Evening Service – 01 Mar 2009
Last words are always interesting – they emphasise something of what is important. But don’t think you will always have an opportunity to say a few last words – always speak as if they were your last.
But for Jesus such an opportunity was given, and how precious these words have been to people ever since.
As we look at these 7 sayings from the cross we should notice and keep before us:
Firstly, these are serious words, made so not only because they are an individual’s last words, but because they are the fruit of a specific context and indeed they are the exposition of it. It is because Jesus was doing on the cross in fulfilment of Scripture and doing so not for His own sin but for the sin of His people, means that we should give attention to it. On the one hand it exposits the plan of God, telling us what God was up to. On the other hand, and as a result, it exposits our blessings, declaring what His death means for us and brings to us through faith. We have a practical interest in it since we are brought here to see the apex of God’s unfolding purpose, it is here that we see the meaning and purpose of life and all that is happening in the world (past present and future are all linked to this event). Her is the explanation of this present world, the way things are and where things are heading and why. But we also have a more specific personal interest in it, so we need to listen to these words as spoken for our benefit, for here we hear the call of the gospel, seeing it solidly anchored in a real historical event. This is made all the more clear because even the penitent thief noted Jesus’ general silence in that He did not answer the abuse which was being thrown at Him.
Secondly, we need to understand that these are lucid words. They come in a context of untold pain, but they are not the words of a panicked soul. Jesus upon the cross even in the midst of agony shows a self-control in how He refused to engage with the crowd at their level, how engaged with the penitent thief, ministered to Mary His mother and to John the beloved disciple, and in how he communicated with His Father in heaven. The words are to the point, evidencing the reality of the suffering’s depth, but they are clear, focused, appropriate, and not contradictory or having any marks of irrationality. Nor are they the words of a drugged mind. Certainly the Roman practise was to offer a narcotic-laced drink to deaden the pain of the person being crucified – though this was not so much out of compassion but convenience as the person was less likely to violently struggle in the opening events of crucifixion. But we read in Matt 27:24 that Jesus refused this drink. He did not want to minimise the suffering or be clouded in His thoughts and Words. He had to pay the penalty for sin to the full, and He had to speak the words that the Father gave Him with full concurrence and agreement.
These then are words we do well to ponder, being intended to give fruit to our souls. May God make them so as we consider them over the next few weeks.
Now looking at the 7 we also see that those which begin and end are prayers. The first word of Jesus from the cross is a prayer in which Jesus speaks not to man for God but to God for man. We see also the last word from the cross is also a prayer, this time a prayer for Himself, yet one which sweeps up all His people in it as well being the Representative.
This certainly stresses the importance of prayer. But that the very first words Jesus spoke upon the cross through the agony of suffering was a prayer for others and that it was the last public prayer of Christ prior to His death tells us that this is a very important prayer. All the more so when we realise that it was not a prayer for Himself but for sinners, and that His first word from the cross has to do with the fact and consequence of sin in people.
As we look at that word there is much to confront even us, much to learn about ourselves, but also much to comfort and encourage us.
1. His Position
As we noted in our introduction, Jesus was on the cross and dying when he prayed this prayer. Jesus was enduring the physical agony of crucifixion which was intense, let alone the shame of being identified as one of society’s worst criminals. Whilst suffering so He also had to endure the mocking and taunts of the crowd, of which we are given some quotes in the Gospel record.
It was in this position of physical and emotional abuse that Jesus prayed “Father forgive them for they do not know what they do.”
If it had been me, and I suspect you too, this is not how we would have responded. We would have cried for relief. We may even have called out abuse against those who put us in this position. Pain, abuse so often draw from us anger against man and even against God, or at the very least cries of doubts and questionings.
His first words were not a cry for pity or for mercy. Nor was this a cry of condemnation against those who had and were so abusing Him – especially when they should have been supporting Him and bowing in ceaseless wonder for what He was doing on the cross – dying as the all-sufficient sin-offering and atoning sacrifice.
No it was a prayer, and a prayer for forgiveness – but not for Himself or His own sin for He had none, but for those who put Him there. We are not just talking about an innocent man here, but the eternal Son of God who became man. He had laid aside His majesty and now finds Himself in utter depth of humiliation, yet He prays for those who put Him there.
At the very least we are challenged about the way we respond to pressure and forced to see how much of sin in us is exposed at such times. But surely it calls us to assess Jesus as being so different from us. In laboratories stress and pressure tests are applied to materials. Why? To reveal flaws which are not obvious to the naked eye. In the same way we know from experience that it is under real pressure that you see the quality of a person, you get behind the mask to the real person. How often in such times the smooth reasonable front gives way to reveal the wickedness that dominates them. Who this week in a moment of stress has not been aghast at the sinful response that has come from within them? But Jesus is seen even here as one without sin.
But also this position should make us give our total attention to this prayer. Even as He hung dying Jesus remained without sin and concerned about sin in others, not because of its effect on Him but because of its affect on them.
2. His Perspective
It may be hard for us to respond with forgiveness when we are asked some time down the track – how the pain comes flooding back to us. But Jesus is not waiting till the memory of the experience fades before He does this. No it was while blood was dripping from his body. Indeed He asks for something they weren’t asking for and felt no need for. There is not even a hint of repentance or seeking of forgiveness for sin committed.
