FRIDAY
As always, I love Jesus. He doesn’t just tell us what to do. He does it and sets the perfect example for us.
When he is hanging on the cross he prays:
Luke 23:34 “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
What! Who does this? The Jewish religious leaders are the guys who have just trumped up some false charges against him to get him killed. They turned him over to Pilate out of jealousy. Pilate tried to release him but they chose a criminal to be released to them instead. They mocked him by challenging him to come down from the cross The Roman soldiers had cruelly beaten him. They had whipped him. They mocked him with a crown of thorns and a purpose robe. They made him carry his own cross to the top of a hill where they would crucify him. They nailed his hands and feet to planks of wood and stood him up to publicly humiliate him in his agony.
In the face of all this Jesus prays for their forgiveness.
In another example Jesus forgives one of his closest friends. Before going to the cross Jesus warns Peter that he will deny him (Jn. 13:38). Then Peter proceeds to do just that in spite of Jesus’ warning.
John 18:17–18 17 “You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” she asked Peter. He replied, “I am not.” 18 It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.
Then again:
John 18:25–27 25 Meanwhile, Simon Peter was still standing there warming himself. So they asked him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?” He denied it, saying, “I am not.” 26 One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?” 27 Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.
Luke notes that in the moment Peter denied him the third time Jesus turned and looked at him. Matthew, Mark and Luke all note that Peter then wept bitterly. That must have been an agonizing couple of days for Peter.
Then after Jesus rose from the dead, we read of Jesus’ forgiveness and reinstatement of Peter. Peter and the boys are out fishing when Jesus appears to them on the beach. Notice that Jesus doesn’t immediately restore trust with Peter. He asks him three times to affirm his love, one for each of the denials, before he fully restores him. Let’s read the whole story:
John 21:3–19 3 “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. 5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered. 6 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. 7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. 8 The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. 9 When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.
15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” 16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” 17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. 18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”
After Peter confesses to Jesus that he loves him, Jesus reinstates him to position among the disciples to provide spiritual nourishment for the church. Then he tells him that he will have another opportunity to suffer for his name and follow in his path of dying for the gospel. When that happens years later Peter does not deny Jesus. Instead, as Christian tradition reports, Peter was crucified upside down in Rome. He asked to be upside down because he was not worthy to die in the same manner as his Lord.
What does genuine forgiveness looks like? In the words of Keller:
“Heart forgiveness includes identifying with the wrongdoer, inwardly paying the debt, and then willing good for the wrongdoer.”
Keller, Timothy. Forgive (p. 164). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
- Recognizing that you are a sinner in need of God’s grace and mercy as well. The famous quote that has been attributed to English Reformer John Bradford comes to mind, “But for the grace of God so go I.”
- Inwardly releasing them from the debt that the owe you. Committing to not pursuing vengeance and getting even with them.
- Finally, can you will good for the person who wronged you? This is a sort of test to see if you have genuinely forgiven them.
Additional Content
Read chapter 6 of Tim Keller’s book Forgive
Rachel Denhollander, who was sexually abused by Larry Nassar put into practice both the justice and forgiveness required of Christians. This quote, which she said to Nassar in the courtroom at his trial sums it up well:
“I pray you experience the soul-crushing weight of guilt so that you may someday experience true repentance and true forgiveness from God, which you need far more than forgiveness from me, though I extend that to you as well.”