“Father…forgive them for they don’t know what they’re doing” (Full Service)
Sermon starts at 36:04
Scripture: Luke 23: 26-38
Today we find ourselves at the foot of the cross, hearing the first word of what came to be known as “Jesus’ last words”… which were in fact seven important phrases heard by eyewitnesses at his crucifixion… the first word being “Father…forgive them for they don’t know what they’re doing”.
Along with the palpable excitement in the air as the Jews gathered in Jerusalem for the annual Passover festival…there was also an undercurrent of tension. Trouble was brewing with the high priest and his allies…many people were discussing the claims of Jesus of Nazareth. They asked one another, who is this Jesus anyway? Is he really claiming to be King of the Jews? Some say he’s guilty of blasphemy. Is that true? The crowd were from all different walks of life, converging at the foot of the cross at this pivotal moment in history.
As the week wore on, word had spread that another crucifixion would take place… Neither Pilate nor Herod had found Jesus guilty of any charges to deserve death. But the crowd demanded , “away with this fellow Jesus! Release Barabbas for us!” And so, the one who had been imprisoned for insurrection and murder, was released! And the one who was found not guilty of any of the charges against him, was led to the cross, after the crowds shouted, “Crucify him, Crucify him”.
By the time Jesus reached the cross, others were gathering there.
- Simon of Cyrene, a passerby, pressed into service to carry Jesus’ cross.
- The Roman soldiers who mocked, and scourged Jesus
- Women who loved Jesus, weeping in despair
- And the Centurion, commander of the crucifixion guard…
All witnesses to Jesus’ crucifixion.
The Roman Centurion was probably the most neutral observer of the crucifixion. A centurion had at once the best of jobs, and the worst of jobs. Prestigious to be sure, but definitely not a job for a people pleaser…for loyalty to Rome came with a heavy price in terms of personal popularity. He was the highest-ranking soldier at the cross…an experienced veteran of crucifixions…all in a days’ work. as they say. The Centurion was tasked with ensuring that the orders of Pontius Pilate were carried out. He knew that Jesus’ death would come slowly on the cross… a long, drawn-out gruesome ordeal! And having stood there for so long, the Centurion was the one who was most likely to have heard everything that Jesus said from the cross! This seasoned soldier was an ordinary man doing an ordinary job…but what he witnessed that day was anything but ordinary. And he was caught off guard, for…
This was no ordinary crucifixion….for Jesus was no ordinary man.
And the Centurion was a silent witness to it all!
From the Biblical record, we know that the culminating drama of Jesus’ life was unfolding quickly. His remaining time on earth was very short. And there were still a few things that Jesus had left to say.
That Jesus was able to say anything at all from the cross was a testament to his inner courage. For each time he spoke, he had to shift his body weight up, just so that he could have the breath needed to speak. And in doing so, he experienced excruciating pain.
From the vantage point of the cross, Jesus was also a witness to what must have been a distressing scene below. The soldiers were casting lots for his clothing, the religious leaders mocked him, and the crowd shouted blasphemy.
Nevertheless, Jesus’ first word from the cross was this prayer asking God to forgive the sins of the people, for they didn’t know what they were doing. Let me ask you, if you were in Jesus’ position, would those have been the first words out of your mouth? Wouldn’t you have focussed on your own pain? Wouldn’t you have reminded God that you were innocent and suffering unjustly? Wouldn’t you have hated the soldiers who had nailed and tied you to the cross?
Instead, Jesus prayed to God the Father to forgive the people, for they didn’t know what they were doing. Have you ever wondered why Jesus prayed to God the Father in this way?
In Isaiah we read, “He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:12) So Jesus’ prayer was the fulfillment of an Old Testament prophecy. In Hebrews, we read that “Jesus functions as our great high priest, able to save for all time those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” ( Hebrews 7: 25)
As Jesus uttered these words asking for God’s forgiveness for the people, in his heart he was praying not only for those who were present as eyewitnesses to his crucifixion, but also for all those who came before Jesus’ was born into the world.
In Hebrews we read, “Indeed, by faith, our ancestors received God’s approval.” Consider Abel and Enoch and Noah, as well as Abraham and his descendants… and other heroes of the faith such as Gideon and Samson, and David and Samuel and the prophets. (Hebrews 11:2) To the extent that they believed God’s promises to them and placed their hope in God and the promised coming Messiah, their sins were forgiven. It was by faith that these spiritual ancestors received the forgiveness and approval of God that Jesus would make possible through his death on the cross.
