For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. (Romans 8:29)
Jesus
said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know
what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting
lots. (Luke
23:34)
Being a Christian means following Christ, which is supposed to involve our becoming more and more like Him. So, while today’s passage from Luke is a really high bar, this is the direction we’re supposed to head, not as an “Ugh, I have to forgive that good for nothing _____, again!” but in the same sense that Jesus did. “Father, forgive them, for they haven’t a clue.”
We
like to think we don’t mean harm when we do wrong to others. When they
do wrong to us, however, they knew full-well what they were doing and they meant
it. As we consider the worst of the worst: the Hitlers and serial killers, we’re
sure that they know precisely what they were doing.
I
suspect that if we had any clue about the eternal implications and ramifications
of our acts – if we could see them through God’s eyes (so to speak), we would
not see them as we do. If we really
knew what we were doing, I suspect that our lives would change. And the people
who do wrong to us are likely to have the same response to the things they do. This
is another way of saying that I suspect our forgiving people because they don’t
know what they are doing, or our asking God to forgive them for that reason is
entirely reasonable. What might be unreasonable is the notion that they do know
and do understand. Knowing and understanding may be the exception,
not the rule.
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