For this Lent, I will be meditating on Jesus’ seven words from the cross. The first of these words is, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” found in Luke 23.34. The last thing we hear Jesus say in Luke’s Gospel before this is, “For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?” (Luke 23.31) The women of Jerusalem were mourning for him and Jesus says this as a warning to them. What did he mean? Pilate had declared that Jesus was innocent (Luke 23.22) but had still gone ahead and sentenced him to be crucified. Jesus was declaring his innocence in the face of the sentence he was about to endure. And on the cross, he declares clearly that his crucifixion was a result of the ignorance of those who were carrying out the sentence.

When the first humans were tempted, they gave in and ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They wanted to be like God, possessing the knowledge of good and evil. What does this mean? The person who possesses the knowledge of what is good and what is evil is a person who needs no guidance in his/her life for he/she is fully able, due to the knowledge, to make the correct decisions in all situations. The knowledge of good and evil is something that God possesses. He knows, in every situation, what is right and what is wrong. By reaching out and eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the first humans were declaring their independence from God. They wanted to be those who possessed this knowledge. They wanted to be those who could infallibly decide what was right and what was wrong in all situations.

Alas, when it comes to Jesus’ crucifixion, his words reveal that this human experiment had failed drastically. Not only did humans not know what is good and what is evil, but also, even when they know what was evil, they do not possess the moral fiber to refuse to go down that path. Pilate had declared Jesus innocent. His soldiers knew that he had declared Jesus innocent. Yet, here was Jesus, crucified by the very people who knew him to be innocent.

This first word from the cross is a stark indictment against human justice. Due to all the political machinations, the humans forgot the basis of justice and put to death a man they knew to be innocent. Pilate did not want an uprising on his hands. The Jewish authorities did not want someone in their midst who subverted the central symbols of Jewish life – Torah, Sabbath, and Temple. So despite knowing that Jesus was innocent, they chose to do what was most expedient and sentenced him to death. This is the nature of human justice – expedient.

Jesus’ first word from the cross tells us that human justice is not to be trusted because it is most often driven by expediency. However, his word also hints at a justice that remains to be uncovered and discovered – God’s justice. Jesus asks the Father to forgive those who were crucifying him.

What did this mean? Jesus was relinquishing his claim as the wronged party. He was the one who was facing the grossest injustice. And he could have been the one crying out for vengeance and retribution. However, with his first word, he relinquishes this claim and lays it at the feet of the Father. He knew that his Father is the source of justice and the one who has covenanted to set things right for all of creation. And so he gives up the demand for vengeance and retribution, trusting that, come what may, the Father would not allow this injustice to stand. The Father would overturn this injustice and set the record straight.

Prayer:

Merciful, forgiving Father, as we enter this season of Lent and have meditated on Jesus’ first word from the cross, enable us to take inspiration from the unwavering trust he had in you. Enable us to remember always that you are a God of justice. As we go through our days and are hurt by others, give us a forgiving spirit so that we can emulate the example of Jesus. Give us the grace to not hurt others also. And above all, Father, help us to see that forgiveness is simply another mode of love to which you call us. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.