FATHER, FORGIVE THEM
Passage: Luke 23:26-56
Key Verse: 34a – Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
PRAY
INTRO
The theme of this Spring Conference is “Alive Again.” We have had two messages (“To seek and to save the lost” Luke 15:1-7, “Alive again” Luke 11-24) which are parables Jesus told in order to teach us God’s love for sinners. God is Our Shepherd and Almighty Father. He is constantly searching to find the lost sheep/sons/daughters. In the parable of the lost son, I can learn that when a sinner repents, it is like moving away from being dead (in sin) to become alive (in Christ), and heaven rejoices.
The reality of the parables is made possible through the sacrifice and prayer of Jesus which makes it possible for our sins to be forgiven and for us to be made alive again.
Luke 23:26-56 is an account of the crucifixion of Jesus, His death and burial. We will see how different people reacted towards Jesus in His time of suffering, and despite His suffering, we will learn about Jesus’ compassionate prayer for all sinners; “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” We must realize that because of what Jesus did on the cross we have a new identity (2 Co 5:17) – We are forgiven.
PART 1 – FATHER, FORGIVE THEM (26-34)
[Read vs. 26-27] –
26 As the soldiers led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.
27 A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him.
Jesus was condemned to be crucified because the chief priests and teachers of the law hated Him so much. Their biggest problem was that Jesus claimed to be The Son of God (Lk.22:67-71). In order to ensure that He will be condemned and killed by the Romans, the Jewish leaders accused Jesus of “subverting the nation (rebellion/law-breaking), opposing payment of taxes to Caesar and claiming to be the Messiah – a King.” (Lk. 23:2). So (after several trials before Pilate), Jesus was condemned to be executed as a Roman criminal.
(The many people He showed so much love shouted “crucify Him!!” They released Barabbas the murderer from his death-sentence, but condemned Jesus to be crucified.)
Criminals condemned to be crucified had to carry their own cross, but Jesus was weakened to the point that he could not continue to carry the cross. Jesus was weak due to physical and emotional stress. After eating the last supper / communion with His disciples (Lk. 22:7), He spent the night in anguish, praying earnestly at Gethsemane until His sweat became like drops of blood (Lk. 22:44). Then He was betrayed by Judas, denied by Peter and neglected by all His disciples. Early in the morning He went through several trials, and after He was condemned as a criminal, they beat Him mercilessly, put a crown of thorns on His head and struck Him in the head several times with a staff. He was whipped with many lashes that tore His skin – flogged nearly to death, He bled so much.
Isaiah 52:14 says that “many…were appalled at him— his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness.”
Jesus had to go through all this suffering because of our sins. Sin is really a serious matter.
So Jesus was very weak to carry His cross all the way, and to Romans, publicly carrying a cross is dishonorable, so they forced Simon the Cyrenian to carry it. To make sure Jesus made it to the place of crucifixion.
Although this event is so unfair to Simon, it’s likely that God used it to lead him to faith in Jesus, and to help bring the gospel to his family (Mark 15:21, Romans 16:13), and eventually to a whole new continent (Cyrene in North Africa / Libya). Simon came to know what it really means to take up one’s cross and follow Jesus (lol). Some evidence suggests that his sons became leaders among the early Christians (Mark 15:21 – ..Simon a Cyrenian ..the father of Alexander and Rufus.. and Romans 16:13 – Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me..).
In verse 27 we find “a large number of people” following Jesus. The women were “mourning and lamenting for him.” Maybe they felt sorry as they saw this righteous man suffer brutally. Maybe they remembered His good works; how He loved them, how He welcomed sinners, fed 5000, healed their sickness and cast out the demons that oppressed them. Maybe they cried out of motherly love for a dying son or for some other reason. Sometimes people cry when watching movies on the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, because it is so brutal. We must think about why we are weeping. If it is because we feel sorry for Jesus then we are missing the point of the cross. The bigger reason to cry should be that we can see the brutal problem our sin brings upon Jesus Christ. When we look upon the cross of Jesus we should weep, yes, but not for Jesus. Rather, we should weep for our sins and the sins of our children, our nation and our world.
The point of Jesus’ cross is for us to believe that our sins are forgiven. No need to feel sorry for Jesus. He had firmly decided to do the will of God, He is no victim. Jesus decided to drink the cup that The Father had given to Him (Lk. 22:42 – The will of God). With every step in His suffering, He was winning a great victory for the salvation of all people. So, instead of weeping, believers, rejoice!! Because Jesus has paid the price for our sin problem – we are forgiven! Halleluyah!!
28 Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children.
29 For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’
30 Then “‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”’
31 For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
Jesus discouraged the women from weeping because of Him, but to weep for themselves and their children. He doesn’t receive their sympathy; instead, he warns them about their future suffering.
(In Lk. 19:41-44, Jesus wept over Jerusalem and prophesied what they will suffer because of their sins of rejecting The Messiah.
Lk. 19:41-44 – As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it
42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.
43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side.
44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”)
His words became reality some years later (around 70 AD), when the Jews revolted against Rome. The Roman army surrounded Jerusalem and cut off all its food supplies. There was a severe famine and the people of Jerusalem ate dung, dirt, shoes, girdles. There’s a story of a woman, who lost all she had, so she killed her own child and ate it. It was so horrible, people wanted to die quickly.
