Father Forgive Them 2025

Introduction

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In her book, The Hiding Place, Corrie ten Boom documents one of the most difficult things she ever did.

Corrie ten Boom was a Dutch Christian whose family owned and operated a watch shop and, along with her family, she hid Jews from the Nazis during the Holocaust. In 1944, they were betrayed, and Corrie and her sister Betsie were arrested and sent to the notorious Ravensbrück concentration camp in Germany. There, they endured horrific conditions—starvation, beatings, and the constant threat of death. Betsie died in the camp, but Corrie was miraculously released due to a clerical error, just one week before all women her age were sent to the gas chambers.

After the war, Corrie traveled the world sharing her story of faith and survival. In 1947, she spoke at a church in Munich about God’s forgiveness. After her talk, a man approached her—a former SS guard from Ravensbrück. She recognized him instantly as one of the men who had overseen the brutal treatment of prisoners, including the humiliating strip searches she and Betsie had endured. He didn’t recognize her, but he extended his hand and said he had become a Christian since the war. He told her he knew God had forgiven him for his crimes, but he wanted her forgiveness too.

This was an excruciating moment for Corrie. Memories of the camp flooded back—the cruelty, her sister’s death, the dehumanization. She later wrote that her heart felt cold, and she couldn’t lift her hand to meet his.

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Today we begin a series of messages on the words that Jesus spoke on the cross. There are seven statements recorded in the gospels that Jesus spoke as He hung from that cruel torture machine. Each one of them gives us insight into the heart of God, and the plan of salvation. I hope you’ll join us for each of the five messages that Phil and Lowell and will share over the next couple weeks. Make sure to plan on joining us for a special Friday evening agape communion on the 18th, and a Resurrection breakfast on Sunday, April 20th.

Let’s get started by considering the story that led to the first words from the cross.

Gethsemane to the Cross

It was Thursday evening, April 3, 31 CE. This was the night of the passover meal, and the day before the Passover sacrifice in the temple. Jesus was about to begin the meal with His disciples but they were arguing amongst themselves about who would be the greatest in Jesus’ kingdom. So, Jesus knelt down with a basin of water and washed their feet. They were humiliated that their King would stoop to be their servant while they were fighting for positions of power. In that meal he broke the unleavened bread and said, “this is my body which is broken for you,” and he passed the grape juice and said, “this is the blood of my covenant.”

After the meal he led the disciples to the mount of Olives. As they passed through the vineyards along the way he pointed to the grape vines and said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Stay with me, abide in me, and you’ll bear much fruit.” When they got to the olive groves he left 8 of the disciples at the edge of the grove but took Peter, James and John deeper into the trees with Him. He told them to stay and pray with him while he went further to a large rock where he poured out his soul to His Father. He prayed, “Father, if there is any other way to accomplish our plan, please take this cup from me, but not my will, your will be done.” But instead of praying with him, the disciples fell asleep.

Among those olive trees Jesus began to bear the enormous weight of the sin of humanity. As he surrendered himself to be the atoning sacrifice—the passover lamb—He began to feel the separation that sin brings from God, and that separation hurt so bad that he began to sweat drops of blood. After several hours of prayer, Jesus saw a line of torches winding their way up the hillside trail. Priests and temple guards were led by Judas. As the soldiers arrived the disciples scattered. Peter tried to help, but then abandoned him. Judas, the disciple who led the priests to him, came up to Jesus and betrayed him with a kiss.

At his sham trial before the priests Jesus endured false witnesses lying and twisting his words. He didn’t correct them or defend himself. Then he heard Peter, who had found his way into the courtyard, raise his voice and say to someone, “I never knew that man!”

The priests found Jesus guilty and took him to Pilate to get the death penalty approved. After interviewing Jesus, Pilate said, “I find no guilt in this man.” But the people watching his examination shouted “Kill him!” When Pilate found he was from Galilee he sent him to Herod who was in town for the festival. Herod asked him some questions, but mostly wanted to see a miracle. When Jesus didn’t perform a miracle, Herod taunted him and allowed his soldiers to mock and ridicule him. They punched him, dressed him up and pretended to bow to him. They beat him with a whip and crushed a crown of thorns into his head. Finally they sent him back to Pilate who bent under pressure and agreed to have Jesus crucified.

I wish we could fully grasp the evil spirit that pervaded that courtyard as the people shouted, “crucify him! crucify him!” The devil himself and several of his angels were among that crowd, leading the shouts. What must Jesus have felt from all that abuse?

