- Oct 17, 2018
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"Father, forgive them, they know not what they do." It's one of the seven last sayings of the Lord from the cross.
I was thinking about this scripture tonight as I'm dealing with coworkers who are envious of me because of a promotion I received at work and who are finding little ways to make their displeasure known.
I was thinking about this scripture, and the thought that came to mind was, "It's easy to forgive someone when you believe they are acting in ignorance. But when they are actively trying to hurt you with intention and energy, it seems harder to forgive."
The other thought I had was that Jesus must have meant His prayer in a way that's not quite the same as what I'm suggesting. The Lord could not have possibly meant that the Pharisees, scribes, chief priests, elders, and Romans who carried out His crucifixion were ignorant of what they were doing.
He must have meant, that in a much deeper sense, they were ignorant of what they were doing in the grand scheme of things, and this is where the prayer might make sense.
It is true that people act maliciously. It doesn't seem like they are ignorant of what they are doing. Joseph's brothers knew exactly what they were doing when they threw Joseph into the pit and sold him as a slave. What they didn't know is that God would use their cruelty to save their lives and the lives of all nations when future events unfolded.
Perhaps that is why we can forgive others and say, "they don't understand what they're doing." It's a lot easier to forgive when you really believe that on a deeper level, your enemies are not really aware of what they're doing.
Any thoughts?
I was thinking about this scripture tonight as I'm dealing with coworkers who are envious of me because of a promotion I received at work and who are finding little ways to make their displeasure known.
I was thinking about this scripture, and the thought that came to mind was, "It's easy to forgive someone when you believe they are acting in ignorance. But when they are actively trying to hurt you with intention and energy, it seems harder to forgive."
The other thought I had was that Jesus must have meant His prayer in a way that's not quite the same as what I'm suggesting. The Lord could not have possibly meant that the Pharisees, scribes, chief priests, elders, and Romans who carried out His crucifixion were ignorant of what they were doing.
He must have meant, that in a much deeper sense, they were ignorant of what they were doing in the grand scheme of things, and this is where the prayer might make sense.
It is true that people act maliciously. It doesn't seem like they are ignorant of what they are doing. Joseph's brothers knew exactly what they were doing when they threw Joseph into the pit and sold him as a slave. What they didn't know is that God would use their cruelty to save their lives and the lives of all nations when future events unfolded.
Perhaps that is why we can forgive others and say, "they don't understand what they're doing." It's a lot easier to forgive when you really believe that on a deeper level, your enemies are not really aware of what they're doing.
Any thoughts?