The words “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” are found in Luke 23:34. This simple but profound statement was made by Jesus Christ as He hung on the cross, ready to give His life as a sacrifice for the sins of humanity.
To understand the meaning and significance of Jesus’ prayer for forgiveness, we must first look at the context. Jesus was being crucified between two criminals, and the crowd that had demanded His death was mocking Him, challenging Him to prove His claims of divinity by coming down from the cross (Luke 23:35-39). Even the two criminals crucified beside Him joined in the taunts initially (Luke 23:39).
Yet amidst the physical agony of crucifixion and the intense scorn being heaped upon Him, Jesus’ thoughts turned to the spiritual state of His tormentors. He looked upon them with divine compassion and prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
This prayer reveals several important truths about Jesus Christ and the meaning of His death on the cross:
1. It demonstrates Christ’s infinite love and mercy
Jesus willingly suffered and died for the sins of the world while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). He took our place of punishment and bore God’s wrath so that we could be forgiven. His prayer while on the cross shows that He was thinking not of Himself but of those who needed God’s forgiveness.
Though Jesus was being horribly mistreated, He responded with grace and compassion, sincerely desiring that His executioners be pardoned by God. This reflects the boundless depth of Christ’s love and mercy toward sinners.
2. It reveals His submission to the Father’s will
When Jesus prayed “Father, forgive them,” He was aligning Himself with the Father’s heart of mercy and love for mankind. Despite the agony of the cross, Jesus submitted Himself to the Father’s plan, which included showing grace to those who deserved judgment (Matthew 26:39).
Christ’s prayer honored the Father even as He hung dying on the cross. It showed that He trusted the Father’s will completely, believing that His sacrificial death would atone for sin and make forgiveness gloriously possible.
3. It shows that sin causes spiritual blindness
In praying for God to forgive those who crucified Him, Jesus stated that “they know not what they do.” This suggests that the people involved in Jesus’ crucifixion were spiritually blind and unaware of the full magnitude of their actions.
Sin has the power to cloud our understanding and keep us from grasping spiritual truth (1 Corinthians 2:14). Jesus pinpointed the root issue when He said they did not know what they were doing. Their minds were darkened by sin.
Christ’s prayer did not minimize their guilt and responsibility. But it identified that a lack of awareness lay at the heart of their horrible deed. They needed spiritual light to replace their blindness.
4. It secured forgiveness for all who would repent and believe
Most profoundly, Christ’s prayer on the cross secured the offer of forgiveness for all who would turn to Him in repentance. Those who nailed Him to the cross had no idea He was the Son of God whose death would provide atonement for sin.
But after His resurrection, many came to see Jesus as their crucified and risen Savior, realizing they played a part in God’s saving plan (Acts 2:22-24, 36-37). As Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost, he urged the people, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38).
The prayer of Jesus from the cross opened the way for forgiveness to be preached in His name to all nations (Luke 24:46-48). All who repent of their sin and ask God for mercy in Christ’s name will be forgiven.
5. It set an example of forgiveness for Christians
As His followers, we are called to have the same attitude of grace, mercy, and forgiveness that Jesus displayed (Ephesians 4:32). His prayer from the cross challenges us to let go of bitterness and seek reconciliation, even with those who have hurt us deeply.
Rather than holding grudges, we are to love our enemies, do good to those who persecute us, and pray for those who mistreat us (Matthew 5:44; Luke 6:27-28). The forgiveness offered to us by Christ provides the motivation to extend forgiveness to others.
When Stephen was martyred as the first Christian after Christ’s ascension, he echoed the Lord’s prayer, pleading, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:60). And so should we when wronged or mistreated.
6. It fulfilled Old Testament prophecy
Christ’s prayer of forgiveness from the cross fulfilled the messianic prophecy of Isaiah 53:12: “He bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.” Even in His anguish, the suffering Servant interceded for sinners.
Isaiah’s prophecy also stated that the coming Messiah would be “numbered with the transgressors” and He was – crucified between two criminals (Isaiah 53:12). Yet He bore the sins of all mankind as God’s spotless Lamb and prayed for their forgiveness.
7. It showed complete trust in God’s sovereignty
As the Son of God dying on the cross, Jesus knew that the horrors He faced were ordained by God. Nothing happened outside of the Father’s sovereign will (Acts 2:23).
When Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them,” He entrusted their eternal state into the Father’s hands. Despite their heinous crime against Him, Jesus rested in God’s sovereignty and looked to Him to dispense either justice or mercy.
Christ’s prayer revealed full confidence that the Father would respond rightly based on His perfect knowledge, wisdom, and justice. Forgiveness was ultimately the Father’s choice.
8. It removed any possible barrier to forgiveness
Humanly speaking, it is incredibly difficult to forgive those who inflict horrific suffering. But Jesus dispelled any notion that the severity of an offense makes forgiveness too hard for God.
Though Jesus faced torture and agonizing death, He prayed for the Father to forgive those responsible. His startling prayer from the cross showed the lengths to which God will go in making forgiveness available to sinners who turn to Him.
Had Christ remained silent, some might wrongly think their sin too great for God to pardon. But His prayer removed any barrier that could hinder the offer of full forgiveness.
9. It expressed total surrender to God’s purposes
Despite the intense suffering Jesus faced on the cross, He prayed for God’s will to be done and His purposes fulfilled. His petition for the Father to forgive His tormentors demonstrated full surrender to the Father’s plan.
Jesus did not demand vengeance. He did not spew anger at His persecutors. Though enduring agonizing injustice at their hands, He trusted the Father to use it for the greater good of redemption (Genesis 50:20).
Christ’s prayer expressed total commitment to seeing God’s redemptive purposes accomplished, even through His own anguish. Forgiveness of sinners lay at the heart of God’s plan of salvation.
10. It removed condemnation from those who caused His death
Sin brings God’s condemnation and judgment (Romans 6:23). When Jesus prayed for God to forgive those responsible for His crucifixion, He prayed for their condemnation to be removed through the forgiveness of their sins.
The devastating guilt of killing the Son of God would haunt many unless they found redemption through Christ. By praying as He did, Jesus effectively neutralized this sin’s power to condemn His killers if they repented and believed the Gospel.
Christ’s prayer positioned God to pardon even those who committed the reprehensible sin of crucifying the Lord of glory. The blood that flowed from Jesus’ wounds would cleanse even them from sin.
The simple prayer uttered by Christ just before His death has profound implications. It reveals His merciful and loving heart toward sinners, even in His own moment of immense suffering. It also set the stage for forgiveness to be boldly offered in His name to all people in all nations.
May Christ’s dying prayer and supreme sacrifice move us to pray for, love, and share the message of forgiveness with even those who persecute and hurt us. For Christ shows that no one is beyond the reach of God’s pardoning grace if they will humble themselves and believe.