Luke 23:32-43 — Forgive... them????

READ THIS: Luke 23:32-43

32 Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 

35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” 36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37 and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.” 38 There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the jews. 39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” 

40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY?

There is SO much to talk about here, but we can't type a whole essay... so let's talk about the compassion and forgiveness that Jesus has while He is going through one of His hardest moments on earth. Jesus has already been beaten, mocked, and betrayed by those around Him, and now He is hanging on a cross while people go through His clothes and decide what they want for themselves. The people watching Him are making fun of Him, and even one of the men being crucified next to Him is mocking Him! Despite that, Jesus's response to all of these things is a prayer to God. He simply says, "forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."
 
When people hurt us, whether accidentally or purposefully, that is rarely our response! We can be quick to judge others or fire back insults when we feel insulted, but the response we should have looks a lot more like the one we see from the man in verses 40-42. This man knew that he was imperfect, and he knew that Jesus was perfect. He didn't ask Jesus to help him off the cross. Instead, he simply wanted to know Jesus and be known by Him! The next time you find yourself hurting, be quick to forgive them like Jesus did, and remember what matters most like the wise man who was crucified next to Jesus!

THINK ABOUT IT:

1. Who is someone in your life that is hard to forgive? Why?
 
2. Re-read verse 39... Jesus had the power to take Himself off the cross, but He didn't. Why do you think He allowed Himself to die, and why is it important that He did?

TRY THIS:

Take some time right now to ask Jesus to help you forgive the person you thought of for question 1, then try to find time this week to do it!

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