Читать книгу The Last Words from the Cross - William Powell Tuck - Страница 9

CHAPTER 1

A Prayer of Forgiveness

LUKE 23:26-34

Quietness had settled over the room. The family moved closer to the bed of the dying father. They could tell that he was trying to say something, and one of the sons in the family leaned over his father. He put his ear to his father’s mouth and listened. He heard his father say with his last breath: “I love you.” Then his father was gone.

Many persons have tried to capture the last words of famous, distinguished individuals or loved ones. Persons in their last few moments before they died, if they have had enough consciousness to express themselves, have sometimes spoken of seeing light, a tunnel, the presence of a loved one who had died earlier, or angels. Some have acknowledged fear or a sense of peace. Yes, we have often wanted to know what the last words were which a person said before he or she died. In the Bible, there is a record of only a few individuals whose last words are recorded before they died. These four individuals are Jacob, Moses, Stephen, the first Christian martyr, and Jesus. Our attention here focuses on the last words of Jesus.

The Journey to the Crucifixion

Picture in your mind the background setting that led to Jesus’ crucifixion. Jesus had just finished praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. He walked out of the garden and was immediately arrested by the soldiers of the high priest. He went through several mock trials before Pilate, Herod, and the high priest. He suffered the awful scourging where his flesh was literally ripped from his naked back by the whip which contained pieces of bone or iron. In his weakened condition following this scourging, Jesus was forced to bear his cross to the Place of the Skull.

While he was en route to the place of crucifixion, the crowd of people taunted him along the way and he fell under the weight of the crossbeam. A stranger, Simon of Cyrene, was forced to bear his cross to the place of execution. Mark notes that Simon’s sons are Rufus and Alexander (Mark 15:21). These two men must have been known to the readers and likely had become outstanding Christians. Simon, who had met Jesus by chance on the way to his crucifixion obviously had had his life changed by that encounter. His sons were likely converted later and became such distinguished members of the early church that, when Mark writes about this experience and mentions their names, he thinks that his readers will recognize their names immediately.

Jesus finally arrived at the Place of the Skull, which stood outside the city walls. He was laid down on the crossbeam and crucified. While hanging on the cross for six hours, from nine in the morning until three o’clock in the afternoon, Jesus uttered what has come to be known as the seven last words. Let us look at each one of these words, sentences or word fragments, and see if we cannot gain some deeper insight into the cost of the suffering that Jesus endured and how you and I are affected by these words and this event. His first words, “Father, forgive them,” was directed to his enemies – those who were crucifying him or who caused this event.[1]

Jesus’ First Word Is a Prayer

First, what was Jesus doing? What is this first word? Notice that Jesus’ first word from the cross was a prayer. He prayed: “Father, forgive them.” In his moment of suffering he prayed.

A Life of Prayer

Prayer was a natural and instinctive thing for Jesus. His whole life had been saturated in prayer. He would arise early in the morning and pray. He prayed sometimes at noon, before meals, before he selected his disciples. Sometimes all night was spent in prayer. He prayed before his temptations and at every significant moment in his life. Here in this moment of agony, he still prayed to God, because prayer was a central part of his life. Jesus’ disciples had been so impressed by his prayer life that the one thing they asked him to teach them was about prayer. “Lord, teach us how to pray,” they asked.

An Unselfish Prayer

Notice also that Jesus’ prayer was unselfish. “Father, forgive them,” he prayed. When you and I get in some difficult situation, what is usually our first response? “Oh, Lord, help me!” “Get me out of this!” “Lord, why am I here? What have I done to deserve this?” But Jesus’ prayer was not for himself, but for others.

A Continuous Prayer

Note further that the prayer that Jesus uttered here was an affirmation of what he had taught. The verb “forgive” in the original Greek means that this prayer was not voiced just once but was a continual prayer.

The words, “Father, forgive them,” were spoken several times. Was this the prayer that Jesus prayed when the soldiers stripped him of his garments and stretched him out on the cross and drove the nails through his hands and feet? Did he cry, “Father, forgive them” when the soldiers lifted up his cross and dropped it with a thud into its hole? Did he cry, “Father, forgive them” when the soldiers gambled for his robe? Did he pray, “Father, forgive them” when the crowd mocked him and the criminal on one side of him jeered at him from his cross? Did he pray, “Father, forgive them” when his disciples fled for fear of arrest themselves?

Jesus Lived What He Taught

This prayer was indeed a continuous prayer in the life of Christ. It reflected the kind of life that he had lived. Jesus Christ had taught others to be forgiving. “Forgive seventy times seven,” he taught his disciples. Be limitless in your forgiveness. His words reveal that he practiced what he preached. When he came to the darkest moment in his life, he prayed that those who were hurting him might be forgiven. He had taught his disciples to forgive seventy times seven, to turn the other cheek, and to go the second mile.

