“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
Two thousand years after Jesus spoke these words from the cross, we can forget just how shocking a prayer this was.
Forgiving loved ones is hard enough. Forgiving enemies, pleading for unrepentant persecutors, even as they are wronging us, seems impossible.
The scandal of the cross is not only the death of the man-God, but also His willingness to forgive. A willingness that we are called to imitate. That’s as difficult to hear in the 21st-century as it was in the 1st.
Conflict and bloodshed dominate the lands of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection today. In Australia we are blessed with greater harmony. But even here, there’s enough division for some to fan into conflict.
Our homes and hearts can bear grudges and anxieties too. When we’ve lost someone or something precious to us, or been humiliated or otherwise hurt, forgiveness can be terribly difficult.
And if the one we most need to forgive is ourself, it can be even tougher. Easier to harbour resentments against whoever’s wronged us.
But Jesus doesn’t ask us to go it alone when it comes to forgiving. The man who is God suffered for those he knew would reject him, forgave us from the cross, and we can be confident he will help us do it when we must.
The message of Easter is not the cruelty of the cross, but the love and mercy it drew forth from the heart of God—a God who wants nothing more than to love you with everything he has to give.
Even his son. Even his own life. This Easter open your heart to receive the love and mercy of God, and then share it with those needing your forgiveness.
God bless you and your loved ones this Easter.