‘Father, forgive them’: Following Jesus’ example
By Ben Birdsong
Author, speaker and minister
Forgiveness. It is something that we so often want to receive for ourselves, yet so often find it extremely difficult to extend to others. As we approach Holy Week and the death of Jesus on the cross, forgiveness stands at the center of the narrative.
At the cross, Jesus purchased our forgiveness by going to the cross as our substitute.
As Jesus hung on the cross, He was dying the death that you and I deserved to die. He was taking the punishment that we were due.
As we approach the first saying of Jesus from the cross, it shouldn’t surprise us that Jesus is extending the same forgiveness to others that He is purchasing for us at the cross. Luke 23:34 says, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
Jesus’ first words from the cross are a prayer. He begins by calling out to His Father.
In the moment of crucifixion, Jesus was facing great pain and suffering so it would be natural for Him to call out to God for relief or rescue, yet Jesus is calling out to God for the rescue not of Himself but of others — those who were murdering Him.
The fact that God’s forgiveness could be offered to the murderers of Jesus means that there is no one who is too far from God’s grace.
There is nothing you can do that takes you to a place beyond the reach of the forgiveness of God through Jesus.
Jesus goes on to pray that the people “do not know what they do.” They don’t understand the magnitude of their sin nor the power of forgiveness being bought for them by Jesus at the cross.
For the crucifixion team, this is simply another day on the job. They don’t understand that the Jesus they are putting to death will in three days defeat death by resurrection and bring them new life.
When we come to the extension of forgiveness by Jesus to His enemies at the cross, we must understand that forgiveness comes at a great cost, that no one is too far from grace and that in the midst of His darkest moments Jesus is still a God who pursues those who stand under the judgment of God.
So today, who do you need to share the gospel message of forgiveness with?
During the Easter season, you have a great opportunity to begin a conversation about the true meaning of the holiday.
It’s not found in bunnies and spring colors, but in a God through Jesus who pursues broken people with His grace and forgiveness even in the darkest of moments.
EDITOR’S NOTE — Excerpt from “Words from the Cross: 7 Statements that Will Transform Your Life,” a 7-day devotional exploring Jesus’ final words on the cross, with illustrations by Pete Collins.
Judson College Perspectives
It is extremely fulfilling to see how [my daughter] Lauren has grown and how she loves Judson and the people like she does. She has really stepped up and taken the reins of her education and her life and has grown a lot spiritually and academically here. She is committed to her four years at Judson.
Stephen Wilson
Mobile, Ala.
The programs and degrees at Judson focus on shaping students to look more like Jesus. You don’t get that anywhere else.
[At Siloam], we have Bible studies every Wednesday night and Sunday morning for the [students]. We are over here to help with moving in. The underclasswomen follow the president and first lady and the seniors in cap and gown over to Siloam on Rose Sunday at the beginning of the school year.
It’s just a very, very tight relationship between us and Judson. We are so glad to be just a small part of the girls’ Judson experience.
Josh Watford
Associate pastor, Siloam Baptist Church, and husband of Judson alumna, Rebecca, who is a Judson adjunct professor
My daughter [Kayla Oliver] went from Judson to seminary in Waco (Texas). She had a lot of influences here who led her on that path. I feel for certain if she had not come to Judson she would not have followed that path. …
When she comes home from Waco she comes through Marion and stays at Judson, then she comes home (to Odenville). Judson is her second home.
She has just gotten a position working with a youth group at Elmont Baptist Church in Texas. She would not be on her life path if it wasn’t for Judson.
Rhonda Oliver
Mother of Judson alumna
Odenville, Ala.
Make a ‘God Loves You’ Plan
The most generous thing we can give others is the good news of God’s love. How? By devising a personal “God loves you” plan for those we want to reach.
Think of some ways you can let others know of your love and of God’s. Some examples may include:
- Finding a ministry to the homeless, families facing food insecurity or children in need of tutoring. Connect with a Christian relief organization. Partner with those trying to touch people who are in need of God’s love.
- Making a list of people you don’t like (yes, we all have some folks like that). Begin praying for them as Jesus instructed.
- Thanking the Lord afresh for His great love for us, even while we were “yet sinners” (Rom. 5:8).
Love is only good when expressed, and we can all do that. Find someone today and remind them of God’s never-ending love.
