“And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots.” (Matthew 27:35 (ESV)
24 “And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. 25 And it was the third hour when they crucified him.” (Mark 15:24–25 (ESV)
33 And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.” (Luke 23:33–34 (ESV)
23 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, 24 so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says, “They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.” So the soldiers did these things,” (John 19:23–24 (ESV)
In our study of the Gospel of Matthew’s record of the Passion Week of the Lord Jesus Christ, it is necessary, and insightful, to examine all four Gospel accounts. This discipline provides us understanding of all the events and encounters which took place during those hours.
For the next several days we will examine what occurred during the first three hours of Jesus’ crucifixion. Today’s focus is Jesus’ first statement from the cross; “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
The Gospel of Luke is the only one of the four Gospels to contain this statement. I is widely recognized by biblical scholars as the first of seven statements Jesus spoke while on the cross. The Seven Statements of the Cross are as follows.
a. From 9 o’clock until noon:
(1) “Father, forgive them: for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).
(2) “I solemnly declare to you, Today you shall be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43).
(3) “Woman, look, your son… Look, your mother!” (John 19:27).
b. The three hours of darkness: from noon until 3 o’clock; no words reported.
c. About 3 o’clock:
(4) “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34).
(5) “I am thirsty” (John 19:28).
(6) “It is finished” (John 19:30).
(7) “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46).[1]
The words are familiar to many. Its meaning may not be.
“Father.” In this context, father (πατήρ; pater) is a title of supernatural authority and care of His children. In Jesus’ case, it was an acknowledgment not only the divinity of God the Father, but also of His own deity as the only-begotten Son of God. This was one reason the Jews hated Jesus and sought to kill Him (John 5:18).
“Forgive them.” To forgive (ἀφίημι; aphiemi) means to pardon someone who has committed sin. It means to no longer hold someone responsible, guilty, for their sin. In this context, it was the sin of those crucifying Jesus. It was a strong statement by the God the Son to God the Father.
To forgive means “to blot out their transgression completely. In thy sovereign grace cause them to repent truly, so that they can be and will be pardoned fully,” states Dr. William Hendriksen.
“That this is the meaning is clear from the fact that the grammatical construction is exactly the same as in Luke 11:4, “And forgive us our sins,” and as in 17:3, “If he repents, forgive him.” Is it even conceivable that He who insists so strongly that His followers must forgive every debtor, and that they must even love their enemies, should not exemplify this virtue Himself?”
“For they know not what they do.” To know (οἶδα; oida) means to understand and to comprehend. Those responsible for the crucifixion of Christ, both Jews and the Romans, did not understand the gravity of their actions.
“Is it not marvelous beyond words that Jesus, in his earnest intercession for his torturers, even presents to the Father a special plea, an argument, as it were, for the granting of his petition, namely, “for they do not know what they are doing”? It was true: the soldiers certainly did not know. But even the members of the Sanhedrin, though they must have known that what they were doing was wicked, did not comprehend the extent of that wickedness,” explains Dr. Hendriksen.
This prayer by Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah. 53:12: “Yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”
Author Arthur Pink writes in Jesus’ statement of forgiveness…
1. Here we see the fulfillment of the prophetic word.
2. Here we see Christ identified with His people.
3. Here we see the divine estimate of sin and its consequent guilt.
4. Here we see the blindness of the human heart.
5. Here we see a lovely exemplification of His own teaching.
6. Here we see man’s great and primary need.
7. Here we see the triumph of redeeming love.
“Some of the fruit of this prayer can be in the salvation of thousands of people in Jerusalem at Pentecost (Acts 2:41),” states Dr. John MacArthur. “Christ’s prayer, while they were in the very act of mocking Him, is an expression of the boundless compassion of divine grace.” See also Acts 4:4; 6:7.
Soli deo Gloria!
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