail or spend a lot of time describing the suffering and pain that He bore. He had been unjustly arrested, brutally beaten, mocked, spat upon and stripped naked, and nailed to a wooden cross. As He hung there, I am amazed at the love and compassion that was shown to those who abused Him so greatly.
And now the mission that He had come to accomplish was nearing its completion. The weight of sin for the whole world was now placed squarely upon the shoulders of God’s only Son as hung upon that cross.
I cannot begin to fathom what Jesus suffered that day. He carried my weight of sin that day too, just like for all of you.
I can sense a little of the pain that Jesus felt on that day. I’m not talking about the pain he felt as those great iron nails were tearing through his wrists, breaking bones, severing blood vessels and ripping the flesh as they were hammered into that wooden beam. I can’t imagine the pain that he felt as his feet were nailed, each one in turn, with a giant iron spike that tore through his instep and exited the bottom of his foot. Surely the pain that he felt was more than I can imagine.
But I sense another kind of pain in Jesus. It was the result of the weight of oppression that he suffered because of the sin that He took upon Himself for you and me.
As He hung there, He was mindful of those who stood around the foot of the cross. There were mixed emotions in the crowd. Some, like Mary and John, were sad and confused, not yet fully understanding why this had to happen. Why was this great man, this teacher of teachers, this man who had such love and compassion, this man who they all thought would be the great Messiah of Israel, dying on a cross? What purpose could this serve?
Others who stood around were shouting for joy, expressing their anger and were a mob whose thirst for vengeance against this “blasphemer” and traitor could only be satisfied by the death of Jesus once and for all. They were driven into frenzy as they watched him suffer for 6 long hours.
Still others stood around, uncaring, unconcerned and unmoved by what was happening. These were hardened men; hardened by the many battles that they had fought in, and by the many times that they had been called upon to do their duty. The Roman soldiers, for the most part, didn’t care. They were doing their duty, and when their work was done, they just sat down to gamble over the only possession of Jesus’ that carried any value to them; his robe.
Other’s stood around in a somber mood, at least on their outward appearance. Inwardly they were glad to see it all come to an end because now they could have their old ways back again without interference from this Jesus of Nazareth who claimed to be the very Son of God. These were the priests, the Pharisees, the Sadducees and those whose political power and religious authority had been challenged time and again during the past 3 ½ years. It would soon be over for good and life could get back to normal once again.
But they couldn’t join in with those who were shouting for joy and had the mob mentality. These men were leaders in Israel and they had to maintain a certain poise and dignity. They had to appear above reproach and so they could not allow their emotions and passions to be expressed and destroy their credibility.
I see all of these people, hanging around the scene of the crucifixion, with all of their hatred, envy, and jealousy. They were blood thirsty and filled with vengeance. Then those who are broken hearted, hopeless and filled with grief, and I wonder at how much love Jesus had to say those words that carry such a huge meaning, “Father, forgive them. They know not what they do.”
I know what it is like to be a father and see my children go astray. I know what it is like to feel the pain of their rejection and rebellion when they refuse to listen to the counsel of wisdom and knowledge that has been hard earned in the crucible of life’s battles. I watch them as they walk away, to go and make so many mistakes that could have avoided. I watch as they suffer the consequences of those mistakes and sometimes, when they reach the end of their rope, they come back for help.
I think that Jesus saw those around the cross much like I see my own children in such times.
All of his life, Jesus had reached out to help humanity. During these last 3 ½ years He had healed the sick, cleansed lepers, raised the dead and set the captive free from the powers of hell that had them bound. Yet, for all his compassion, he could not stop Israel, and the whole of humanity, from walking away.
I know that when people stray from the House of God, it is never their intention to go back into the world, but it always happens. I know that most people walk out the doors of the church without any anger or thoughts of vengeance against the church of against me as their Pastor. They just simply walk away because it seems like the thing to do.
But every time I watched someone go, the thought is always the same; “Why are they going? Don’t they know that Jesus is here? Don’t they know that He is coming soon? Don’t they know that we love them?” Like Jesus, we can do nothing to stop people from doing what they choose to do. If we try to convince them to stay, then the convincing will never end because the desire to go will always be there.
Though I can often recognize that some are being influenced by the world, and some by the powers of darkness, to do things that are contrary to what I believe God wants for them, the Holy Ghost always seems to say to me, “Just let them go. Take your hands off, and let God deal with them.”
