“Forgive Them”
As they led him away, they seized a
man, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming from the
country, and they laid the cross on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus. A
great number of the people followed him, and among them were women who were beating
their breasts and wailing for him. But Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of
Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.
For the days are surely coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and
the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ Then they will
begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us’; and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ For
if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
Two others also, who were criminals,
were led away to be put to death with him. When they
came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the
criminals, one on his right and one on his left. Then Jesus said, “Father,
forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots to
divide his clothing.
Christ had great compassion for us,
and still does. He showed that compassion on the cross, acknowledging that we
do not know what we are doing. That will always be true unless we accept Jesus
as our Savior. Revenge and bitterness will never be healing responses to the
hatred and rage of a lost world. But the compassion of Christ is a healing
response now, as it was then.
Compassion is
needed to heal the hurts and hearts of others.
Our Daily
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