From this we see that His perspective is that our primary need, our urgent need is for forgiveness, and that there is no greater blessing that He could bestow on them as an inheritance out of His blood than forgiveness.
As one said, at the apparent triumph of human wickedness comes the triumph of divine love! What compassion Jesus exhibits. He looks not what they are doing to Him, but what He can do for them. That is mercy!
Oh the heart that Jesus has for sinners! Does this not humble us? Does this not rebuke our love of sin and our holding on to sin in our lives? What hope fills the sinner who sees such a Saviour – hope that He will not turn them aside or turn His back to their cries for mercy. He is merciful. Here we see it spelt out in such glory on the cross.
How thankful we ought to be that this remains Christ’s perspective – it is the foundation of all gospel work and all Christian endeavour. It is the comfort even for the Lord’s people when they fail their Lord and walk again in sin. It is that which drives them to seek and look for grace to not walk those paths again. We come to one who is ever merciful to us.
Here we are taught to never lose hope for even the chief of sinners. As Pink asks us: ‘Does it seem like a waste of time to pray for your wayward child? Remember the cross. Christ prayed for His enemies. Learn not to look on any as beyond the reach of prayer.’
Here we are given a perfect example of how we should treat those who wrong us and hate us. His life exemplifies His own teaching for in Matt. 5:44 He calls His people, “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you”. Even if they haven’t sought it in repentance, and therefore we can’t forgive them, nonetheless this is something we ought to do for them. That must be our perspective too.
3. His Prayer
a. what it desires. Jesus is praying for the total and complete remission of sin: ‘Father, forgive them. Do not punish them; forgive them. Do not remember their sin; forgive it, blot it out; throw it into the depths of the sea. Remember it not, my Father. Mention it not against them any more forever. Father, forgive them.’ A clear conscience and peace with God, this is the need of every individual in this world, and here is Jesus praying for it!
In praying for God to forgive them Jesus is necessarily praying for everything that will lead to it. So we are to understand that Jesus is clearly also praying that the Father would bring them to see their sin and guilt and grant them that repentance unto life which is the precondition within us for forgiveness
See then that there is no point in claiming God’s forgiveness through Christ if there is not a genuine repentance worked in your life. “What must we do to be saved?” cried the people on the day of Pentecost. “Repent!” replied Peter with prompt precision. There is no forgiveness apart from it.
To that end Jesus is praying that God will accept that which He is offering up as the ground of their forgiveness – His death for them.
b. what it declares. It declares that Christ is identifying with His people. “Father forgive them” stands in contrast to His previous words in that before this He exercised this divine prerogative in forgiving others Himself, saying “Yours sins are forgiven” (Matt 9:2; Lk 7:48), but here Jesus asks the Father to forgive. Why? Because He was on the cross He was there as our Representative, the Just dying for the unjust, and no longer in the place of divine authority.
But it secondly it declares God’s estimate of sin and the absolute need of forgiveness. As Jesus carefully examined the character and actions of those before Him the only thing that He could urge in their favour was that “they do not know what they do’. Yet even so He needed to pray for their forgiveness. There is none who do not need Christ and His intercession on their behalf for the application of the merits of His death for their sin.
Sin is always sin in God’s sight, whether or not we are conscious of it. God is holy and will not lower His standard of righteousness to the level of our ignorance. In the Old Testament God gave instruction on sacrifices for sins of ignorance (Lev 5:15,16; Num 15:22-25). That’s why the Gospel needs to be taken even to those who have no knowledge of the Bible. They are still under judgement despite their ignorance. Jesus did not limit evangelism only to those who had some light: “Go to all nations”.
c. what it demonstrates. In a word: GRACE. When Jesus prays for us it is not because there is anything in us that should cause Him to. It is not because we have turned to Him. It is not because we long for mercy. He died for us even before we knew anything about our sin let alone His payment for it. He prayed for us long before we uttered a prayer for forgiveness. The source of grace is in the giver not in the receiver; it is in God not us. The ground of our acceptance is not our faith but Christ the Author and Perfector of that faith. It is grace that this prayer was heard. It is grace that it is still being heard. Understand that if you have come to a genuine repentance of sin and come through faith in Christ to know God’s forgiveness, then it is a response to Christ’s prayer not yours!
But it also demonstrates the effectiveness of grace for this is an effective prayer. It was realised in part in Jerusalem. In Acts 2:17 Peter alludes to their “ignorance” in crucifying the Messiah which corresponds to Christ’s “they do not know what they do”. This is the reason for the conversion of the 3,000. It was not Peter’s eloquence but Christ’s prayer. It was being realised as God withheld till AD70 the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Roman army, during which time many Jews came to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is still being heard today – for Jesus “is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Heb 7:25).
It is clear that the word “them” had special reference to those immediately before Him, but from Isa 53:12 it is not limited to them but covers a multitude of sinners. There is an indistinctness to them that encourages sinners to hope it might include them too. Spurgeon said, ‘Now into that pronoun “them” I feel I can crawl.’ Can you? Have you? Have you come to God in repentance, trusting in Christ’s death as the ground of your forgiveness and acceptance before God? Then know the certainty and completeness of that forgiveness. “You … He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses” (Col 2:13). Soul, your prayer is heard; “go, and sin no more” (John 8:11). “Your sins, which are many, are all forgiven you” (Luke 7:47). What a prayer!