The Forgiving Savior

"Father forgive them; for They know not

what they do."… Luke 23:34
We come to the most tragic scene in human history. We come to the scene
of an innocent man dying on the cross. Not dying for his crimes but for yours
and mine.
Calvary "the place of the skull" is the location. Jesus has been led up the
trail that will lead to His death. Calvary has been called the place of the curse
and the blessing. Curse for Jesus but a blessing for mankind. It is at Calvary
that we see the best of God and the worst of man.
Who among us is without sin? What man can say he has never had an evil
thought or done an evil act? Romans 3:23 says, "all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God." Who crucified Jesus? You and I certainly had our
part to play.
As we set our course and take a few weeks to journey to the cross, we will
look at the last seven sayings that Christ spoke upon the cross. While every
word spoken by Messiah was and is important, the last words reveal to us
several important things. When a man is dying, he speaks his heart and not
just idle words.
Three of the seven last sayings were directed toward God the Father. (1,2,7)
Luke 23:26-31 has been called the Passion Sermon. Notice only one thing
here in 23:28 from the words of Jesus, "Weep not for me, but weep for
yourselves, and for your children." The pattern of Jesus’ life and death was
unselfishness. He had no cry of pity but only concern for others.
As we look at the first saying of Christ it is translated into ten words in
English. These words are spoken very early and some think probably as the
thunder of the hammer rang out as the nails were driven into the flesh of
Christ. W. Hershel Ford points out, "In the original Greek we read that He kept
on saying, ‘Father, forgive them.’ He prayed this prayer not just once, but
many times."
Notice the words of the Forgiving Savior with me if you would.
"Exposing the Word"
"…Father…" Jesus Christ, we must never forget, was the incarnate son of
God. He now cries out to the Father. He is very aware of His Sonship. This
was not just any man being crucified but the God of this universe was buying
back the souls of mankind from sin. 2 Cor 5:19 "…God was in Christ,
reconciling the world unto himself…"
He cried to the Father fully knowing and confident that He would be heard. His
life had been lived this way. You will recall at the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus
stated, "Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that
thou hearest me always…" John 11:41-42 This word "knew" means that
Christ had absolute divine knowledge of the fact that God the Father heard
Him.
Also His was a willing submission to the Father’s will. We see this course
set in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus cried from the depths of His
soul, "Father, if thou be will, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not
my will, but thine, be done." Luke 22:42 This does not in any way make
Jesus less God than God the Father. He was fully God. Col 2:9 declares,
"…in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily."
"…forgive…" Calvary is where we see the awful depths of human sin but
we also see the tremendous heights of God’s love. Paul prayed that the
Ephesians concerning the love of God that they would, "be able to
comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth,
and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge…"
Eph 3:18-19 It is at Calvary that we see this love on display for the world to
see. Reaching up to God, down to man, out to the world.
I remind you though, he is not saying forgive to His friends but those that are
crucifying Him. I remind you that the word of God says, "While we were yet
sinners Christ died for us…" Rom. 5:8
He cried for God to forgive. This reminds us that only God can forgive sin.
This was not just a plea for a pardon like a governor could give, but it is
justification.
How can God, who is righteous, ever forgive sin? He could not simply turn
His back and pretend that it does not exist. He can forgive sin because of the
blood sacrifice of Christ that satisfies the justice of God.
"…them…" One of the things that becomes apparent is that Jesus is not
asking for forgiveness for His sins. He said forgive, "them". 2 Cor 5:21 "…he
hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin; that we might be made
the righteousness of God in him."
His enemies were crucifying Him. Those who hated Him. He teaches us a
lot about forgiveness here. First we see he prayed for his enemies. Second,
he forgave those who had wronged him. Jesus had preached this in Matt
5:44, "…Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them
that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and
persecute you." Jesus taught us to forgive a wrong seventh times seven
times. This is without limit. Jesus practiced what He preached on the cross.
"Them" is also you and me. This great prayer on the cross certainly was
for those who were crucifying Him first. In fact, many think if He had not
prayed for them that this would have been unpardonable. Still we realize that
the forgiveness of Christ is far greater reaching than just to those few at the
foot of the cross. It reaches into the depths of human need to you and I.
Father forgive them that will believe the Gospel and repent.
"…for they know not what they do…" Some have wondered if Jesus had
not prayed for them, if God would have killed them instantly for this deed. This
act was done as a plot by the Jewish Sanhedrin to do away with what they
perceived as a rival to their power. The crowd a few short days before they
cried crucify had cried, "Hosanna" (Mark 11:9-10). They had now been
carried away by the slight of men.
Paul exclaimed in 1 Cor 2:8 concerning those who crucified Him, "…none of
the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not
have crucified the Lord of glory."
Still my friends, ignorance does not excuse sin. This crowd was kept in
ignorance by their leaders and in fact, probably thought they were doing God
a favor by getting rid of this blasphemer.
Notice now several days later when Peter preaches his great Pentecost
sermon recorded in Acts 2:14ff; 2:22-23; 36-37; 41-42. Three thousand of
those who were prayed for by Christ on the cross specifically were saved.
Christ’s prayer was answered. Praise God for grace!
Now, the greatest question anyone will ever ask you, "What will you do with
Jesus?" What is your relationship to the Forgiving Savior? He died that we
might live and lives that we may never die. Forgiveness can be had by calling
on His name. He will save you if you will come to Him.