“Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.” – Psalm 32:1
“Seek the LORD while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that He may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” – Isaiah 55:6, 7
“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” – Luke 23:34
Our God is a forgiving God! He has always been a God of compassion who “abundantly” pardons. He has never ceased to love us and to pursue us. This is why it breaks His heart when we sin and suffer the consequences of our bad choices. He watches and waits for us like the father of the prodigal son (Luke 15). Waiting for us to come to our senses…to repent…to come home where we are loved and cared for. His forgiveness is free, plentiful and available!
So, why are we surprised when Jesus, God incarnate, offers forgiveness to the people He loves so much? He is not offering forgiveness as some noble gesture. He is not showing those who were listening that He was better than an ordinary man. Read it again. This is a prayer of genuine compassion. This is One who is interceding for those He loves and is asking for the Father to forgive them. He even lets them off the hook…”they know not what they do”. In other words, Jesus is not holding the crucifixion against them. In fact, it doesn’t sound like He is holding anything against them. It sounds like He is appealing to the compassion of the Father. “Father, I know you love them…” This is not a change in God’s attitude toward us. Jesus isn’t trying to change the Father’s mind. He is speaking these words out loud from the cross for our sake. This is a revelation of who God has always been. A God who loved the world so much that He came to show us how much He cared.
These words from Jesus on the cross reveal to us the very heart of God…a heart of compassion and forgiveness. The death of Jesus did not bring about the forgiveness of God and it did not make God love us. God has always offered forgiveness and God has always loved us. What the cross did was to set us free from the consequences of our sin.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 6:23
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of Life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” – Romans 8:1, 2
We have been set free from the debt of our sin in order that we might have the opportunity to experience the bounty of God’s forgiveness for us. Jesus paid the price. He took the “wages” of your sin upon Himself. He was crucified instead of you. He took your sin and all of its consequences and nailed it to the cross. Why?
“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”