David Jeremiah
Pastor and author
The God who created human beings knows what kind of life works best for us.
Some things are obvious — don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t murder — and human society clearly works better that way.
Some things are counterintuitive: care for the vulnerable, find your life by serving others, forgive when wronged, love your enemies.
Yet that way of life ultimately proves most satisfying, for in following it we become the persons God intended us to be.
Philip Yancey
“Vanishing Grace: Bringing Good News to a Deeply Divided World”
I’ve heard these words over and over again: “If I forgive, I’m just letting him off the hook!” No. That’s not what forgiveness is. It is moving the guilty from your hook to God’s hook.
We don’t have the ability to let the offender off the hook of the potential consequences he or she may face, such as ruined relationships, crippling guilt, social isolation, financial repayment, or even criminal punishment.
But we can take the person off of our emotional hook and put him or her onto God’s hook and trust Him to deal with that person justly and rightly.
June Hunt
“How to Forgive … When You Don’t Feel Like It”
Spring shows what God can do with a drab and dirty world.
Virgil A. Kraft
Methodist minister (1910–1988)
Doing things “for God’s glory” means making sure that he is recognized as God and praised as God in what we do. This means we cannot eat or drink or do anything else as if we are the center of the universe, because that glorifies us, not God.
Jared C. Wilson
Assistant professor of pastoral ministry at Spurgeon College
Kansas City, Mo.
Millions of Christians have been praying for over a year that God would protect us from the coronavirus. Effective vaccines have been produced in direct answer to prayer. God-ordained government officials have approved and encouraged their use. There is no scriptural violation or prohibition.
Christians are to obey all lawful governmental authorities. Obedience is highly valued by God and puts us under His umbrella of protection. The best course of action is to take the vaccine and leave the results to God.
Dr. Bob Cosby
Birmingham, Ala.
“Isaac’s servants also dug in the Gerar Valley and discovered a well of fresh water. But then the shepherds from Gerar came and claimed the spring. … Isaac’s men then dug another well, but again there was a dispute over it. … Abandoning that one, Isaac moved on and dug another well. This time there was no dispute over it, so Isaac named the place Rehoboth (which means ‘open space’), for he said, ‘At last the Lord has created enough space for us to prosper in this land’” (Gen. 26:19–22).
Heavenly Father, thank You for all things. Father, be with us when we are digging where You have planted us and we are sabotaged. Father, be with us when we are performing the work You have charged us to do and we are bypassed. Father, be with us when the ideas we have presented are hijacked by others. Father, thank You for being with us when Your blessings and Your promise make room for us. Glory be unto God. In Jesus’ name we pray and praise You for the promise. Amen.
Author Vernet C. Nettles
vcndailypray.com
From the Twitterverse
@timkellernyc
There is no evil that the Father’s love cannot pardon and cover; there is no sin that is a match for His grace.
@tonymerida
“Through preaching, the congregation is protected in its purity, encouraged in its battle, healed in its sufferings and established in its confession.” —Herman Bavinck
@brianmills247
Dietrich Bonhoeffer: “The physical presence of other Christians is a source of incomparable joy and strength to the believer.”
@brocraigc
“Earth is receding! Heaven is opening!” —Dwight L. Moody.
May heaven come down and glory fill our souls as we worship the one true God today.
@ostrachan
There are no VIP Christians, celebrity pastors, or extra-special believers. There is King Jesus, and following in his wake, there are “slaves of Christ.”
@MattSmethurst
God is not a killjoy. He just opposes what kills joy. —@JohnPiper
@andrewhebert86
You can be very sure of this: When God starts to do something in and through a church, Satan will do all he can to kill, steal and destroy through division, dysfunction, distraction and disobedience. Bet on it.
@drtonyevans
We are called to be “holy bold” with the right heart, not just with facts devoid of love, but with clarity, conviction and compassion.
@jasonkeithallen
“Nothing created has ever been able to fill the heart of man. God alone can fill it infinitely.” —Thomas Aquinas
@Rgallaty
“If we function according to our ability alone, we get the glory; if we function according to the power of the Spirit within us, God gets the glory. He wants to reveal Himself to a watching world.” —Henry Blackaby
@RebeccMcLaugh
Jesus isn’t a relic of the ancient world. He is our modern world’s best hope.
@deaninserra
What is the role of this story in the story of redemption? I read the Bible through the lens of that question.
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