Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do

 

 There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death.  And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.  Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."  And they divided His garments and cast lots.  And the people stood looking on.  But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God."  The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, and saying, "If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself."  And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew:

THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us."   But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?  And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong."  Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom."  And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."

 

- Luke 23:32–43 

 

Yesterday we read that, as they led Jesus away to His crucifixion, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.  And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him.  But Jesus, turning to them, said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.  For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!'  Then they will begin 'to say to the mountains, "Fall on us!" and to the hills, "Cover us!" '  For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?"

 

There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death.  And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.  Calvary literally means "the skull."  My study Bible comments that being crucified between the two criminals shows Christ's complete identity with fallen humanity, and fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah 53:9-12.

 

 Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."  And they divided His garments and cast lots.  My study Bible says that this intercession is not only for those who sentenced and crucified Jesus, but for all of humanity -- a people who have no insight into the profound mystery of God's salvation.  He speaks these words not as a request, but with His divine authority.  So, therefore, my study Bible adds that their great sin would still have been forgiven the had they repented.  Notably, of course, one of the soldiers did repent (see verse 47) and he is considered a saint of the Church.  

 

 And the people stood looking on.  But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God."  The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, and saying, "If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself."   My study Bible notes that the repeated expression to "Save Yourself" is the continuing temptation of Satan to deter Jesus from completing His mission (see Luke 4:9-13).  

 

 And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew:  THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.  According to my study Bible, this inscription was intended as an accusation and a mockery.  Instead it became a triumphant symbol that all nations would come under the reign of Jesus the King.  

 

 Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us."   But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?  And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong."  Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom."  And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."  My study Bible explains that the first of the criminals wanted to use Jesus to avoid responsibility for his actions, while the other accepts his sentence and asks simply to be remembered.  This latter way is the path to Paradise.  Jesus says, "Today you will be with Me in Paradise."  My study Bible comments that to be reconciled to Christ is to be in paradise immediately.  Moreover, the souls of the departed as in the presence of God and experience a foretaste of His glory before the final resurrection. 

 

 What is forgiveness?  What is a sin that is too great to forgive?  My study Bible explains Jesus' words as given in divine authority, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."  In so doing, it notes that, while Christ's forgiveness is thereby extended to all and for all, it is nevertheless necessary that human beings repent in order to realize that forgiveness.  This is crucial to our understanding of our faith, for it forms the crux of Christ's very mission into our world as the human Jesus, the purpose for His death on the Cross, His Resurrection, and all the things on which our hinges our worship and faith.  Christ's forgiveness is extended to all, but nevertheless repentance is the way by which we are able to realize that forgiveness.  We ourselves -- like the repentant thief on the cross -- need to come to terms with the truth of our own errors and where and who we are in order to realize that forgiveness and find our way to Christ.  Our faith life is a question of returning to Him and His way for us, finding our way to be with Him in Paradise, as Jesus tells the repentant criminal.  For how could we be with Christ in Paradise if we're not prepared to recognize the things that keep us out -- our own sins and behavior?  How could we be with Christ in Paradise if we're not prepared to accept the reality of this authority, and to live the life in Paradise and compatible with its reality?  Forgiveness, in this understanding, is not merely a kind of blanket excuse for everything.  It's not stating that people have done nothing wrong, or committed no error or sin.  It's quite the opposite; it's an acknowledgement of the error and of the sin, but it is willing pardon for the effects of that sin, if there is repentance.  It is God's willing love for each of us to be where He is, to live that blessed life of Paradise, if we but make the choice to follow Him and to accept that forgiveness.  It is a declaration of His love, just as Christ's very life in this world is a declaration of that love:  "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved" (John 3:16-17).  Christ's parable of the Prodigal Son, found only in St. Luke's Gospel (Luke 15:11-32), teaches us this same understanding of repentance and forgiveness.  In that parable, the father of the Prodigal has always loved his son, has always desired his return.  But it's not until the son "came to himself" that he realized that life was so much better with his father, even for the lowest hired servants, than the life he had found by squandering his inheritance.  When he returns he tells his father he's not worthy to be called his son, and asks simply to be made a hired servant.  But instead his father runs to meet him, and calls for a banquet to rejoice "for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found" (Luke 15:24).  This is Christ's forgiveness, given to us all from the Cross, and with authority, so that each of us may come to Him and find ourselves, not as strangers but as sons of the Kingdom.  Let us open our eyes to His grace.  While many if not most of us are not guilty of such terrible sins, to repent is not merely to renounce a specific sin.  We turn to God for the things we "know not" -- the way God would lead us forward to Him and toward Paradise.  For this is repentance, or "change of mind" as the word literally means in Greek.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us, "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48).  This is an ongoing, eternal, and infinite process.  Let us follow Him.

