Father, Forgive Them

"But Jesus was saying, 'Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing'" (Luke 23:34, NASB).

In Jesus Christ, we see a quality of character that cannot be easily faked.

We see a man who had been falsely accused of crimes that he had not committed. We see a man who had been betrayed by one of his closest friends, and abandoned by the others. We see a man who was abused by the system. We see a man who was mocked and tortured without mercy. We see a man who deserved all the praise that could be given, but who received anger and hatred instead. We see a man who was facing the wrath of God for the sins of his enemies.

But we do not see a bitter and resentful man. We do not see a man gritting his teeth, trying not to call down the armies of heaven to wipe out an evil and ungrateful humanity.

In Jesus Christ, we see the character of God. We see a man who would rather suffer than see us suffer. We see a man who would rather forgive than destroy. We see a man of strength surrounded by a sea of weakness. We see the supernatural...not merely a man of God, but God himself in the form of a man.

The Blinding Power of Bitterness

"See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled" (Hebrews 12:15, NASB).

Twelve years ago, Timothy McVeigh allowed his resentment to fuel the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, murdering at least 168 people. This week, Cho Seung-Hui's bitterness led him to murder 32 people at Virginia Tech before committing suicide. By surrendering to resentment, two men missed the grace of God. They were blinded by their rage.

Most of us will not allow our bitterness to drive us to murder, but none of us will go through life without scars. Each one of us will be hurt by someone, sometimes intentionally but often unintentionally. What will we do when we are hurt? Will we become weak and bitter? Or will we become strong and forgiving? How we answer those questions may determine whether we miss the grace of God. As Jesus Christ taught, "Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors...For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions" (Matthew 6:12, 14-15, NASB).