{"id":23762,"date":"2026-03-11T15:09:47","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T15:09:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/uncategorized\/luke-2334-a-closer-look-at-forgiveness\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T06:16:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T06:16:54","slug":"luke-2334-a-closer-look-at-forgiveness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/prayer\/luke-2334-a-closer-look-at-forgiveness\/","title":{"rendered":"Luke 23:34\u2014A Closer Look at Forgiveness"},"content":{"rendered":"

Then Jesus said, \u201cFather, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.\u201d <\/em>(Luke 23:34)<\/p>\n

Forgiveness. It\u2019s hugely important to our faith.<\/a> And it can also be hugely difficult. Do we tell ourselves, \u201cWhy should I forgive that person who did something wrong in the first place?\u201d \u201cDon\u2019t values count? Isn\u2019t moralistic behavior most important?\u201d<\/p>\n

But then we turn to Jesus and see how He asked His own killers, those who crucified Him and those who demanded His Crucifixion, to be forgiven. Making that prayer on the cross while He was dying. One of His last requests of God.<\/p>\n

If Jesus could do that, at one of the worst and saddest moments of His life<\/a>, aren\u2019t we being asked to do the same?<\/p>\n

Forgiveness. It\u2019s hard, and it\u2019s absolutely necessary to function as a compassionate, loving, caring human being.<\/p>\n

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A Crucial Passage in the Lord\u2019s Prayer<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Think about those times you\u2019ve been felt called to forgiveness. You can\u2019t really skip over it. After all, it\u2019s a crucial passage of the prayer Jesus taught us, the Lord\u2019s Prayer.<\/a> \u201cForgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.\u201d Whether you use the word \u201cdebts\u201d and \u201cdebtors\u201d or \u201ctrespasses\u201d and \u201ctrespass against us,\u201d it\u2019s part of our faith.<\/p>\n

As that prayer makes clear, it\u2019s quid pro quo. If we\u2019re going to ask God\u2019s forgiveness for what we have done wrong, then we\u2019d better be willing to forgive others for how they have wronged us. Look again to Jesus\u2019s example on the cross.<\/p>\n

I know that I\u2019m more prone to cast quick judgments on those who have wronged me. I want to shout it out. Make sure God noticed. \u201cLook, God, what that jerk did to me?\u201d \u201cCan you believe, God, how awful that person has behaved?\u201d \u201cHave you seen how manipulative and darn-right evil that guy is, Lord. Isn\u2019t it appalling?\u201d<\/p>\n

As if God hasn\u2019t noticed. As if God didn\u2019t see. As if God doesn\u2019t care or isn\u2019t concerned.<\/p>\n

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Doing Due Diligence<\/strong><\/h3>\n

But pointing out someone else\u2019s errors, someone else\u2019s flaws, can be a quick way of not confronting our own.<\/a> I know that the person at church\u2014yes, at church\u2014who bothers me the most is actually a lot like me.<\/p>\n

Rather than confront my flaws, I project and throw them all on him. Calling him out rather than doing due diligence on my spiritual self.<\/p>\n

Every Sunday at church we say the Lord\u2019s Prayer, together, and we also make a prayer of confession. It is essential to the functioning of our faith community. It is essential to our own spiritual growth. Perhaps it is the most essential thing.<\/p>\n

Inevitably we have to turn to Jesus as a model.<\/p>\n

The Narrative of the Crucifixion<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Jesus is God among us in human form. And in that very form He suffered dreadfully. He came to earth to show us how to live. To give us a prayer like the Lord\u2019s Prayer that can ground us in faith. One so short and succinct it takes less than a minute. And takes a lifetime to do.<\/p>\n

When we look at the narrative of the Crucifixion, we can hear Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane<\/a> for this suffering to be taken from Him. He doesn\u2019t want to undergo that terribly painful and humiliating torture of the Crucifixion. \u201cFather,\u201d He prays, \u201cif you are willing, remove this cup from me\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

But then He follows it with sublime acceptance. \u201cYet, not my will, but Yours be done.\u201d<\/p>\n

He has to follow God even in this.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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Following God Means Forgiving<\/strong><\/h3>\n

And following God means forgiving others, even His killers, because the message that Jesus brought to the world was one of love. Love for all. Love even for our enemies.<\/a><\/p>\n

The world can be a bitterly conflicting places, full of strife and wrong-doing, but if we are ever to re-make it in God\u2019s image, we need to bring love into all places. Not just those congenial settings like home with our loved ones, but the nightmarish settings, too. Like the Crucifixion.<\/p>\n

\u201cFather, forgive them for they know not what they do.\u201d That transforming power is right there. Indeed, we sometimes don\u2019t even know what wrongs we are committing.<\/p>\n

Isn\u2019t it freeing to realize that forgiveness is right at hand? Even then. Especially then.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Read More About Forgiveness<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n