Everyone receives forgiveness from the father through Jesus Christ. But surely, the ones who hammered the spikes through our Lords hands and feet and hoisted him in the air to bleed and to suffocate are guilty, more guilty than most. Surely the ones, whose hands were responsible for taking the life of the incarnate God on earth, deserved eternal punishment!
When innocent life is taken, even the most ardent opponents of capital punishment soften their position. When the slayers of innocence live after their victims have suffered and died, there is something in us that screams for justice!
Columbine, Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook, these are places now infamous for senseless loss of life. In all three cases the murderers took their own lives, and there is an on easy sense of finality in that. But then there was the Oklahoma City bombing. Timothy McVeigh did an unspeakable thing. He was caught. She was executed.
In November 2009 major Nidal Hasan killed 13 people at Fort Hood in Texas. Hasan was paralyzed from the waist down in an exchange of gunfire with police. Hasan lives, and has not yet been convicted. His trial is in May. There is no innocence in these men.
Everyone receives forgiveness from the father through Jesus Christ, even these men who have taken lives. We believe that if they repent and find faith in Jesus Christ, they too will receive forgiveness.
Jesus faced his accusers and said very little. Jesus was put on mock trial and did nothing to stop it. Jesus was led to Golgotha to face his own death and he offered little resistance. When Jesus came face to face with the men that would take his life he loved them. He said, "father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing." They weren't asking for forgiveness, there is no evidence that they even felt remorse for what they were doing but this was Jesus plan and Jesus did not not come to judge, he did not come to condemn. Jesus came to save.
It is difficult enough, to face our own mortality, to face our own death with courage. But to face our own death when it is to come at the hand of another human being is another thing. If I look at you and I know you intend to do me mortal harm, my instincts are not leading me to love. My human nature is leading me to self-preservation. I will fight. I will do all in my power to stop you. God's plan for us is to live! God's plan is that we have on to life; God has offered us eternal life in Jesus name. His plan for us is to find life in him. Jesus preserves our life. Jesus offers hope, so that we don't have two worry about our lives.
To make that happen, Jesus came to give his life. Jesus could have saved his own life at any point. So when he came to the place where he was to die he looked at his executioners with compassion, because surely he knew that the ones who would be responsible for taking the life of the incarnate God would be guilty of eternal sin. They were part of Jesus plan. Would Jesus have them condemned for fulfilling his own will? Surely not!
So he said, "father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing."
Father forgive us for we do not know what we are doing! Jesus was complicit in his own death because it leads to our eternal life. But what are we complicit with that leads to our death that is profitable to no one? The way of death is this: it is the way of persecutors of the good, haters of the truth, lovers of falsehood; see that no one leads you astray. When we let sin in our life we are being complicit in our own death to the benefit of no one. Jesus offered his life for us. It was the perfect gift because it was complete. Everyone who trusts in Jesus receives forgiveness from the father.
Lest we forget Jesus mission let me remind you what the apostle John wrote in his gospel, "for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Remember: everyone, everyone, everyone is deserving of God's forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Let's be about being people who remind the world of that fact. Amen.