When Jesus said; “the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’” It means a time will come when people would prefer to not have children that would starve to death, or to be killed with the sword before their eyes, or for the worst – to be admired and eaten for a meal.
There is another moment of God’s wrath (a greater destruction) that will come upon the unrepentant world and people would long to die, for no one would be able to withstand the great wrath of God.
Rev. 6:15-17 – Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”
The Bible is clear that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom. 6:23)
How did Jesus give us this gift of eternal life? It is by His dying on the cross to pay the wages/price of sin.
Jesus’ crucifixion fulfills many prophecies in the Bible. [32,33] Jesus was crucified with two others who were clearly described as criminals. This fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy (Isaiah 53:12 – “..He poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors..”) Jesus is the only holy, sinless one. But he quietly allows himself to be crucified in between criminals like a lamb among wolves. Why? It’s to take our sin, shame and guilt upon himself.
Despite all the maltreatment and injustice Jesus experienced on the cross, He overflowed with love for all of us.
[Read vs. 34a] – Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
This kind of prayer comes from a selfless and loving heart like Jesus. His prayer is not just for the soldiers crucifying him, but for the religious leaders who put him there, his disciples who failed him, and really, for me, you and all those in the world doing evil today. When someone hurts us, we may get angry, we may lash out and fight back. Or, we quietly resent the person and avoid them. But Jesus, in his first response to being crucified, He prayed, “Father, forgive them…” His prayer challenges our heart. How can I forgive like Jesus? This prayer reveals His character and nature, as The Son of God (Matthew 5:9 – Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.). His prayer also reveals His understanding of what He’s doing. The people don’t know what they are doing by crucifying Jesus (sinners don’t know what they’re doing; God created us for His Glory). But Jesus knows why he’s suffering on the cross: it is to bring God’s forgiveness to all of us.
This prayer of Jesus also introduced our new identity as those who have been forgiven. We need to believe and accept our new identity as “The Forgiven.” Many times we condemn ourselves when we make a mistake and fall into some sin we struggle with. We think we let God down again and again, so we distance ourselves from God believing that he is mad at us, that because of our constant sin, he doesn’t love us or that we are no longer saved. (Romans 8:1-2 – Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.)
Let us continue to hear and repeat Jesus’ words, “Father, forgive them..” “Father, forgive Emmanuel.., forgive Angela.., forgive Daniel!”
In Jesus we have a new identity, we are no longer called sinners, we are forgiven. Because of Jesus’ death on the cross, God’s attitude toward the world is not anger but love and forgiveness. (Heb. 8:12 – ..I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.)
[Baptism brethren, as we celebrate you today, I want you to know that by this water baptism, you are making a public decision as a new person in Christ. You believe your sins are forgiven. Your old life of sin is dead and buried as you are immersed in the waters of baptism, and you are raised up to new life in Christ. Congratulations.]
I received water baptism as a teenager in my home church back in Nigeria. One lesson that stayed with me is this; that water baptism (baptism of repentance) is a symbol of my public decision to repent and identify as a Christian/believer. Before I was baptized, I always judged/condemned myself as a sinner whenever I misbehaved. The guilt of sin kept me in a defeated state of self-condemnation and fear of eternal judgment in hell fire. I was living in fear of death and I could not serve God with confidence. But thank God for Jesus! My baptism experience coupled with several Bible studies helped me to see my new identity. Although baptism shows our public decision to live a new life in Christ, practically, it did not put an end to my sinful actions. I still face the temptations and struggle with sin till today, but the good thing I learned (by faith) is that I must never condemn myself as sinner, because that’s no longer my nature/identity. This changed my mentality towards sin. Now when I make the mistake of falling into sin, I don’t call myself “sinner,” I humbly acknowledge my mistake, repent (personal prayer and testimony sharing), pray for God’s Mercy and BELIEVE that I am forgiven. I believe that my identity is no longer “sinner” but “Believer in Jesus Christ,” “The Redeemed One,” “Child of God,” because I have been washed by Jesus’ blood and my sins have been buried with Christ. My sins are forgiven. With this understanding I was made alive again, no longer distracted by sin-consciousness, so I am able to focus better on learning the Bible and teaching other Bible students about Jesus Who forgives our sins.
Another aspect of the prayer is that Jesus set an example for us by praying for His enemies. Jesus came to this world to seek and to save the lost (Lk. 19:10). He sees us not with criticism and judgment but with compassion. He sees us like sheep that have gone astray (Isa. 53:6). So, even while suffering on the cross, he prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” As we follow Jesus, we need to see sinful people as He does, and pray for them as He did. Like our Lord Jesus, we need to become forgiving people, not malicious/quarrelsome/judgmental people.
Unforgiveness is like poison around us all the time. In our wounded state, we tend to wound others. Let us change our view of sinners and all those who hurt us. Don’t hate them, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. Now, (for practice) let us say this prayer of Jesus to ourselves (put your name in that prayer); “Father, forgive Emmanuel, because he does not know what he is doing.” Let’s go.
