Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34
This is one of those verses that leaves us with no room to manoeuvre. There was never a person more worthy to retaliate. Never one so justified to respond in righteous anger towards his enemies.
The one who is qualified to judge his enemies, prays for the judge to acquit his enemies.
It leaves us no wiggle room because we know what our natural response to our enemies is like and it doesn’t look like this. The maker of heaven and earth thinks the best of his enemies which is such a challenging thing to learn.
He recognises the ignorance of these soldiers - they think he’s a man amongst men and not the spotless lamb of God.
But the best thing about this word from the Lord Jesus is that it is said whilst he hangs on the cross, and that means it connects His experience on the cross with the accomplishment of the cross - forgiveness.
In light of Ephesians 1:7, the fullness of Jesus’ words here could be ‘Father, in accordance with the riches of your grace, by my blood spilt on this cross, forgive your people for the terrible sins they’ve committed against us’.
Jesus intercedes with his father on behalf of the sinner for forgiveness.
And, even right now, he is in glory with the scars of his crucifixion, seated at the right hand of the father interceding for us (Hebrews 7:25) for the forgiveness of our sins by his once-for-all work accomplished at Calvary!
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