Father, Forgive Them
“Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.”Luke 23:34 (KJV)
The nails were in. The soldiers were gambling for his clothes. And the first words Luke records from the cross are a prayer: “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”
He prayed for the people doing it to him. Not after it was over, when the pain had passed. While it was happening.
A few years later, Stephen was being stoned to death for preaching about Jesus. As the stones fell, “he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” He had learned to pray like his Lord.
That prayer is still the hardest thing Jesus asks of us. But notice where it comes from. It isn’t a feeling of warmth toward the people hurting us. It is a prayer handed to the Father. You may not be able to forgive in your own strength today. You can start by praying what Jesus prayed.
Read it yourself
Read Luke 23:33–43. Who else did Jesus speak to from the cross in this passage, and what did he say?
Who do you need to pray for today, even though they hurt you?
Father, forgive them. Help me pray that for the people who have hurt me, and mean it more each day. Amen.