 

 

 

 

Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise

 

 There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death.  And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.  Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."  And they divided His garments and cast lots. 

 

And the people stood looking on.  But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God."  The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, and saying, "If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself."  

 

And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew:

THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

 Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us."  But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?  And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong."  Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom."  And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."

 

- Luke 23:32-43 

 

Yesterday we read that as they led Jesus away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.  And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him.  But Jesus, turning to them, said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and your children.  For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!'  Then they will begin 'to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us!' and to the hills, 'Cover us!'  For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?"  

 

 There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death.  And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.   The English word Calvary comes from the Latin for "skull."  In the Greek of the text this word is Κρανίον/Kranion, meaning "the skull."    My study Bible comments that being crucified between the two criminals shows Christ's complete identity with fallen humanity, and it fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah 53:9-12.  

Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."   And they divided His garments and cast lots.  My study Bible says that this intercession is not only for those who sentenced and crucified Jesus, but for all of humanity -- a people who have no insight into the profound mystery of God's salvation.  Jesus speaks these words not as a request, but with divine authority.  My study Bible adds that their great sin would still have been forgiven them had they repented.  Indeed, we know that one of the soldiers did indeed repent (Luke 23:47), and is considered to be a saint of the Church.  

And the people stood looking on.  But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God."  The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, and saying, "If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself."   The taunt to "save Yourself" is, according to my study Bible, the continuing temptation of Satan to deter Jesus from completing His mission (see Luke 4:9-13).  

 

And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew:  THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.  In this inscription, my study Bible says, what was intended as an accusation and a mockery became instead a triumphant symbol that all nations would come under the reign of Jesus the King.

Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us."  But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?  And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong."  Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom."  And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."  My study Bible explains that the first of the criminals wanted to use Jesus to avoid responsibility for his actions, while the other accepts his sentence and asks simply to be remembered.  This latter way is the path to Paradise.  Jesus tells him that "today you will be with Me in Paradise."  My study Bible comments on Jesus' use of "today" that to be reconciled to Christ is to be in paradise immediately.  Moreover, it adds, the souls of the departed are in the presence of God and experience a foretaste of God's glory before the final resurrection.  

