WHILE HE WAS ON THE CROSS JESUS PRAYED FOR US

Proclamation:

“Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’”  Luke 23:34 (NIV)

Explanation:

These are the words of Jesus, The Christ, as recorded by Luke, the physician, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  After He was arrested, Jesus was taken to Pilate to be judged, then to Herod, and then back to Pilate. (Luke 23:1-12)  Finding no fault in Him, Pilate wanted to release Jesus but the crowd, which included the chief priests, the teachers of the law, the elders, the rulers, and the Jewish people, shouted “Release Barabbas … Crucify Him!” (Luke 23:13-25)  After He had been beaten (Matthew 27:26-31 and Mark 15:15-20) and made to carry His cross across town, they nailed Him to the cross and set Him between two criminals.  While He was on the cross He said, “Father, forgive them …”

Application:

These words were some of the last seven things which Jesus, The Christ, spoke while He was on the cross.  In the midst of His suffering from their mistreatment of Him, He still showed love and compassion for His enemies.  Most Bible scholars believe that when Jesus asked His Heavenly Father to “forgive them,” He was referring not only to the soldiers who crucified Him, but to the crowd and all those who “put Him on the cross with their sins.”  That includes all of us that are alive today, and all who lived and died in the past.  “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)  We had to be forgiven and the price for our sins had to be paid, “For the wages of sin is death ...” (Romans 6:23)  Because of this, we should all thank Him daily for what He went through to pay the price for our sins.