Even God has to forgive. The effect of the Gospel is replace retribution, revenge and even justice with a better way, forgiveness. How hard it can be to follow; how vital that the new way succeeds.

“Father forgive”, Jesus prays for those who do not know what they are doing when they reject him, insult him, nail him to the cross.
Did anyone know what they were doing?  Did the chief priests, or Pilate, or Herod?
Not one knew the wisdom that “…God ordained before the world unto our glory:  Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” (1Corinthians 2:8)  So Christ “…bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:12)
Forgive the chief priests?  How will God answer Jesus’ prayer?

Using two images from R.Crumb’s adult illustrated Genesis which was published last year. I have been reflecting on the Abraham Isaac sacrifice story - which as commentary to the crucifixion underlines the mercy; and violence in the story. Abraham knew what he was doing. Isaac didn’t. The priests and the soldiers didn’t. Jesus did. God the Father did. And with the witness of the gospels so do we. The cross is profoundly unsettling. God forbid that we should ever come to terms with it.

Forgiving somebody who has hurt you badly enables you to “move on” and get on with your life. You never forget the action but holding anger in is self-destroying in the long run. Most of us will never be called to sacrifice ourselves as Jesus did but we can become more “Christ like” if we try and be like Him in human terms.

Today’s challenges are for real. Let us take them seriously, and act on them.

Thank you Jesus, my dear and gracious Lord, for forgiving me, and I am appalled at what it cost you for me to say ‘I’m sorry’.

What they did was terribly wrong, but Jesus is reminding us that it is what is in your heart that matters.  We can condemn the sin, but not the sinner.  It is also a reminder that God can see into our hearts, and as Christians we should always try to let God into our hearts in order to do his work willingly.

This verse reminds me that to forgive takes great strength and courage. It also says to me that Jesus was able to do it because He trusted His Father to put right all that was wrong - including His own death!
I don’t think this means that we are to constantly leave ourselves in the presence of those who hurt us - Jesus didn’t call us to be doormats. I think it means we can hand over those who hurt us to a judge who is fair beyond fairness and just beyond justice. Forgiveness is about making room for God’s justice