Final Words: Part 2

I will be the first to admit that forgiveness isn't always the easiest thing to grant to those who are hurting us. Whether it is physical or emotional pain we are suffering, our natural reaction isn't to forgive the person who is inflicting torment on us. The natural reaction is to inflict pain back or curl in on ourselves and bottle up our pain or seek to run and hide.

For years I struggled with forgiving others, I held grudges, bottled my resentment, and retaliated with force. I was angry and resentful. Despite my unforgiving attitude the only one who continually suffered was me.

When I read Jesus' words in Luke 23:34 I am amazed by the depth of His forgiveness to those who put Him through so much pain. (By the way this includes you and me.) In Luke 23:34a we read, Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” This sounds like such a simple statement, but look deeper at what it took for Jesus to make this plea for forgiveness.

The true depth of suffering in a Roman Crucifixion is the fact that death came as a result of asphyxiation. When the person on the cross had their weight on the nails in their hands they hung in such a way that closed off their lungs so they couldn't breath. In order to take a breath they had to push up with their leg putting all the weight of their body in the nail driven through their feet.

Jesus felt such a desire to call on the Father for our forgiveness that He added to His suffering, pushing up on the nail in His feet, just to say these words, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do."

How often do we get angry and bent out of shape, desiring to get even with people who don't even know they hurt us? I remember a while back, I gave people the opportunity to let me know if I had hurt them so that I could apologize and ask for forgiveness. This was a humbling moment for me.

Most people didn't respond but I did have a couple people who where willing to share with me. I recall one person who had been hurt by something I said. I never even realized I had hurt her and her family. She shared how my words, that I thought of as words of direction and encouragement, had been received as words of ridicule. I didn't even realize the pain caused by my words or my actions. I need forgiveness for all the ways I hurt people and don't even know it.

I need forgiveness for all the things I know I do. (Now that is tough to admit.) Even after years of becoming more like Jesus I still mess up a lot. I need forgiveness everyday. If you are like me, the list of things you need forgiveness for is so long that if you focus on it you won't have time to hold a grudge against someone else.

As we think on Jesus' words of forgiveness we need to extend that same forgiveness to others. After all, their sins are not truly against us but against the God who created us in His image.

Luke 6:36-38 Jesus encourages us with these words, "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”