Hello Michael,
Luke 23:34 is a fascinating verse (IMHO), worthy of a thread of its own. Why, for instance, did the Lord Jesus turn to His Father in this instance and ask Him to do what we know He had the power and authority to do Himself, what He had, in fact, been doing Himself until this point in time .. e.g.
Matthew 9:6?
Beyond that, what was it and who was it (specifically) that Jesus was asking His Father to forgive? Was it forgiveness for murdering an innocent man, or for murdering the most innocent Man of all? Or was it for not knowing what they should have known about the One they were crucifying? Something else perhaps? Or did He have in mind a blanket forgiveness (if you will) that would forgive them of all of the sins they had committed, were committing and would commit, and that w/o repentance or seeking to be forgiven by Him?
Finally, who did the "
them" include? Just the Roman Soldiers? The people too? The Jewish leaders? The criminals who hung there with Him on His left and on His right? Everybody?
It's amazing how many questions that a half of a verse can generate sometimes, isn't it, especially when what is said is, at best, unclear
Like I said, a verse that could certainly be discussed at some length in a post of its own (or at the very least, given a much deeper look personally).
God bless you!!
--David
Luke 23
34 Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves.
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