Now in his time of testing as he was being crucified, what Jesus had taught on a mountaintop, he now displayed in his life while he was in the agony of the valley of despair. What he had taught his disciples along the bright sunny shores of the Sea of Galilee, he demonstrated was real in his words uttered in this dark moment in his life. What Jesus had taught about the universal love of God for all persons was seen reflected in his life and the way he died when he was nailed to a stake outside the Jerusalem walls by the crossroads of humanity. The Golden Rule was not merely verbiage or preaching for him, but it was demonstrated in his words in the last moments before he died. He lived the Golden Rule he taught.

An Intimate Relationship with God

This prayer also reveals the absolute intimate relationship that Jesus had with God the Father. Like a child, Jesus reached up to his Father for support in this difficult moment. He knew that the God to whom he had prayed before would still be present. The God he had known on bright sunny days was still with him on this dark dreary day. The God about whom he had taught his disciples to ask anything, he still prayed to now with assurance. He had prayed to his Father on calm days; now in the worst storm of his life, he again appealed to the One who had sustained him in the past. His trust was tested by this awful experience, but he reached out to the One whose presence was real to him. The word “Father” speaks volumes about intimacy.

Forgiveness for Whom

Secondly, for whom was Jesus asking forgiveness by his Father? “Father, forgive them,” he prayed. About whom is he speaking here?

Curses Were Often Heard

The executioners were not surprised that Jesus made some kind of outcry at the crucifixion. They expected any man who was led to the place of execution to make some kind of outcry. But these outcries were usually curses, jeers, and profanity. When a man faced being driven to a stake, crucified by having nails driven through his hands and feet, he would often fight and struggle with his executioners. It was a terrible experience for the person being crucified.

Cicero once wrote that the blasphemy of those being executed was sometimes so bad that the soldiers would cut out the tongue of the man being crucified to keep him from railing and screaming blasphemies. But from Jesus there were no curses, jeers, defense, condemnation or requests. He prayed simply, “Father, forgive them.” His prayer, “Forgive them,” reflected in his dying what he had lived and taught.

To Whom Was This Prayer Directed?

About whom was he speaking when he uttered this prayer? Who was it? Did he pray, “Father forgive them,” as the soldiers drove the nails in his hands? Was the prayer directed at the Jewish leaders, Annas and Caiaphas, the high priests or the Pharisees and the other members at the Sanhedrin who had condemned him? Were the words directed at Pilate who had washed his hands of this affair and didn’t really want to get involved? Did he pray for Herod who had put a robe on Jesus and mocked him and then sent him away? Was he praying for the crowd who had cried: “Crucify him?” Did he pray for Judas who had betrayed him? Was his prayer for his disciples who fled?

These words, “Father forgive them,” were so disturbing to the early church that some of the earliest manuscripts like Codex Vaticanus or Codex Bezae do not contain them.[2] Why? Because early Christians didn’t know how to deal with them. How could they pray and ask forgiveness of the Jews and Romans for what they had done? But how like Jesus these words really are. Rob Bell reminds us that “Jesus forgives them all, without their asking for it.” He continues: “Forgiveness is unilateral. God isn’t waiting for us to get it together, to clean up, shape up, get up-God has already done it.”[3]

We Are Also Accused

To whom are these words directed? You and I don’t get off so easily here. These words do not point only to someone in the past. Paul and other New Testament writers have clearly stated that all of humanity was involved in this crucifixion. You and I, our sins, also nailed him to that tree on Calvary. The old spiritual asks: “Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Were you there when they nailed him to the tree? Sometimes it causes me to tremble . . .” and well it should! We are involved because of our sins.

You and I also need to hear the words, “Father forgive them.” They are also prayed for you and me. Unfortunately, we continue to crucify Jesus today. Jesus, the great high priest, continues to pray for you and me. “Father, forgive them,” he implores, “they know not what they do.”

Why did Jesus Ask God to Forgive?

A Plea of Ignorance

Then thirdly, why was Jesus asking his Father to grant forgiveness to these people? He said, “Because they do not know what they are doing.” This view is echoed in the New Testament. In his speech in Jerusalem, Peter said: “I know that, through ignorance you did it” (Acts 3:17). The Apostle Paul stated that Jesus was crucified because they did not know him (Acts 13:27). In another place Paul wrote: “None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (I Cor. 2:8). In the parable of the judgment Jesus notes that those who stand before the Lord will plead ignorance. “When did we see you hungry or thirsty . . . or naked . . . or in prison?” Jesus responds by saying: “As you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me” (Matt. 25:3146).

