Betrayed, abandoned, ridiculed, beaten, stripped naked and humiliated in every possible way, Jesus asks God the Father to forgive. “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34).
For years, I felt a promise attached to Jesus’ words. Almost as if he said, “They don’t know what they’re doing now. But they will, so let’s be patient.” or something. Looking at it today, it seems appropriate that we continue to ask the Lord to forgive us because we still do not know what to do and never will be fully realize. This is not to give us excuse, but humility instead.
Though I am very concerned with many global crises (and this blog reflects that), I am also very concerned with the status of our souls – our pride specifically. (I know my pride is worse than yours ;-) Our pride leads us to our self-indulgence, our entitlement, and our constant need for gratification. Traditionally, we use the term “sin” but that’s a tricky word to be discussed on another day but its use seems quite appropriate on Good Friday.
When reflecting on Good Friday, you come to the conclusion that it really is the scariest day of the year. A day that observes God bleeding, groaning from thirst, dying. What kind of a “god” dies? And what’s so good about it? We call it “Good” not out of enthusiastic glee of divine suffering, but good because through this work, God offers forgiveness, redemption, and love for all.
Perhaps that’s one of the most beautiful features – this forgiveness is for all. NT Wright offers a few words on the private and public nature of the Holy Week events:
“That rhythm of private and public is what we find, sharply and starkly, in the events of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Today, Jesus takes the disciples into a private room, and the door is shut. Nobody else knows what’s going on. But the words he says there in private, and still more the small but earth-shattering actions he performs, will turn within twenty-four hours into the most ghastly and shocking display of God in public: God shamed and mocked, God beaten up and humiliated, God stripped naked and hung up to die. You can’t get more public than crucifixion by the main west road out of Jerusalem. And, as in fact you can observe throughout Jesus’ ministry, you need that rhythm of private and public at every stage. The private without the public becomes gnosticism, escapism, a safe and narcissistic spirituality. But the public without the private becomes political posturing, meaningless gestures, catching the eye without engaging the heart. We need both; and the events through which we live today enable us to inhabit both, and be strengthened thereby for the ministries both private and public to which we are called.
And the events of Good Friday tells us something we urgently need to know about doing God in public. If it is the true God we are talking about – the God we see and know in Jesus Christ and him crucified – then we should expect that following him, speaking for him, and living out the life of his spirit, will sometimes make the crowds shout ‘Hosanna!’ and sometimes make them shout ‘Crucify!’
You can read the rest here.
Just like the many who shouted for his death did not understand, I know my ignorance and pride has blinded me as well. Truly, I am humbled by the One who forgave his executioners and the One who still offers forgiveness today.
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