Luk. 23:34 ... "But Jesus was saying, 'Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are
doing.' And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves."
As Jesus was addressing the crowds in the Temple, He made this statement regarding the religious leaders, "Therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things, and do not do them," (Mat. 23:3). To a degree this can be said of any human teacher. Because we all are fallible, at least a part of what we do involves sin due to bad judgment, making that part of our conduct no model for anyone to copy. Jesus has been the only teacher in the world who could say, "Do as I say and as I do!" For only He was perfect both in His teaching and in the personal performance thereof.
Of the many things Jesus taught prior to the crucifixion, one was this: "Love your enemies; do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you; pray for those who mistreat you," (Luk. 6:27-28). He also taught us to "forgive, if you have anything against anyone," (Mrk. 11:25). When Jesus hung on the cross, He was there because people were malicious and vicious toward Him. They hated Him, and for a long time had planned to destroy Him. The way they treated Him when they arrested, tried, and executed Him literally defines the ultimate meaning of the phrase, "despitefully use you and persecute you," (Mat. 5:44 KJV). While He suffered the dreadful pain of the crucifixion, He was cursed by onlookers, (Mat. 27:39-44), as well as even one of the malefactors being crucified beside Him, (Luk. 23:39).
Through excruciating agony Jesus looked back at His tormentors and faithfully practiced what He Himself had taught. He interceded for them with a prayer, "Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." What He meant was, they did not realize the full significance of what they were doing. They did not know enough to perceive their deeds to be sin; hence Jesus' prayer for their pardon. What they failed to see was that they had delivered themselves into Satan's hands to serve as his tools in the supremely evil scheme to destroy the Son of God. God answered His Son's prayer in Acts 2 when at least some of these people repented after hearing Peter's sermon and submitted to baptism for the remission of their sins. The very blood which they caused to be shed on Calvary washed away the sin of their deed in the water of baptism on Pentecost.
One of the most difficult challenges we face is following Jesus in this respect. Not infrequently we are offended by people who abuse us because we are Christians, making us the direct objects of their malice and viciousness. In our human weakness we are strongly tempted to respond in kind, or perhaps add a little extra in retaliation for good measure. Then we try to defend and rationalize our action with long, intricate explanations. This must greatly sadden the Father and Son in heaven as they look down upon us. Jesus wants us to listen carefully to what He taught about forgiving our adversaries and defeating the temptation to lash back against them. Furthermore, He wants us to observe how He adhered in practice to His own instruction as He was suffering persecution far greater than we ever will. When we are influenced by His word and conduct to return good for evil, to forgive opponents that are hard and cruel, and to pray for them, then Jesus is surely moved with pleasure and satisfaction in heaven. If we follow the right course, He will cause bad situations to improve in the course of time. Provocation will not last forever, and those who provoke can be transformed into friends and sometimes even into brethren in the Lord. When a storm of trouble breaks over us, we should look toward the sunshine afterward. To act foolishly in times of trouble will only increase the severity of the storm and prolong it.