Not Sentimentality

Well, is this just a sentimental statement from Jesus? “Oh, it doesn’t make any difference, God. It’s o.k. to let them crucify me.” Obviously, that is not true. His words do not mean that he is praying to let bygones be bygones. He is not saying that it doesn’t make any difference to God. It does. God will not wink at this act and say, “It is OK.” Of course not!

Too often we blame circumstances for what we do. Or we blame heredity and try to put the burden on our parents’ back. We blame our education or the lack of it. Sometimes we feel our ignorance is simply misinformation, or caused by apathy or too much motivation. As Carlyle Marney asked; “Do not all have Ph.D’s in mis-knowing, notknowing and unknowing?”[4] All of us want to excuse ourselves by saying, “I just didn’t know.”

Some Knew What They Were Doing

No, Jesus was not offering a simple excuse. He was not praying: “Excuse them, God. They didn’t really know.” If we are going to be honest, the Roman soldiers knew exactly what they were doing. Crucifixion was their job. They didn’t pay any attention to Jesus. To them, he was just another criminal. They may have thought he was a Jewish prophet, who had led a group of people in an insurrection against the Roman government. They drove the nails in his hands and feet and crucified him to put an end to his work. The Roman leaders knew what they were doing.

Pilate washed his hands of this Jesus problem. He didn’t want to make a decision. He wanted to be on the sidelines. The high priests knew what they were doing. They wanted to get rid of Jesus because they thought he was a heretic. He was causing them constant trouble by challenging their teachings and traditions. Their answer was to stop him. These words do not imply that those who crucified him bear no responsibility for their actions.

Unaware of Who Jesus Was

What then do these words mean? “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” Jesus was saying that these persons who were crucifying him did not know the enormity of this event. They really did not know what they were doing. Do you think any person would crucify the Son of God if he or she really knew who he was? Of course not! They did not really know who was hanging there. They didn’t sense that this was truly God’s Son.

Seldom Aware of the Responsibility of Our Actions

We have that same problem with our sins, too, don’t we? Who would ever take the first drink, if he or she knew that this drink might lead him or her to become an alcoholic? Who would ever stick a drug needle in their arm or take some dope, if they thought they would become addicted? Who would ever engage in an illicit sex act, if he or she thought they would go down a path of promiscuity? But much of our life is charted by those kinds of decisions.

When we begin to pull on the thread in the garment of life, before we know it, the whole garment has begun to unravel. We fail to realize that all sin is an affront to God. All of our sin ultimately is a sin against God. King David said about his sin, “Lord, I have sinned against thee and against thee only have I sinned” (II Samuel 12:13). Whatever our sin is, it is a sin against God. Our sins affect us personally, as well as others, but most of all they affect God. Your sins and mine were part of the sin that Jesus had to bear on his cross.

Receiving Forgiveness

The Costly Nature of Forgiveness

Then fourthly, how do you and I receive the grace about which Jesus speaks in God’s forgiveness? It begins, I think, in an awareness of the costly nature of forgiveness. Forgiveness is an easy matter for many, until they have someone to forgive; then they begin to see how difficult it is.

Do you remember several years ago when the Pope was wounded by a man who tried to assassinate him? The Pope forgave the man who attempted to assassinate him. It was interesting to read some of the letters to the editor in Time Magazine. One of them wrote: “It is the Pope’s business to forgive.” That is the way many feel about God. It is just his business to forgive.

C. S. Lewis wrote a number of years ago about the terrible duty of forgiveness.

Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea until they have something to forgive, as we had during the war. And then to mention the subject at all is to be greeted with howls of anger. It is not that people think this too high and difficult a virtue. It is that they think it hateful and contemptible. ‘That sort of talk makes them sick,’ they say. And half of you want to ask me, ‘I wonder how you’d feel about forgiving the Gestapo if you were a Pole or a Jew?’[5]

Forgiveness is so easy until we have to forgive someone. Then it becomes very difficult. When someone has hurt you, or they have sinned against you, or you against another, it then often becomes very difficult to forgive.

When I was a pastor in a university community a number of years ago, I received a telephone call informing me about a college student who was in the hospital. Our church was only about two blocks away from the university, and many students attended our church. I was asked if I would go to the hospital and see her. She had attempted suicide. As I talked with this young woman, I discovered that she had attempted suicide because she was pregnant. She was only a sophomore in college, still single, of course, and didn’t know what to do. She had been so frightened, and didn’t think she could tell anyone about her situation. We talked for a long time, and I asked her if she wanted me to call her parents. “Yes,” she finally said. It was the only thing she knew to do. “They will never understand,” she said. “They will never forgive me.”

