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Reflections on Forgiveness


Luke 22:63-65 and 23:33-34 NIV
The men who were guarding Jesus began mocking and beating him. They blindfolded him and demanded, “Prophesy! Who hit you?” And they said many other insulting things to him...When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

Whenever some inconceivable violence or injustice take place, I'll always think about how as Christians, we're called to forgive. Last week was no different when the knife attack took place at a local Catholic church. But what struck me totally unexpectedly was Rev Christopher Lee's response. Despite suffering an 8cm laceration on his tongue, a 3cm cut on his upper left lip and a 4cm cut on the corner of his mouth, Rev Christopher Lee spoke of forgiveness when Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan visited him at the National University Hospital on Nov 11. The assailant tried to silence him, yet with the very tool the assailant sought to destroy, Rev Christopher Lee preached a powerful message of forgiveness the first chance he had to speak. 

I'm always awed by such displays of magnanimity and grace. I wish never to be challenged to that extent. When I look at my own life, I see many far more "trivial" situations where I lack forgiveness. No one committed any acts of violence against me, nor did anyone tried to harm my children in any wanton act of violence. Yet, I struggle to forgive those who have made my life difficult, treated me unfairly, or played politics to try to hurt my standing. Certainly, I don't pray for them or their forgiveness. 

When Jesus prayed for those who crucified Him, he said to "forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." If we read the context of this verse, it is clear that the Roman soldiers, knew what they were doing. They systematically mocked and hurt Jesus. These were grown men, and they didn't just do this to any random prisoner. They specifically targeted Jesus and they sure seemed to know exactly what they were doing. 

So what could Jesus mean when he said that they did not know what they were doing and to forgive them? How could He say this in the face of outright evil? I think the clearest lesson here is that of radical forgiveness. Forgiveness is offered to all, regardless of the extent of the transgression. And this is something Rev Christopher Lee offered to his assailant as well. But there's another part of Jesus's prayer - "for they know not what they're doing". I believe Jesus was praying for those who crucified Him to one day come to the realisation that He is the Messiah, and to recognise their own sins. For if they recognised His Lordship, surely they wouldn't be doing what they did. One can be part of the establishment without participating in all its evils, as the example of pharisees like Nicodemus show.

This two part lesson from Jesus on the cross teaches us a few things. One, don't just offer forgiveness. Pray for those who've wronged us as well. I am certainly not there, because I am not even good at step 1. So the second lesson I can take away is to perhaps start with step 2. Strange as it may seem, while I may not be ready to forgive some people, what they have done is probably not deserving of hell. All of us sin anyway. So I can certainly pray for their salvation. Do I wish them ill-health for what they have done? God forbid! So I can pray for their health. And do I wish for them to be better people? Certainly! So I can pray for that. 

Jesus's prayer had an immediate impact. The robber who was crucified beside Him instantly came to salvation as he realised and confessed his sins. Perhaps my prayers would have some sort of impact too. 

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