I am intrigued and drawn to Christ's final words here, addressed to the penitent thief:  "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."  How many of us would love to hear those words?  Is this not an invitation devoutly to be wished?  Even if we were not close to death in this world, would we not wish to be with Christ in Paradise?  The word for Paradise (Παραδείσος/Paradisos) comes from an ancient Persian (or perhaps Armenian) word, which, according to Strong's definitions, means an enclosure or garden or park.  Ancient Paradise (the one in which Adam and Eve were first dwelling), some say, was a garden upon a mountain (see Ezekiel 28:13-14, "You were on the holy mountain of God").  As such, it was closer to heaven; in this sense of Paradise, somewhere between the earth we know and heaven.  So why would we not wish to be in this beautiful place, and with Jesus, and surrounded by God's love and beauty?  And yet, we live in a world of exile from that place, and tainted by the things that are against love, against the presence and truths of God.  And so, we need to think about this a little bit, because that promise, "You will be with Me in Paradise," is one that is, in a sense, given to all of us.  There can be no doubt that Christ would like to be able to say this to each of us.  Those of us with loved ones no longer in this world no doubt would love to be in that same Paradise where the cares and sins of the world are away from us, and we could live in harmony with those whom we love, perhaps even with those with whom we've had bad experiences.  For this kind of peace must fill a Paradise where Christ is.  But we have to think to ourselves that if Christ came to this world, and took on the nature and life of human beings, even condescending to be numbered among the transgressors, crucified as a criminal between two thieves, on a hill that is the opposite of the holy mountain of Paradise, then these words have to mean something more to us than one promise to one man who has repented.  These words are meant for each of us to whom they are a beautiful promise, for Christ gives us His kingdom, too, and His presence and the Spirit, and His angels, while we are yet still in this world, in exile from Paradise.  Christ asks us to take up His Cross -- the one through which He has defeated death -- and make for ourselves the paradise that we can where we live.  He asks us to live and dwell within His paradise on earth:  the Kingdom we can carry within and amongst ourselves through faith and following His word and His teachings.  We are to love one another, to reflect beauty and His truth.  We are to create by allowing the energies of grace to work through us and cooperating with them, through our own ongoing repentance and transformation in that grace, and by growing in the virtues that God's love and mercy would teach and grow in us (Galatians 5:22-23).  We have walked through Jesus' ministry as we've gone through the Gospel of Luke, and witnessed the struggle for this world, which continues.  But we are those who may yet live with Him through His presence with us, through the grace and mercy we receive and may therefore share with one another, through the beauty we may create through the understanding of God's love.  We might not be on that holy mountain, or in the Paradise Christ opens to the thief, but it seems that our job in this world is to live that paradise here through the gifts we are given, even as we live amidst a world filled with problems and spiritual struggle.  In the 23rd Psalm we may pray with the ancient author that although we "walk through the valley of the shadow of death" our Shepherd walks with us, comforts us, guides us, and provides for us.  For He rules among His enemies here (Psalm 110), even the "shadow of death" that remains.  And yet, we look to the promise of our places in His Paradise (John 14:2-3), even as we are meant to dwell in the holiness He gives us here.  Today we read of an inscription meant to mock, but Christ remains our King, here and in the Paradise He promises.  But it is here we're meant to build and dwell in His Kingdom.

 

 

And as many as touched Him were made well

 

 Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land.  Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them.  Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.  And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were troubled.  But immediately He talked with them and said to them, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased.  And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled.  For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.  

When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there.  And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was.  Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched Him were made well. 

 

- Mark 6:47-56 

 

Yesterday we read that the apostles, having returned from their first apostolic mission, gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.  And He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while."  For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.  So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.  But the multitudes saw them departing and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities.  They arrived before them and came together to Him.  And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd.  So He began to teach them many things.  When the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, "This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late.  Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat."  But He answered and said to them, "You give them something to eat."  And they said to Him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?"  But He said to them, "How many loaves do you have?  Go and see."  And when they found out they said, "Five, and two fish."  Then He commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass.  So they sat down in ranks, in hundreds and in fifties.  And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all.  So they all ate and were filled.  And they took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish.  Now those who had eaten the loaves were about five thousand men.  Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away.  And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray.

 

  Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land.  Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them.  Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.  And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were troubled.  But immediately He talked with them and said to them, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased. My study Bible notes that this is the second time Christ permits His disciples to be caught in a storm (see also this reading from chapter 4, for the storm that occurred on their way to the country of the Gadarenes).  That first time, He was with them, asleep in the stern of the boat.  This time, Jesus has remained behind, and was praying on the mountain (see yesterday's reading, above), while He sent the disciples back across the Sea of Galilee, alone.  My study Bible comments that in this way, Christ strengthens their faith that He will always be with them in the midst of the storms of life.  It is I is literally translated "I Am," which is the divine Name of God (see John 8:58, Exodus 3:14).  In this statement, my study Bible asserts, Christ is reminding His fearful disciples of His absolute and divine authority over their lives.  The fourth watch of the night is approximately three o'clock in the morning.

And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled.  For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.  My study Bible comments that knowing Christ is a matter of the heart, not simply of the intellect.  When our hearts are illumined by faith in God, they are open to receive His presence and grace.  Let us think carefully about the word "faith."  In the Greek of the New Testament, it is a word that means "trust."  We therefore trust in Christ with our hearts, and this is akin to love, a loving relationship with one who has our best interest in heart.  In the ascetic writings of the Church, my study Bible reminds us, the heart is known as "the seat of knowledge."

