Victory through Forgiveness

Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. (Luke 23:32-34 ESV).

We often think of the Cross as the place where our victory has been won. Jesus’ sacrifice and the result of our forgiveness are progressively revealed through His last words on the cross. Our reading today contains the first of those. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” The first of Jesus’ last words are about forgiveness. It should be noted that none of the other things Jesus said from the cross were requests to the Father. He could have asked for many things. He could have asked for protection; the removal of the pain; the granting of peace in the circumstance; the reassurance of love; more understanding of God’s will; or strength to endure to the end. He didn’t ask for wisdom, or healing, or helping, or any number of other beautiful personal requests. He certainly didn’t ask for retribution or revenge toward his enemies. He asked for their forgiveness. Forgiveness is always a necessary first battle of the ultimate victory. For Jesus, forgiveness and the restored relationship with the Father formed the very essence of His mission. Certainly this is what he meant when he said, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost” (cf. Luke 19:10). And, this says much about the important role forgiveness plays in our lives. For many of us, our harboring unforgiveness toward God and others has become like a lead security blanket which simultaneously comforts us and weighs us down. We carry the bitterness. We carry the wounds. We carry the hatred and the hurt. We carry betrayals and insults. We carry them all as baggage throughout our days because we’re afraid to let it all go. We know how we’ve been hurt and yet, Jesus’ petition for the Father to forgive us ought to give us the comfort we need to release it to Him. Where God has forgiven it, we should also let it go. We cannot continue to cling to our resentment, hurt, and betrayals. If we want the victory of the cross, then it must begin with the forgiveness of the cross. Try this prayer today: Thank you for your gift of forgiveness. Your only Son loved me enough to come to earth and experience the worst pain imaginable so I could be forgiven. Your mercy flows to me in spite of my faults and failures. Your Word says to “clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.” (Colossians 3:14). Help me demonstrate unconditional love today, even to those who hurt me.