S121P5 – The Savior’s many faces: the gracious spectacle
Lk. 23:32-34
There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death. And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they divided His garments and cast lots.
We all have people in our lives for whom we would do just about anything. Perhaps you have a best friend who has found their way into that special corner of your heart, and you would move mountains to help them out. Maybe you already have found yourself going well above and beyond the call of friendship in order to help someone you love. We do those things because we love those people and because we know that they love us and would do the same if we need them. The question is whether we do those things only for those who love us and would return the favor. If we want to be like Jesus, the answer to that question must be a resounding no.
I am sure that I am not the only person who has been awestruck by the words of Jesus in this passage. He was placed on that cross to suffer the punishment of a criminal, sharing in fellowship with guilty men who deserved to die. They mocked him and spit on him, yet He asked his Father to forgive them. We might wonder how Jesus could be that gracious, but we really should not be in wonder. After all, that is the very nature that brought him to the cross in the first place. Those are the very kinds of people Jesus came to save. He died specifically and willingly for those who did not know him or want to know him but who might eventually soften and come to him.
The act of Jesus forgiving those men who treated him so poorly is really no different from Jesus forgiving us. We put him on that cross as much as they did. We have mocked him and hurt him as much as they did. We might not have inflicted the physical bruises on our Savior, but we certainly had a hand in his great death. Jesus was crucified by the wicked hearts of men, and we once carried those very hearts. Of course He forgave the people who humiliated and murdered him. He came because of their great spiritual need. In crying out for their forgiveness, He also was crying out for ours. Father, give us a measure of your Son’s capacity to forgive, willingness to suffer, and perseverance through trial.