I got on the telephone and called a pastor friend of mine in the city where her parents lived. I knew they were members of his church. I asked him how they would react. “I don’t know,” he said. “I just played golf today with her father. Her father has a violent temper.” I asked him to have her parents come to see me first and let me talk with them. They did. I explained to them the situation and told them that this was a time not to reject their daughter, but a time for them to reach out with compassion, love, and support. Their daughter needed their love, understanding, and forgiveness. I couldn’t make them do that, but I hoped they would. After talking with the parents, I went with them to the hospital. We met with the young woman and talked. It was a difficult and emotional time. But the student’s parents accepted her, and expressed their love to her. Later they left the hospital, went home and tried to rebuild their lives. But it wasn’t easy for the young woman or her parents. Forgiveness was very costly. Forgiveness is never easy for any of us.

An Acknowledgment of Sin

Forgiveness begins with an acknowledgment of our sin. “All have sinned” (Romans 3:25), the Scriptures declare. Our confession is an acknowledgment that our sins have helped put Jesus Christ on the cross. We, too, share in the sins of humanity. The sins of humanity cost God the incarnation and the suffering death of his Son. The Word became flesh and identified with humanity. God’s sacrifice to bring us forgiveness is beyond belief. It is indeed matchless grace. God’s costly sacrifice should remind us of the horror of sin. There cannot be forgiveness without the recognition that sin is an awful act in God’s sight.

I like the prayer of Eric Milner White, which he adapted from one of the prayers of John Donne.

Forgive me, O Lord

O Lord forgive me my sins,

the sins of my youth,

the sins of the present;

the sins I laid upon myself in an ill pleasure,

the sins I cast upon others in an ill example;

the sins which are manifest to all the world,

the sins which I have laboured

to hide from mine acquaintance,

from my own conscience,

and even from my memory;

my crying sins and my whispering sins,

my ignorant sins and my willful;

sins against my superiors, equals, servants,

against my lovers and benefactors,

sins against myself, mine own body, my own soul;

sins against thee,

O Almighty Father,

O merciful Son,

O blessed Spirit of God.[6]

Accept God’s Acceptance of Us

To receive forgiveness, we begin with an acknowledgment that we are sinners. But we have to do more than acknowledge our sins. We have to accept God’s forgiveness. We have to accept our acceptance by God. This acceptance is an affirmation that even in our sinfulness we are not abandoned by God. Our sins need not destroy us, but we can be set free from them and become new persons again through God’s forgiveness.

If Jesus Christ could ask for forgiveness of others in his dying moments on the cross, look at the message that reveals to us about the forgiving grace of God. But you and I have to be willing to accept that forgiveness. We can’t just think about it, talk about it, preach about it, hear about it, or sing about it. We must accept God’s forgiveness if it is to be meaningful for us.

In 1830 a man named George Wilson killed a government agent while he was trying to rob the U. S. mail. He was sentenced to be hanged. President Andrew Jackson gave him a pardon. But George Wilson did a strange thing. He turned the pardon down. Nobody knew what to do then. What do you do with a man who has turned down a pardon? His case went all the way to the Supreme Court. At that time Chief Justice Marshall made this ruling: “A pardon is a slip of paper, the value of which is determined by the acceptance of the person to be pardoned. If it is refused, it is no pardon. George Wilson must be hanged.” And he was!

The forgiveness of God must be accepted. You and I must open our hearts and lives to God and receive his grace, if it will benefit us.

Having Been Forgiven, We Forgive Others

Having received God’s pardon, then we in turn have to forgive others. The only petition in the Lord’s Prayer that has any condition to it is the one that says, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us” (Mark 11:26). A closed heart or a closed mind the unwillingness to forgive others blocks our own relationship to God and closes the door to our own ability to receive God’s forgiveness. The woman who said, “I’ll forgive but I won’t forget,” hasn’t really experienced forgiveness. Having experienced God’s forgiveness, we cannot refuse to forgive others. To be unforgiving is to inhibit God’s grace in our own lives. Our refusal closes the door to God’s love toward us.

Several years ago when I had an opportunity to be in England, I visited the Coventry Cathedral. This cathedral was completely destroyed by German bombs in the Second World War. After the war, the cathedral was rebuilt. In the ruins of the old cathedral, which is preserved as an outdoor chapel, stands a wooden cross which was constructed from timbers out of the burned out cathedral. On these two charred pieces of wood there are two words: “Father forgive.” They reflect the spirit of our Lord.

Jesus hanging on the cross cried: “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” Those words include you and me. Thank God they do.