Pilate’s soldiers stripped Jesus naked, put a rough beam of wood on his back, and marched him through the streets of Jerusalem to the hill called “The Place of the Skull,” or in Latin, calvariam. Jesus was so bruised and weary by that time that he couldn’t even cary the beam.

Luke 23 tells the story:

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Luke 23:26–27 ESV

And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him.

Luke 23:32–37 ESV

Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. 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. And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!”

Luke 23:39 NLT

One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!”

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Rejected, betrayed, abandoned, stripped naked, badly beaten, falsely accused, mocked and derided by everyone around—Jesus hung on that cross and said, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

These words are among the most hopeful and grace-filled words in the Bible.

For Corrie ten Boom, just raising her hand to one of her persecutors was an excruciating task. But Jesus offered forgiveness in the middle of his trial.

In Matthew 5:39 Jesus taught his followers to turn the other cheek. In Romans 12:19 Paul pointed out God’s admonition that vengeance belongs to God and He will bring justice. We don’t have to seek revenge for wrongs done to us because God promises to seek justice on our behalf. And so, instead of seeking vengeance, Jesus asked us to turn the other cheek.

But here on the cross Jesus doesn’t just turn the other cheek and then give all these evil people over to God’s wrath; he actually asks God to show them mercy and forgive them. He was saying, “don’t seek vengeance on my behalf, forgive them instead.”

Let’s do a reality check.

What leads you to hold a grudge? If someone stole something from you would you lose trust in them? If they called you a bad name would you try to avoid them in the future? And if someone beat you up, would you want revenge? Our tendency as humans is to hold a grudge against people who rub us the wrong way. We build up our reasons in our head and we justify our bad feelings towards them. We withhold relationship and kindness and keep them at a distance. We even talk to others about them and warn them away.

But which of us has experienced the kind of abuse and evil that Jesus experienced leading up to the cross? Which one of us has been betrayed and abandoned by their closest friends? Which one of us can say that we have been brutally beaten and hung on a cross? Which one of us has held the weight of all the sin of the world? Not one of us.

And yet Jesus experienced all of that, and held the weight of our sins. He could have said, “Father, I’m turning the other cheek, but please give these people what they deserve as soon as you reasonably can.” and yet he didn’t. Instead he said, “father, don’t give them vengeance, don’t give them their just reward. Father, forgive them.”

Jesus’ mind passed from his own suffering to the sin of His persecutors, and the terrible retribution that would be theirs. He didn’t call any curses down on them. He didn’t invoke the vengeance of God. He pitied them in their ignorance and guilt. And so he breathed a plea of forgiveness, “for they know not what they do.” (see Desire of Ages p 744)

That prayer of Christ for His enemies embraced the world. It took in every sinner that had lived or should live, from the beginning of the world to the end of time. Upon every one of us rests the guilt of crucifying the Son of God. And to all forgiveness is freely offered. Whosoever will may have peace with God and inherit eternal life. If only we would accept his forgiveness and turn to Him to be his friend instead of his persecutor.

What is Forgiveness?

To understand this better we need to answer the question, “what is forgiveness?”

The American Psychological Association defines forgiveness in this way:

defining forgiveness

Forgiveness involves willfully putting aside feelings of resentment toward someone who has committed a wrong, been unfair or hurtful, or otherwise harmed you in some way. Forgiveness is not merely accepting what happened or ceasing to be angry. Rather, it involves a voluntary transformation of your feelings, attitudes, and behavior, so that you are no longer dominated by resentment and can express compassion, generosity, or the like toward the person who wronged you.

https://www.apa.org/topics/forgiveness

That’s a pretty good definition of forgiveness. Let’s add one more component to it.

To illustrate let’s say that you lent a friend $5,000 and when the money is due your friend tells you they can’t repay it. You have several options:

You can seek justice and take them to small claims court to recover your money.

You can hold this debt over them for the next thirty years until its paid. All the while holding resentment and anger because of the harm they have caused you.

Or, you could forgive them.

What would it cost you to forgive them?

$5,000

Forgiveness always has a cost that you must pay. For you to forgive someone you have to absorb the cost of whatever justice demands from the person who sinned against you. If you don’t absorb the cost then you can never put aside your feelings of resentment and hurt.

