Good Friday reflections

At my church's Good Friday service tonight, we looked at the seven last words of Jesus - the things He said while He was on the cross.  Seven members of the congregation were asked to prepare some reflections on each of these last words, and I was one of those asked to do so.  And so I thought I would post what I shared here as well since my blog kind of serves as home base for things I write and think about . . .

"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

After I agreed to share as part of this service, I decided that I would try to meditate on this phrase during Lent – and as the weeks went by, I saw that not only did these words come to mind regularly, but also that my awareness was heightened to aspects of my everyday life that relate to this phrase. And so I hope the reflections that have come out of the past month or so can in some small way help us better connect with Jesus' work on the cross this Good Friday.

Anyone who's been in a small group with me can tell you that I'm big on context: what are the circumstances surrounding the situation at hand? So looking at this phrase was no different for me. In reading through the various Gospel accounts of Jesus' crucifixion, we can assemble a picture of the scene – a picture which, for me, adds to the significance of Jesus’ words:

+ crowds had watched and followed as Jesus was led out of the city
+ He was taken to Golgotha - the place of the Skull - outside the Jerusalem city wall
+ two other men - criminals - were crucified along with Jesus
+ Roman soldiers were there - facilitating the process
+ Jesus' mother, Mary, was there, along with some other women from Galilee and the disciple John
+ the chief priests, teachers of the law, & elders were there - openly mocking & ridiculing him
+ the sky grew dark at 12 noon and stayed that way until 3:00

And it is into this scene that Jesus' words enter, first saying, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

First: "Father" - it's really striking to me to see in this moment of Jesus' life that He is still in communication with His Father. Just last night in Gethsemane, we saw Jesus in conversation with His Father: if it be possible, take this cup from me. Yet not my will be done, but Yours. And now – only hours later - we see the culmination of that submission to the Father's will: Jesus is dying a painful death for sins that He didn't commit. And - unlike how I would've responded - we see that even while being crucified, He's not angry with the Father, He's not shutting Him out – Jesus is still in conversation with His Father. To me, Jesus’ words to God the Father clearly demonstrate that Jesus meant exactly what He said the night before: Your will be done.

The next part: "Forgive them" - even now - hanging on a cross, in pain, the focus of a spectacle - Jesus is not thinking about Himself. And perhaps even more significant: instead He's thinking about those who are currently crucifying and mocking Him. I almost can't get my mind around this. One commentator I read put it this way: you would think that he should have prayed, Father, consume them - look at what they're doing & avenge me. And yet instead, Jesus is demonstrating exactly what it looks like to "love your enemies." His request of forgiveness from the Father doesn’t gloss over what’s happening, but rather points out that wrong is being done - there would be no need of forgiveness otherwise. And so in this phrase, Jesus brings the injustice being done into the light – and then offers the needed remedy: forgiveness. It is Jesus' current action on the cross that is making such forgiveness possible - He's already putting to work the ransom He is paying on behalf of those who need it.

The last part: "for they know not what they do" - this part of Jesus' statement feels a little odd to me. It kind of begs an "Excuse me, what? You think they don't know what they're doing to you, Jesus?" Surely the crowds who cried for His crucifixion & who mocked Him are aware of what's happening – they are getting what they wanted: Jesus is dying. And the Roman soldiers must be aware of their actions, right? After all, this probably isn't the first crucifixion they've overseen. But I think Jesus is getting at the aspects of sin that we are often blinded to because of the deceitfulness of sin. When He says that they didn't know what they were doing, He's not talking about the earthly reality playing out: His physical death. He is speaking to what’s playing out in the ultimate reality: they are rejecting God's Son, the chosen Messiah and Redeemer. And it is this rejection – not the physical death they are inflicting – that drives Jesus’ appeal for their forgiveness.

When I look at this snapshot of Jesus, I see very clearly the ways that my own words & actions don’t reflect what I see in Him in this passage. There are so many times when I fight the Father’s will – when I don’t desire to yield to His plan. Times when I shut down communication with the Father & hold Him at arms’ length. There are certainly times when I don’t desire to forgive others – where I don’t think they deserve my forgiveness.

Yet at the same time, I have hope because Jesus has promised to complete His renewing work in my life – and I see the baby steps He is helping me to take into living out my identity in Him.  In addition, He has put some amazing people in my life who live out what forgiveness like this can look like in the here & now – so I know that this kind of fruit is possible!

I am humbled and amazed by the unbelievable levels of compassion & mercy found in Jesus. Who else would ask for the forgiveness of those who put Him on the cross? I love the heart of Jesus we see in this verse – a heart that pursues through the ignorance of sin in order to offer true life. That is what makes this Friday truly good for me – Jesus not only paid the price for my salvation, but He then pursued me in the midst of my ignorance – all because He wanted to offer me this amazing gift of forgiveness.