Father Forgive Them

Jesus must have been so hurt and angry at the people who delivered Him to the cross, the ones who beat Him, the ones who put that crown upon His head, the ones who nailed Him to the cross, the ones who looked on with delight in their eyes. All the while, claiming that it was in God's name. But His response was so beautiful. He looked down at them in the midst of His agony  and said, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." Everything Jesus did was for us, and if we can really grasp that, then we understand the true meaning of forgiveness. We can take a cue from Jesus when we are wronged or mistreated or falsely accused. God says anger is okay. The Bible speaks often of God's anger. Psalms tells us to be angry but do not sin.  Yet if we can say of those who have hurt us so deeply, Father forgive them, for they know not what they do; then we truly understand what it is to be forgiven. We get why Jesus came to this earth lived and died. We understand that His death was not the end, but the beginning of everything! On this Easter be thankful for what God has done for each and every one of us! Remember that we have been forgiven of the unforgivable,  that God's anger is always more righteous than anything we have to be angry about. God's grace is more than we could ever deserve. We need to give grace to those who have hurt us. It is human nature to want to take vengeance. The Bible says, "Vengeance is Mine, says the Lord." And there are times when we want God to take His vengeance. But if we can look to the cross and instead say, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." Then we can truly know God's peace. We are forgiven. We are given the means to come into God's presence. That is true freedom. That is true Love! That is the fullness and meaning of true Joy! That is true peace! Take it, it is freely given. God paid a great price for us! Happy Resurrection Day!