There has never been a single person who ever walked away that we would not welcome home with open arms. Life brings us down some unexpected twists and turns, and often we are pressed to go down a path that we never thought we would have to walk. God leads us to different friends, different jobs and different churches or ministries. As long as He is leading us and guiding us, then everything will be done right and we can all know that it is God who is making the changes.
But sometimes there are those who seem to be pushed along by unseen forces that are driving them to actions that can lead them into danger and often they leave under less than ideal circumstances.
That’s what Jesus saw in those who were seeking His death. He saw that they were unwitting tools of Satan. They really did want to do what was right, but somehow they were caught in Satan’s web of deceit and convinced that crucifying Jesus was the right thing to do for the sake of their religion and their nation.
Some of our brothers and sisters in the Lord fall into that same trap. Without knowing why, or how it all came about, they are convinced that there is a problem in the church, or that someone doesn’t like them, or that someone doesn’t trust them, or that they can’t get what they need from God anymore, and so they feel compelled to move on.
Like Mary and John, those who walk away sometimes find themselves on the outside, looking into what is happening in the spiritual realm, and wondering what happened. They are confused and saddened at the course of events and question, “What do I do now? Where do I go from here? In that moment, they need compassion, love and mercy. From the cross, Jesus looked upon Mary, in her moment of greatest sorrow and had compassion on her. He gave John the commission to look after her. That’s the kind of love we must have too.
Our attitude must be that no matter why, no matter what has happened, they are always welcome in God’s House. I believe that we, as God’s People, must always have the same love and compassion that Jesus had so that we can say, like Him, “Father forgive them. They really don’t know or understand what they are doing.”
For one brief moment, even a Christian can allow Satan’s lies to convince them. That doesn’t make them bad people. It doesn’t mean they lost out with God. All of us are susceptible to that sort of thing. One instant of dropping your guard and its done. When we fight the battle long enough and we don’t seem to find a renewed strength, then it’s only a matter of time until we fall victim to the devil’s lies.
But we are describing, or comparing Mary and John to the church, the very family of God, and it’s easy to forgive those you love and who love you in return. Sometimes that love can be strained and taxed, and we might even think it has died for good, but it hasn’t. The love you have for your children will never die. It will never be completely gone. No matter how far they run, or how much they rebel, your love for your children will always be there and you will welcome them home every time they return.
But Jesus didn’t want the Father to forgive Mary and John and those who were counted among his family and friends. He wanted the Father in Heaven to forgive the religious leaders and the mob that cried for joy at his suffering and the uncaring Roman soldiers who gambled for his clothes.
Now that’s love and compassion! That’s God’s kind of love and that’s the kind of love that I want and that we all must have.
Matthew 5:46-48, "For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."
It’s a little harder to forgive the boss who treats you like you are less than human. It’s harder to forgive the thief who tries to steal what you have worked so hard to have. It’s harder to forgive those who hate you or despitefully you, but we have to forgive them all.
In the parable of the debtors Jesus said these words in Matthew 18:32-35, "Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses."
I’ve been forgiven of so much, how about you? Those of us who have been saved have experienced the love and mercy of God so much that we can’t begin to thank Him. My sins that were many, and sometimes still come by the handfuls, are forgiven, all because of Jesus.
When He hung on that cross and said those words, “Father, forgive them”, He was talking about me and He was thinking of each of you.
I was a debtor because of sin. I owed a debt I could not pay. Jesus paid it for me, so now I’m still a debtor, but I’m a debtor of love. I owe Jesus everything. I owe Him my life, my skills, my talents, my time, my energy and all that I am. He bought my freedom and that freedom remains as long as I serve Him.
But the moment I serve the devil, even unwittingly, that freedom is gone. I become a debtor once again – a debtor to sin.
Thank God I have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, my Lord, my King, my Elder Brother, my Great High Priest, my Savior – is there pleading my case and continually saying it again and again, “Father forgive him. He knows not what he does.” That old sin nature that still is in me might still raise its ugly head from time to time, but the love of God and the forgiveness of God keep me from utterly falling. His love for me never fails and the blood of Jesus just keeps cleansing me again and again.
That same forgive that I know is for all men who will come to Jesus. He died that all men could be forgiven. He died so that no one would ever have to spend eternity in the Lake of Fire.
From the cross Jesus cried, “Father forgive them”.
From the days of his earthly ministry Jesus cries in “Matthew 11:28-30, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
And from the eternal realms of Glory we hear those words in “Revelation 22:16-17, "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."
Have you been forgiven – then forgive!
If you need forgiveness – Jesus says come!
What a wonderful thing it is to know that you have been forgiven by God and are counted as one of His own.