And today, our glorified and risen Lord is still “the one mediator between God and humankind.” (1 Timothy 2: 5)
When Jesus asked God to forgive them, he was putting into practice his teaching in the Sermon on the Mount…you have heard that it was said, “Love your neighbour and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5: 43-44). From the cross, the persecuted one prayed for his persecutors. Jesus spoke to his Father with his heart overflowing with love, forgiveness, and compassion for all the people.
For Jesus knew that even his own disciples did not really understand why he came to die. And those who crucified Jesus did not recognize him as the promised Messiah. In fact, their eyes were blinded to the truth of Jesus. Yet Jesus was willing to die in the place of sinners who did not know what they were doing. Would any of us have any concept of what it meant to crucify the Creator of the world?
But God showed his mercy by providing Jesus as the sacrifice for the sins of all the people. And the basis of our forgiveness is not God’s mercy but his justice. In John’s first letter we read, “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). God’s justice has been satisfied, because God made Jesus, who had no sin, to be sin for us, so that in Jesus we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5: 21)
Jesus recognized the image of God in each person, despite what they had done. Jesus saw each of them individually with the eyes of love. His heartfelt desire was that each person should be reconciled to God the Father. And he knew that reconciliation with the Father could only come through his own sacrificial death on the cross.
As Jesus looked out from the cross, he also looked forward to those of us who would live in the centuries following his death. On the cross, all was accomplished. It was our sin that nailed Jesus to the cross over 2,000 years ago as well, and it is our sin that will separate us from fellowship with God now.
However, in the providence of God, Jesus bridged the gap between the holiness of God and the sinfulness of humankind by offering his life as an atonement for all of our sins.
In Romans 5 we read, “for while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly… Much more surely, therefore, since we have now been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God.[a] 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. (Romans 5: 6-10)
So what was the final witness of the centurion…the one who thought he knew perfectly well what he was doing?…the man who witnessed Jesus’ suffering, the man who noticed the sky turning black in the middle of the day, the man who felt the earth trembling beneath his feet…the man who saw “from Jesus’ head, his hands, his feet …sorrow and love flowing mingled down.”
This high ranking official, who was just faithfully doing his job, found himself on level ground at the foot of the cross…on level ground with all the others who had witnessed the crucifixion with him. But the centurions’ expectations of Jesus had been shattered. His understanding of who Jesus was had fundamentally changed. When all was said and done, the Centurion was faced with a choice…a choice which faces each one of us today. Would he acknowledge Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for his sins and choose to repent and believe in him? In his own words, we find the answer when we hear the Centurion praising God and declaring, “Surely, this was a righteous man…this was the Son of God!”
As well, other people also came to faith because of Jesus.…including one of the two thieves hanging on crosses on either side of Jesus…We’ll hear more about him next week! Also, there was Nicodemus, who had first come to Jesus at night for fear of being seen with Jesus, alongside Joseph of Arimathea, a secret disciple of Jesus, who arranged with Pilate to take away Jesus’ body for burial. Once hiding in secret, these two Jewish leaders now identified publicly as believers in Jesus. And later, on the day of Pentecost, 3,000 people repented, were saved, and received the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus’ gift of love on the cross continues to either compel or repel us even today. There is no middle ground. There is no fence to sit on. Scripture reminds us, there is none of us righteous…no, not one! We have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. (Romans 3: 10)
Our holy God demands justice for sin… and God’s justice was satisfied when Jesus died on the cross…Jesus was the substitute, just like the Old Testament animal sacrifice was the substitute before Jesus came, taking God’s wrath against sin upon itself…in order to pay the price for God’s justice to be satisfied. On the cross, Jesus provided forgiveness for all those who would ever believe in him, including us. He paid the penalty for the sins that we commit in our ignorance, as well as those we commit deliberately. And beloved, thankfully our sin is not more powerful than Jesus’ sacrifice of himself for us at the cross!
The truth is that we all need forgiveness…forgiveness when we don’t know what we are doing, and forgiveness for when we do. Do you believe this? Thanks be to God for his provision for our forgiveness in his first word from the cross…”Father forgive them, for they don’t know what they’re doing.” His love and forgiveness are gifts to us, freely given…waiting for us to receive! To God be the Glory! AMEN