Title: Father, Forgive Them (1)
Series: The Saying of Jesus on the Cross
Author: Jonathan McLeod
Text: Luke 23:34
Famous Last Words
We're starting a new series on the last words of Jesus, the seven sayings of Jesus on the cross.
When a person dies, we often want to know their last words. Sometimes last words are powerful. Sometimes they're funny. And sometimes they're strange.
- "I'm going to the bathroom to read." - Elvis Presley
- "Tomorrow, at sunrise, I shall no longer be here." - Nostradamus
- "I have offended God and mankind because my work did not reach the quality it should have." - Leonardo da Vinci
- "Bring me a bullet-proof vest." - murderer James W. Rodgers (while in front of a firing squad after being asked if he had a last request)
The first saying of Jesus on the cross is found in Luke 23:34: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."
What do these words of Jesus on the cross tell us about him?
What They Did
First, let's think about the last three words of this saying: "what they do."
Who are "they"? There are two possible answers. "They" can either refer to the Roman soldiers or the Jews. Both played a part in Jesus being crucified.
Darrell Bock, who has written one of the best commentaries on Luke, writes, "The prayer must ... be primarily for the Jews, though Luke's readers might apply it to all who had a role in killing Jesus." So let's apply this saying to both the Roman soldiers and the Jews. What did they-both the Roman soldiers and the Jews-do?
- The Jews demanded that Jesus be crucified (vv. 20-23).
- The Roman soldiers carried out the crucifixion of Jesus (v. 33a). He was crucified between two criminals (vv. 32, 33b), though he had done nothing wrong (v. 41). The Romans didn't invent crucifixion, but they perfected it. It was more about deterring crime than punishing crime. Slaves were the most frequent victims of crucifixio ...
Series: The Saying of Jesus on the Cross
Author: Jonathan McLeod
Text: Luke 23:34
Famous Last Words
We're starting a new series on the last words of Jesus, the seven sayings of Jesus on the cross.
When a person dies, we often want to know their last words. Sometimes last words are powerful. Sometimes they're funny. And sometimes they're strange.
- "I'm going to the bathroom to read." - Elvis Presley
- "Tomorrow, at sunrise, I shall no longer be here." - Nostradamus
- "I have offended God and mankind because my work did not reach the quality it should have." - Leonardo da Vinci
- "Bring me a bullet-proof vest." - murderer James W. Rodgers (while in front of a firing squad after being asked if he had a last request)
The first saying of Jesus on the cross is found in Luke 23:34: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."
What do these words of Jesus on the cross tell us about him?
What They Did
First, let's think about the last three words of this saying: "what they do."
Who are "they"? There are two possible answers. "They" can either refer to the Roman soldiers or the Jews. Both played a part in Jesus being crucified.
Darrell Bock, who has written one of the best commentaries on Luke, writes, "The prayer must ... be primarily for the Jews, though Luke's readers might apply it to all who had a role in killing Jesus." So let's apply this saying to both the Roman soldiers and the Jews. What did they-both the Roman soldiers and the Jews-do?
- The Jews demanded that Jesus be crucified (vv. 20-23).
- The Roman soldiers carried out the crucifixion of Jesus (v. 33a). He was crucified between two criminals (vv. 32, 33b), though he had done nothing wrong (v. 41). The Romans didn't invent crucifixion, but they perfected it. It was more about deterring crime than punishing crime. Slaves were the most frequent victims of crucifixio ...
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