For another, let us think about someone who hurt us, then say this prayer for them from your heart (but don’t say their name out loud, just say ‘him’ or ‘her’). Let’s go. “Father, forgive him/her for he/she does not know what he/she is doing.” (Luke 6:27-28 – “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you).
With this prayer of Jesus, may we daily win the victory over all our sins. Amen.
May this prayer also encourage us to forgive all who offend us in Jesus’ name. Amen.
PART 2 – WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE TO JESUS’ SACRIFICE? (35-56)
Verses 34b-39 showed different ways the people responded as Jesus was on the cross. Many people (soldiers, rulers, one of the criminals there) had a wrong response towards Jesus’s sacrifice. He was scorned and mocked. His religious enemies said, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God.” Yet it was precisely because He did not save Himself that He can save others. It could be rightly said that love kept Jesus on the cross, not nails. Jesus is powerful enough to escape the cross, but He knew His mission and stayed true to it. If He saved Himself, He would not be able to save the world, and we will not be able to receive forgiveness of sin. Jesus’ example of selfless sacrifice is expected from all Shepherds and Bible teachers. I made a decision to sacrifice my life and resources as a Missionary of the gospel, so that I can help one campus student learn the Bible and accept Jesus’s salvation. What about you? (ask neighbor) What is your decision for Jesus today? God bless you.
In verses 40-42, we see the right way to respond to Jesus’s sacrifice. The other criminal made a last minute discovery and confession about himself and about Jesus. This man made 3 confessions of faith. First, he confessed his sins, he says, “We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve.” We need to be sincere like this one and humbly confess our sins before God. The second confession he makes is, “This man has done nothing wrong.” Despite what everyone else was saying, this criminal knew that Jesus was innocent and did not deserve this punishment. The third confession is the most remarkable. He says, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He could only say these things by faith. Everyone denied that Jesus was the King and Messiah, but this criminal believed and affirmed Jesus’ kingdom, and he believes that Jesus can give eternal life. He might have heard Jesus’ prayer, “Father, forgive them,” and he believed he would be forgiven.
That is the kind of response we need to have when we think about the cross of Jesus. The cross of Jesus should lead us to have faith in Christ, repent and confess our sins, so that we can share in His blessings of forgiveness.
[Look at vs. 43] Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise. Jesus did not respond to any of the mockers, but he responded to this man of faith. His faith was rewarded with forgiveness. Remember that this criminal did something worthy of the death penalty. This shows us that there is no person too bad, no time too late, and no sin too great, that cannot be forgiven when one repents and believes in Jesus Christ.
In the midst of all these, God made some signs to help us believe.
[44-46] It was mid-day, and everywhere became dark for three hours. Some people think of it as a total solar eclipse just like we had a few days ago (April 8, 2024 – Texas, Indiana, etc.). Most solar eclipses don’t last more than 10 minutes (Total solar eclipses last anywhere from 10 seconds to about 7.5 minutes.). Also, The crucifixion took place during Passover season, and Passover is always held at a full moon. A natural eclipse of the sun is impossible during a full moon. This was God’s miraculous sign to help us believe His Son Jesus.
Next, the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Before that time, no one could go beyond the temple curtain to make atonement before God. Only the high priest goes once a year. But now the way has been opened for all of us to come to God. Jesus has broken the barrier that separated us from God. We don’t have to bring a sin offering for a priest to go into the temple to pray to God on our behalf. Now we can have a personal relationship with God by putting our faith in Jesus. We can do this anywhere and anytime. It was made possible by Jesus’ death. (John 4:21,23 – ..Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem… ..a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth..)
When we honestly consider Christ crucified on the cross and believe in it, our lives cannot be the same. Three groups of people were changed for good after witnessing the cross.
A centurion was changed by the power of the cross. He praised God, and confessed, “Surely this was a righteous man.”
Another man, named Joseph of Arimathea, was one of the 70 rulers of Jerusalem. He did not consent with the rest of his party’s decision to kill Jesus, rather, (in vs.51) he was “waiting for the kingdom of God.” He believed that Jesus was the Messiah. He had been hiding his love for Jesus, he was not confident to identify publicly with Jesus. But after experiencing the cross, he was changed and he came out of the shadows. He boldly went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body even though he could be kicked out of society for that. He finally showed his public love for Jesus and honored the body of Jesus with a proper burial in his well-preserved tomb.
Finally (55-56), we learn about some women who continued to follow and love Jesus when all the disciples had run away. These brave women showed their love for Jesus in His death, and they made preparations to serve Him a proper burial with spices. In the next chapter (Lk. 24:1) they were recorded as first witnesses of the resurrected Christ. What a blessing.
People of God, let us realize what the cross really means. It is not a human tragedy to cry endlessly for Jesus, but it is the symbol of forgiveness and an open invitation from God. God’s desire for all people is that we may be forgiven and united with Him forever. Through Jesus’ death on the cross God is saying; “I forgive you,” “I love you,” “You are special!!” Royal priesthood and holy nation.
Let us come to Him freely, accept His forgiveness by faith and live a new life for His Glory. Amen.
Key Verse: 34a – Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”