Father, Forgive them...

Our local ministerial association offers a community Good Friday service at noon where we each preach on one of the 7 Last Words of Christ. This is my word from today.

Father, Forgive Them
Good Friday
April 6, 2007

The first words Jesus utters from the cross, at least in Luke’s account, after he has been raised upon the bar, are, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”

I’ve always seen this request as showing Jesus’ graciousness. I haven’t really thought about it much before, but who is Jesus forgiving here? Does he ask God to forgive the soldiers who have nailed him on the cross and raised him up? Is he asking God to forgive the Jewish leaders and crowds who called for his crucifixion? Or is he asking forgiveness for all humanity?

Biblical scholar Raymond Brown raises the same question, and decides that the forgiveness is requested for the specific group at the scene of the crucifixion, not for all humanity. He says we can theorize that it extends further, but that’s not Jesus’ original request.

Actually, there’s another question that raises its ugly head on the sidebar: why should Jesus ask forgiveness for those who were just doing what God demanded? In other words, if, as some believe, God required Jesus to be sacrificed in order for salvation to happen, then why do those who are simply the actors accomplishing this requirement need to be forgiven? Why shouldn’t they be commended for following orders, or at least given a pass?

Because that very assumption is askew. God did not demand that Jesus be sacrificed to atone for our sins. We did. From the very first pointing finger, we have been a people who make others into our scapegoats. Whenever there is discomfort, disorder, discord, we cannot rest until we find one to hold responsible. “There. She’s the one who started it.” “Over here, he caused it all.” We point the finger and move all our discomfort, disorder, discord onto the shoulders of our scapegoat. Then, we at least shun, and perhaps even sacrifice, the goat so that order, accord and comfort may once again reign in the land and in our lives, at least until the next time things begin to get out of whack.

We have practiced this art throughout the centuries until we brought it to perfection in Jerusalem, and have continued trying to practice it for the nearly 2,000 years since. But when we pointed the finger at Jesus, he was the One Person in all creation who had no culpability. He was without sin. But still we demanded his sacrifice, the sacrifice of One for the people. And so, he was arrested, beaten, mocked, scorned, nailed and raised on the cross so that all who passed by could point their fingers at him, and relieve themselves of their own culpability.

When the sinless One was raised on the cross, the power of sacrifice was broken for all time, no matter how many more times we have tried it since. No peace or order will ever reign again, not when scapegoating and sacrifice rule the day. Peace will reign only when we begin to live into the reality of those words Jesus uttered from the cross, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”

So back to my first question: who does Jesus ask God to forgive? He asks God to forgive the soldiers who carry out the execution. He prays God’s forgiveness for the leaders and people who pointed their finger at Jesus. And here, I disagree with Brown, Jesus asks God to forgive us, for every time we point our finger and seek a scapegoat.

René Girard said, “What makes our hearts turn to stone is the discovery that, in one sense or another, we are all butchers pretending to be sacrificers. . . . One thing alone can put an end to this infernal ordeal, the certainty of being forgiven.”

Forgive us, Lord, for we do not know what we are doing.