It’s a bit dicey to center a whole sermon around a Bible text which may not even be authentic. Since it’s such a well-known passage I was unaware (or had forgotten) until I started studying this week’s passage, Luke 23:33-38, that my focal sentence, the beginning of verse 34, has some doubtful manuscript pedigree. The familiar words, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,” are not found in a number of ancient manuscripts of Luke.
There are, nonetheless, good reasons to accept those words of Jesus as genuine, not the least of them being that Jesus’ prayer of forgiveness is echoed by Stephen in Acts 7:60. Clearly the first Christian martyr wished to emulate his Lord by asking forgiveness for those who were killing him.
Stephen, in fact, shows us that these words and the whole manner of Christ’s death is an example for us as Christ followers. Jesus’ command to love our enemies extends even to the point of dying at their hands.
One reason some scholars give to not accept verse 34a as genuine is that it breaks up the continuity and stands oddly between the end of verse 33 and the second half of verse 34. But that picture (nicely depicted in the forefront of the Francesca painting above) of bored soldier/executioners playing dice for Jesus’ robe is the perfect exemplification of the attitude which Jesus found extenuating. They had so little idea that were murdering the Lord of all that they could even play a game while He died.
Jesus prays to the father for His killer’s forgiveness, but He is the answer to His own prayer as He hangs there on the Cross. By giving His life and then rising again He accomplishes the very offer of forgiveness which He requests.
You and I are not nearly so able to ensure divine forgiveness of those who hurt us, even in ignorance, but when we follow Jesus’ example on the Cross, we can be assured that He has already done all that is necessary for the forgiveness of our enemies, and our own sins as well. May God make us more like Stephen, ready and willing to follow that example and lay down our lives in love rather than in hate.
if only the church had been able to believe this verse–we would not have to beg forgiveness for the ages long curse on the jews as christ killers. HE could forgive, we to our shame could not.
You are absolutely right, Craig. There is no excuse for any notion of anti-Semitism based on the biblical account of the crucifixion. The Bible clearly implicates everyone in Christ’s death and it’s only a perverted and willful misreading which allows anyone to blame Jewish people alone for it. For one thing, it’s clear the Romans did the dirty work. But as you say, Jesus forgave them all, which includes us. If we refuse to forgive whoever was directly involved in Jesus’ death, then we by implication deny our own forgiveness by Him.
I think the thoughtless hurts can be hardest to forgive. It’s one thing if someone intended to wrong you. They had to spend time and energy. But the accidental injustice happens without notice.
Great insight, Jacob. I hope I hope you don’t mind if I mention it in the sermon tomorrow and give you credit for it.