Forgive

Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. (Luke 23:34)

These are very powerful words and words that always have made me think. Jesus is on his deathbed and he forgives people for the unjust trial that he went through, the teasing and torture and finally for putting him to death in the most embarrassing way- hanging naked on a cross. For me this has always been the proof of Jesus’ love for us. He could have saved himself on the cross, and walked away. He chose to do his fathers will, and die for our sins and bring salvation to us. How hard it must have been hanging on the cross with all the humiliation and pain, and knowing that he can just walk away.

When I was a child, I used to be mad at the Romans and Jews for killing Jesus. Later I was not mad at them. They had to kill Jesus. It was part of the plan. If Jesus was not killed, then he couldn’t rise again from the dead. Then I thought if I lived back then, would I be the Roman that hammered nails in Jesus’ body or will I be the Jew that torments Jesus. It is easy to say that I wouldn’t. But I think I would. Nothing makes me better than the people that lived back then, so why shouldn’t I be pressured by the group and hurt Jesus as much as possible. Even if Jesus lived today, I would probably make a joke about him and not believe a word he says, unless he can prove it.

Jesus taught us a lesson right to the end. I think that the ability to forgive is one of the greatest Christian virtues we have. I ruined my marriage that led to a divorce, and my wife never forgave me for ruining her romantic dream. She considers herself a huge Christian. Her inability to forgive shook the foundation of my faith. One reason I do this blog is to find out what I believe in.

Would Jesus have forgiven us today? We have atheists and other religions that laugh and still try to humiliate Jesus and all he stands for. Our morality would put the Romans and Jews to shame. At least they had a certain amount of morality. In today’s world, it is everything goes, as long as your not caught. The big question is would Jesus forgive us today? I believe that he would. His love for us knows no bounds. Lets face it; it is nice knowing that we can be forgiven if we ask for it. I definitely hope that Jesus will forgive all my sins.

But as I said, can we be forgiven if we refuse to forgive people that does wrong to us?