“Father,
Forgive Them”
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.
And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, “He
saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen
one!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, and
saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” There was also an
inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”
One of
the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, “Are you not
the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him saying, “Do you
not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we
indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our
deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me
when you come into your kingdom.” He replied, “Truly I
tell you, today you will be with me in
Luke 23:33-43
Think
about Jesus on the cross. He could have ignored those on either side of him.
But He took the time and told one of the men that he would be with Him in
Even in
the agony of His own suffering, Jesus reached out to a dying man everyone else
regarded as beyond help. The man was a criminal, condemned to die, and only
hours from entering eternity. In that moment, Jesus responded to him.
Do you
know someone who seems beyond help today? Perhaps you think you are without hope. The God of the
Bible specializes in giving help to those regarded as so old, so guilty, or so
weak as to be beyond help.
God’s strength
is
best seen
in
our weakness.
Our Daily Bread - January 12, 2009