Father, Forgive Them

by Edwin Crozier

Jesus’s most well-known statement on the cross must surely be, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34 ESV).

Read that statement again. Read it several times. Then notice something quite surprising. Jesus did not forgive the people while He was on the cross. Jesus knew how to forgive sins. Jesus had the power and authority to forgive sins on the earth. In Luke 5:20, when the friends lowered the paralytic into the middle of Jesus’s teaching session in Capernaum, Jesus said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” Then He performed a healing miracle to prove He had the authority to say that.

Jesus could have said from the cross, “People, your sins are forgiven you.” But He did not say that. Instead, He prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

We need to approach forgiveness just as Jesus did.

First, Jesus wanted these people forgiven. Despite the fact that they were tormenting Him, torturing Him, and executing Him, He wanted them to be forgiven. He didn’t hold a grudge. He didn’t want to take vengeance. He didn’t want them punished. He wanted them forgiven. He so wanted them forgiven; He offered the very sacrifice that would provide their forgiveness.

When folks sin against us. We must want their forgiveness. We must pray for their forgiveness. We must take the actions that will lead them to forgiveness. We must be willing to sacrifice so that they can find forgiveness.

Second, Jesus didn’t simply declare they were forgiven. Rather, those among this crowd who ended up forgiven were so on the day of Pentecost and thereafter. In Acts 2:36, Peter said, “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified” (ESV). Peter threw the earlier sin of the crowds in their faces. Why would he do that if they had already been forgiven? Many of them were pricked in their hearts and said, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter didn’t respond, “Don’t worry about it. Don’t you remember Jesus forgiving you while He was on the cross?” No. He said, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38 ESV). Jesus didn’t forgive these people while He was on the cross. He forgave them when they repented and were baptized.

Let’s not confuse forgiveness with abandoning a grudge. Certainly, when I forgive someone, I do abandon the grudge. But I may have to abandon the grudge long before I can actually forgive someone. If a person doesn’t repent, they cannot be forgiven. They continue to wear their guilt. And we should be concerned about that. We should be so concerned that we go to them and call them to repentance so they can be forgiven. If they refuse to repent, we don’t nurse a grudge. That is poison to us. But we don't simply claim they are forgiven. Jesus didn’t do that. We must not.

But when they do repent, we forgive. We fully, completely forgive. We rejoice over their restoration. We comfort them and reaffirm our love to them (II Corinthians 2:8).

We need to see this because forgiveness is not a psychological action. It is not a therapeutic action. It is a spiritual action. We don’t forgive as therapy for ourselves or for others. Rather, we forgive as a work of God in our lives and the lives of those who sin against us. Let us pray as Jesus taught us, that we may forgive as God forgives us.