Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus
All glory and praise to the Triune God. In Part 1 of this series where we started to delve more deeper into the meaning behind the seven sayings of our Saviour on Cross, we learned about the attitude of prayer that Jesus had, not only when He was having a quiet time with His Father in Heaven, but also at the time of His death. He taught us that no one is beyond the reach of prayer. In Part 2, we saw that His first saying or His intercession towards His persecutors was foretold by the Prophet Isaiah. We also learn that He identified with His people in His suffering on the cross and we also see the divine estimate of guilt and its ultimate consequence. Lets now carry on from there...
Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. - Luke 23:34
- We see the blindness of the human heart
"They know not what they do." This does not mean that the enemies of Jesus Christ were ignorant of the fact of His crucifixion. They knew full well that they had cried out "Crucify him." They also knew that their vile request to kill an innocent and righteous person had been granted to them by Pilate. They did know full well that He had been nailed to the Tree, for they were eye witnesses to the crime. What, then, did our Lord mean when He said, "They know not what they do"?
He meant that they were ignorant of the enormity of their crime. They "knew not" that it was the Lord of Glory they were crucifying. And yet they ought to have known. Their blindness was inexcusable. The Old Testament prophesies found its fulfillment in Him and should have been sufficiently plain to identify Him as the Holy One of God. His teachings were unique, and even His critiques were forced to admit it (John 7:46). And He had lived a perfect life. Before men He had lived a life that had never been lived on earth before. He did not strive to please Himself. He was always available to do the will of His Father in Heaven. There was no self-seeking about Him. His was a life of self-sacrifice from beginning to the end. His was a life ever lived to the glory of God. His was a life on which was stamped Heaven's approval, for the Father's voice testified audibly "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
There was no excuse for their ignorance. It only demonstrated the blindness of their hearts. Their rejection of the Son of God bore full witness, once for all, that the carnal mind is at "enmity against God."
It is really sad to think that this tragedy is still being repeated! Dear reader, a particular question is placed before you, as it was placed before others in the times gone by, "What shall you do with Jesus which is called Christ?" for you have to do something with Him: either you despise and reject Him, or you receive Him as the Saviour of your soul and the Lord of your life. But, it seems, for many of us, it is a small matter, of little importance of what you do. For years, we have resisted the strivings of His Spirit. For years we have shelved the all important consideration. For years, we have steeled our hearts against Him, closed our ears to His appeals, and shut our eyes to His surpassing beauty. Ah! We know not what we do. We are blind to our madness. Blind to our terrible sin. Yet we not excuseless. You still have time to welcome the Lord into your hearts and believe in Him to be saved.
To be continued in the next session....
Do keep me in your prayers.
Your Brother in Christ Jesus
