Tag: CROSS

Did Jesus Immediately Forgive Everybody at the Cross?

QUESTION: “Did Jesus immediately forgive those who were crucifying Him when He said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Lk. 23:34)?”

Let’s carefully study your Bible question together. NOTE:  

Luke 23:34 was a PETITION–not a DECLARATION, but when Jesus forgave people during His earthly ministry, He did not petition, rather He declared:

. The Paralytic man–“Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.” Mat. 9:2

. The woman in the Pharisee’s house–“Your sins are forgiven.” Lk. 7:48

When the Lord said, “Father, forgive them…” He was asking God to give His executioners the time and opportunity to learn the truth and repent. Instead of calling for their immediate punishment, which they obviously deserved, Jesus sought mercy because a) they didn’t recognize Him as the Messiah, b) they misunderstood the prophecies about Him, and c) they acted in ignorance rather than full knowledge. Watch:

. “Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers.” Acts 3:17; see also 13:27; 17:30

. “Which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, thy would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” 1 Cor. 2:8

. NOTE: Jesus told Pilate: “He who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.” (Jn. 19:11). Judas had greater sin because He betrayed and delivered the Lord to the authorities knowing full well that He was the Son of God (see Mat. 26:14-16; 47-48; 27:3).

If the Jews who killed Jesus were immediately forgive at the cross then:

. They didn’t know it–because fifty days later when Peter preached at Pentecost and reminded them that they had, in fact, crucified the Lord (Acts 2:23, 36), their hearts were pricked and they asked, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (v. 37). There was no reason to ask that question if they had already been forgiven by Jesus several weeks earlier.

. Peter didn’t know it–because he told them, “Repent and let everyone of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the “remission” (Greek–aphesis, “pardon”) of sins…” (v. 38). If they had been immediately forgive back at the cross, why didn’t Peter correct their misunderstanding and say, “There’s nothing for you to do my friends because Jesus declared you forgiven before His death at Calvary?”

Jesus’ petition at the cross was answered in the affirmative by the Father when those who had crucified Him were given the opportunity to have their sins washed away on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 when they obeyed the gospel (Acts 22:16; see also 1 Cor. 15:1-4; 2 Thes. 1:8; 1 Pet. 4:17).

Mike Benson – Dexter church of Christ, Dexter MO

Do You Remember the Tragedy?

Tribute in Light

I HAVE A vivid recollection of that day.

My wife came in the room, turned on the TV set and then spoke in shaken tones. 

She said, “They’ve flown a jet-liner into one of the World Trade Center towers in New York…”

For the next several hours I sat transfixed before the television and watched in horror as the events of 911 unfolded.

wtc3

Twenty–four years after that dreadful day, some Americans, like myself, look back on September 11 with intense emotion.

We recall those gaping wounds in the sides of the towers.

We remember those ill-fated flights and how they were intentionally slammed into the very icons of our nation.

We remember those thick plumes of noxious smoke as they bellowed out of the top of those lofty skyscrapers and into our collective conscience.

We remember our own anxiety and ponder what must have raced through the hearts of fellow-citizens as they contemplated the end of their earthly existence and the brevity of human life.

We remember the internal shock of watching the first, and then the second tower plummet to the ground.

We remember those feelings of helplessness and despair as lower Manhattan was engulfed in ash and debris. 

But may I suggest, dear reader, that there is a far more terrible tragedy that warrants our joint remembrance.

Every first day of the week (Acts 20:7), we need to call to memory (1 Cor. 11:23-26) those horrific events which transpired nearly 2,000 years ago:

  • We need to remember the murderous plot against the innocent Son (Mt. 26:3-4; Heb. 4:15; 7:26).
  • We need to remember the Lord’s internal struggle as He pondered His impending death (Mt. 26:37-39).
  • We need to remember His betrayal at the hands of one of His own disciples (Mt. 26:47-50).
  • We need to remember the ill-informed attempt to thwart His crucifixion (Mt. 26:51-54).
  • We need to remember the disciples’ cowardice and how they fled for their lives when He needed them the most (Mt. 26:56).
  • We need to remember the howls of the angry mob as they shouted, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” (Mk. 15:13-14).
  • We need to remember the incredible injustice of both the Jewish and Roman courts (Mt. 26:57ff).
  • We need to remember Pilate’s timidity before that blood-thirsty crowd (Mt. 27:24-26; Lk. 23:13-25).
  • We need to remember the brutal flogging (i.e., “little death”) at the hands of the Roman lictors (Jn. 19:1).
  • We need to remember Peter’s lying about his association with Jesus (Mt. 26:69-75).
  • We need to remember the slanderous mockery of the soldiers, priests, and thieves (Mt. 27:27ff; 39-44).
  • We need to remember the Lord’s humiliation as He was stripped of His clothing and numbered with lawless, ungodly men (Isa. 53:12; Mt. 27:28; Heb. 12:2).
  • We need to remember that ruthless blow to His head (Mt. 27:30). We need to remember the heavy burden of the cross that was thrust upon His weary shoulders (Mt. 27:32).
  • We need to remember those cruel nails that pierced His hands and feet and how that He was suspended between holy God and sinful man (Jn. 3:14; 12:34).
  • We need to remember the bitter taste of sour wine mingled with gall (Mt. 27:34).
  • We need to remember His desperate cry to His own Father (Mt. 27:46).
  • We need to remember the frightful earthquake that shook the earth the moment the Savior died (Mt. 27:54).
  • Perhaps most importantly, we need to remember that our own sins made this barbaric occasion necessary (1 Pet. 2:24; Isa. 53). 

“Lest I forget Gethsemane, lest I forget Thine agony, lest I forget Thy love for me, lead me to Calvary.”

“Do this in remembrance of Me…” (1 Cor. 11:24, 25).