“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing”

Luke 23:24

When I think of last words, I often think back to the last conversation I had with my Dad. He called on the night before his death and I tear up just a little thinking about the goodness of God to allow that exchange of words and encouragement at just the right time.

The last words of Christ are recorded by each of the Gospel writers and today let’s consider the passage from Luke above.

It appears no one else on earth recognized what was truly happening at the Crucifixion. The thieves on each side of Jesus ridiculed him. The religious leaders were on hand to witness the humiliation of the Messiah and the Roman soldiers were busy determining who would get the garments of Jesus.

Looking at the scene around Him, Jesus breathes a simple prayer that has been recorded for history.

Jesus “came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10) and He continued on His mission by forgiving the very people who were taking some amount of joy in ending His life.

This week I heard the story of two brothers (twins) who were participating in a track and field meet when one of the brothers was stabbed by another athlete and died on the field. The father spoke to the media saying he was able to forgive the attacker –

“I don’t know. I know they have someone in custody. And you know what, I already forgive this person. God takes care of things. God’s going to take care of me. God’s going to take care of my family.”

While on the cross, Christ was sure of His mission and continued to forgive to the very end. How about us?