 

 When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there.  And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was.  Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched Him were made well. My study Bible comments here that Christ permits miracles through touch to show that His very body is life-giving.  See also the woman with the years-long flow of blood, who touched His garment in faith in Mark 5:25-29.

If we take a look at this term, the land of Gennesaret, the name significantly tells us something which can relate to the text.  In Christ's time, this was an exceptionally fertile plain, producing a great variety of crops for consumption and also wild trees and flowers.  According to the Encyclopedia of the Bible, rabbinical tradition spoke of this plain as "the garden of God: and a "paradise."  Moreover, the first syllable of Gennesaret likely comes from a word that means "gardens," with a name attached.  Some suggest its Hebrew roots may mean "princely gardens."  Whatever the correct etymology of this word, it seems likely that this tremendous flowering of Christ's ministry that happens here gives us a picture of the "garden" of Christ, our Lord.  Because of the great power of His work to heal that is on display, especially because of the faith of those who run to Him, we view the fullness of what His salvation is and means.  Earlier, Jesus spoke of Himself to the Pharisees as a Physician (see this reading from chapter 2).  When confronted by them as to why He sat at table with sinners and tax collectors, He simply replied, ""Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."   Therefore we are to understand that Christ's identity and Physician, and this work of healing -- on all levels -- is central to the understanding of salvation, of the very meaning and purpose of the Incarnation.  If all of this healing takes place in this "princely garden" of God, a sort of paradise on earth, then we are to think of our faith and the work of Christ -- indeed the work of grace through the Holy Spirit -- as that which is healing.  Repentance also is central to this work, because repentance is necessary for change and forward movement in the direction of God.  The New Testament Greek word translated as "repentance" literally means "change of mind," and this change of mind that happens through the help of grace and the work of God, and needs our assent and faith, is a healing work.  It is a healing that affects the soul and all the part of who we are in turn, on all levels.  We read the quotation Jesus gives from Isaiah, when He explains to the disciples why He speaks in parables, and it tells us, "Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and return and be healed" (Isaiah 6:10, referenced in Matthew 13:14-16).  Our growth in faith, our deepening reconciliation to God through this work of transformation and grace, is indeed the work of healing.  Ultimately it is our souls and spirits which are healed, but this in turn affects body, mind, emotions, and the fullness of life.  For if we are healed in faith, we rest in a kind of love and security that feeds everything else, and we receive the kind of internal healing that knits us together where we are broken, surpassing what a normal physician can do for us.  There is no doubt, in terms of scientific and medical literature, what the effects of stresses are in our lives, and faith goes directly to this level of the heart, the center of our being.  For, as my study Bible points out and the ancient tradition of the Church tells us, the heart is a matter of much more than simply an intellectual decision.  It is a place of noetic discernment and understanding, a deep center within us that links us to the grace of God.  Let us consider the importance of trust and of all of its implications.  When we read about this place of "paradise" and "princely gardens" we should remember in whose garden we wish to be, the great Physician who has what we need for our deepest ailments.   In yesterday's reading, foretelling of the Eucharist, Jesus fed five thousand men -- and more women and children -- in a deserted place, multiplying meager resources.  Let us consider that He us in ways He deems necessary for ongoing healing and growth, nurturing all that we are -- especially the way we experience and see ourselves in this world.  In times which document growing rates of anxiety and depression, the way we find healing is most important, and can have the greatest impact on our lives.

Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise

There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death.  And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.  Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."  And they divided His garments and cast lots.  And the people stood looking on.  But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God."  The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, and saying, "If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself."  And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew:

THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us."  But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?  And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong."  Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom."  And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."

- Luke 23:32-43

Yesterday we read that as they led Jesus away to be crucified, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.  And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him.  But Jesus, turning to them, said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.  For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!'   Then they will begin 'to say to the mountains, "Fall on us!" and to the hills, "Cover us!" '  For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?"

 There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death.  And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.  Calvary is from Latin, and literally means "the Skull" (in the Greek Kranion, a translation of Hebrew Golgotha).  My study bible says that being crucified between the two criminals shows Christ's complete identity with fallen humanity and fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah 53:9-12.

Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."  My study bible tells us that this intercession isn't simply for those who sentenced and crucified Jesus, but for all of humanity; that is, for a people who have no insight into the profound mystery of God's salvation.  Jesus speaks these words, it says, not as a request, but rather with divine authority.    My study bible adds that their great sin would still have been forgiven them had they repented.   We know that one of the soldiers did repent (verse 47) and that he is considered to be a saint of the Church.

And they divided His garments and cast lots.  And the people stood looking on.  But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God."  The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, and saying, "If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself."  Save Yourself is, according to my study bible, yet another of the continuing temptation of Satan to deter Jesus from completing His mission (see 4:9-13). 

And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew:  THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.    My study bible notes here that what was intended as an accusation and a mockery became instead a triumphant symbol that all nations would come under the reign of Jesus the King.

Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us."  But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?  And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong."  Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom."  And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."   My study bible tells us that the first of the criminals wanted to use Jesus in order to avoid responsibility for his actions.  But the other accepts his sentence and asks only to be remembered.  This is the way to Paradise.   Jesus says that today he will be with Him in Paradise.  To be reconciled to Christ is to immediately be in a place where our sin is let go or forgiven, "in Paradise" (as in the state of our earliest ancestors, in Eden).  Moreover, my study bible adds, the souls of the departed are in the presence of God and experience a foretaste of God's glory before the final resurrection.

Jesus prays, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."  Certainly we can understand that the soldiers who crucify Christ at that moment have no idea of the Scriptures and their fulfillment, who and what the Messiah is, who and what Christ is, and no preparation in terms of the understanding of Jewish spiritual history.  But righteousness is something meaningful in all cultures, and the centurion's pronouncement that "certainly this was a righteous Man!" becomes clear to him in the presence of Jesus.  But in the bigger picture, upon which my study bible focuses, it is also true for all humanity, in the sense in which my study bible puts it -- Christ speaks for a people who have no insight into the profound mystery of God's salvation.  To some extent, that remains true for each of us, since such a mystery is infinite, and we can always continue more deeply into God's salvation through the journey of our faith.  We look also to St. Stephen, the first martyr, who prayed as he was stoned, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."  Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin," just before he passed (Acts 7:57-60).  Forgiveness is a tricky subject; but even as He is dying, Christ forgives.  Forgiveness does not mean God's own justice does not prevail.   It does not mean there is no judgment.  But it does mean that we place all things in the hands of God.  It is a way of giving up our own impulses for vengeance to our faith in God's justice instead.  After all, it is only God who really understands the extent to which people "know not what they do."  Therefore, it is truly only God who can judge.  The story of the Crucifixion does not teach us that there is no injustice in the world, nor that we will not suffer injustice -- quite the opposite, in fact.  But it does teach us that there is a higher justice that is at work.  Christ going first before all of us gives us a sense that our lives are to be lived in the light of God's justice, even when we suffer injustice.  There is a judgment that will come, but it is a much greater and larger reality in which we seek to participate through faith than we understand in the immediate circumstances of our lives.  And yet, each is precious to God, even Christ's fellow thief on the cross, who is promised that he will be with Him in His kingdom, even today.  Let us also remember Christ's prophecy about what is to come in Jerusalem.  In a very real sense, there are ways in which our choices work out in our own lives -- for the most part, we should be glad of this, because it means we have a chance to revisit and change our minds (the literal meaning of the word for "repent" in Greek).  But Christ's entire mission -- even here on the Cross -- is for the salvation of all, of each.  It is not vengeance nor punishment He seeks for all of us, even those who harmed Him, but salvation; that is, the capacity to be truly healed (see Matthew 13:15, in which Jesus quotes from Isaiah 6:10).  Let us consider our own very real hurts and injustices in the light of Christ.  What if we gave up each of them to God, asking only for our own salvation and healing, and considering that we, too, like the thief, wish most of all for a place with Him in His kingdom, even today, here and now?  Would that not be good for our own lives, our perspectives, our forward-looking road of faith?  Let us consider how we fit into that bigger picture in light of the example He sets, and how He sets us each free to live our lives to the full, despite the hurts and harm of the past.

THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS

 There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death.  And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.  Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."  And they divided His garments and cast lots.  And the people stood looking on.  But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God."  The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, and saying, "If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself."   And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew:

THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS

Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us."  But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?  And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong."  Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom."  And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."

- Luke 23:32-43

Yesterday we read that as they led Jesus away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.  And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him.  But Jesus, turning to them, said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.  For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!'  Then they will begin 'to say to the mountains, "Fall on us!" and to the hills, "Cover us!"'  For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?"

 There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death.  And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.   Calvary in the Greek is Κρανίον, which literally means "the skull."    It indicates what sort of a place this is.  My study bible says that being crucified between the two criminals shows Christ's complete identity with fallen humanity, and fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah 53:9-12.

Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."  And they divided His garments and cast lots.  My study bible notes that this intercession isn't just for those who sentenced and crucified Jesus.  It is for all of humanity, for a people who have no insight into the profound mystery of God's salvation.  These words are spoken not as a request, but rather with divine authority.  What it indicates is that their great sin would still have been forgiven them if they had repented.  One of these soldiers did do so (verse 47), and is considered saint of the Church.

And the people stood looking on.  But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God."  The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, and saying, "If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself."   "Save Yourself" is a continuing temptation of Satan to deter Jesus from completing His mission.  We hear the echoes from the first, just as He began His ministry (4:9-13).

And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew:  THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.  My study bible says of this inscription that what was intended as an accusation and a mockery became instead a triumphant symbol that all nations would come under the reign of Jesus the King.

Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us."  But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?  And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong."  Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom."  And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."  There is a kind of teaching here.  The first of the criminals wants to use Christ to avoid responsibility for his actions.  But the other accepts his sentence and asks simply to be remembered.  Like the tax collector in the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, this latter way is the path to Paradise.  Jesus tells him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."  My study bible notes that to be reconciled to Christ is to be in paradise immediately.  Moreover, the souls of the departed are in the presence of God and experience a foretaste of His glory before the final resurrection.

Even at His Crucifixion, Christ continues to teach us, and to teach those around Him.  The example of the second criminal is one more time in which Christ ministers to others.  He does not relinquish truth, but upholds it.  He battles temptation on the Cross, both from the rulers together with the people, and from the soldiers.  It is perhaps the most telling lesson that He prays for forgiveness, because forgiveness is something that we always need to understand, it seems to me.  To forgive, in the Gospels, is to release, to take away, to let go.  Reconciliation, however, is another word.  These are two different things.  Forgiveness is extended, but as my study bible points out, reconciliation depends also on repentance.  Too often we seem to assume that repentance is unnecessary for reconciliation, and we also confuse reconciliation with forgiveness.  It is entirely possible to forgive and yet not be fully reconciled within the fullness of relationship with someone.  A childhood abuser, perhaps to take an extreme example, can be forgiven with the help of God, but this does not imply that one must enter into full relationship with such a person.  Work is necessary for relationships, whether we are speaking of marriage or any other type of relationship in life.  Abuse breaks relationships.  Forgiveness means we put the relationship -- and our righteous conduct -- in the hands of God.  We "release" to God and ask for God to teach us and guide us in righteous behavior and right-relatedness, regardless of our own sin or of those who may have sinned against us.  But reconciliation is another goal, another road, something that requires discernment and work, just as forgiveness requires work on our part in the first place.  We cannot be responsible for the sins committed against us, but we are fully responsible for our own conduct.  (Let us remember that Christ Himself uses the example of name-calling, definitely provocative behavior, and calls it akin to murder in Matthew 5:22.)  We ask God to guide us, and we have this tremendous example of Christ -- Who, even on the Cross, treats all with righteousness, and responds to everything with righteousness, both temptation and repentance.  He remains our example in all things.  His prayer for forgiveness is not a blanket excuse for all; He remains the One who taught that "truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!"  Repentance remains a great key to the mystery of full reconciliation, while forgiveness is the one tool we have by which to let go of what harms and ails and put it in the hands of God.  May we all be given the grace of discernment, and strive more to be like Him, and follow His example.