Jesus is the best example of this kind of forgiveness. The human race—including every one of us—has committed high treason. We have followed the enemy and rebelled against our creator. The cost of that rebellion is separation from the life-giver, or in other words, death. And so, for Jesus to ask the Father to forgive us, He had to take on the cost of our sin against Him. He had to experience the separation from the Father and the death that we should have faced.

Forgiveness eats the cost of sin. It absorbs it and doesn’t seek revenge or satisfaction for the wrong.

The American Psychological Association was right that true forgiveness releases the forgiver from anger and transforms their feelings and attitudes. And that’s only possible when we eat the cost of the sin done against us. It is the first step towards peace and reconciliation. Forgiveness is essential for continued love and relationship.

Conclusion

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You may feel like others have done such bad things against you that you could never forgive them. The cost is just too great. But if Jesus forgives you for your sin and rebellion against Him, then there is really nothing too big for us to forgive. And keep in mind that when we forgive we are the ones who benefit.

Forgiveness is linked to reduced stress, anxiety and depression. When you forgive you don’t have bad feelings ruminating or anger sizzling under the surface. The mental distress that grinds down your physical and psychological health is relieved when you forgive. Forgiveness releases resentment and boosts self-esteem and optimism.

One study tracked people over five weeks and found that as forgiveness increased, stress dropped. The act of forgiving seems to shift focus from victimhood to empowerment, giving us a sense of stability and control of our own emotions.

On the other hand, holding grudges is tied to higher blood pressure, increased heart rate, and a weaker immune response. Forgiving short-circuits the fight or flight mechanism, reducing cortisol levels which reduces your overall stress.

Forgiving others is a net positive for you. That might not make sense since forgiveness is a choice to bear the cost of the harm they have done to you. And yet by every measure and by personal experience, I can tell you that forgiving others will help you mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually.

If you’re having trouble forgiving someone, remember that Jesus has forgiven you for so much. If God has forgiven you, and born the cost of your sin, then what right do you and I have to hold grudges and withhold forgiveness to those who have done wrong to us?

Now, I know that some will ask if forgiveness requires that you make yourself available for someone to harm you in the same way again. A simple example might be someone whose co-worker keeps stealing their money.

Jesus gives some good advice about dealing with someone like this:

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Luke 17:3–4 ESV

Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

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Jesus doesn’t ask us to ignore the sin against us. He even says, “rebuke” the sinner. There is an expectation of accountability. Our forgiveness does not excuse the wrong. But Jesus asks us to be faithful to forgive when someone expresses remorse. And if they keep doing it and keep repenting and asking for forgiveness, He commands us to keep forgiving.

But you should also hide your money better. Your thieving co-worker isn’t someone you should trust until they’ve demonstrated trustworthiness.

Let me apply this to an abusive home environment. And please understand that this is jot counsel on your specific situation, this is just a generalized idea. If you’re being abused at home and your spouse says, “Please forgive me,” then Jesus’ council is to forgive. But then you should go to a shelter or a friend’s house or even back to your parents house and seek shelter from the abusive behavior. Forgiveness doesn’t suggest that you allow yourself to be a punching bag. But it does open the door for the possibility of renewed relationship.

Far too many Christians take the concept of forgiveness to an illogical and unbiblical extreme, saying that women should stay with an abusive man as long as he hasn’t committed adultery. Forgiveness does not put you in harms way. And it also does not prevent you from seeking legal remedy against people who have broken the law. If you have experienced violence, you can call the police and ask for help. You can put yourself in a safe place, away from that harmful relationship.

What forgiveness does in these environments is it turns your heart from victimization, anger and resentment, to peace and joy and love. And, if the evidence shows its safe, forgiveness provides the fertile ground for relationship to be restored.

I hope that you’ll take these two ideas home with you today:

First, that Jesus is filled with compassion towards you, and he says to His father, “I have born their sin, please forgive them.”

You may have done horrible things in your life and you may feel like God could not or would never forgive you. But if Jesus could forgive his enemies that day, there is nothing he can’t forgive.

and Second, if Jesus has forgiven us for so much, we have no right to withhold forgiveness from others who have done us wrong.

Corrie ten Boom looked at the outstretched hand of that former Nazi prison guard. She knew the Christian teaching to forgive, as Jesus said, “If you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6:15). But knowing it and doing it were worlds apart. Silently, she prayed, “Jesus, help me! I can lift my hand. I can do that much. You supply the feeling.”

Mechanically, she raised her hand and took his. In that instant, she felt a warmth spread through her, and she said, “I forgive you, brother, with all my heart.” Tears filled both their eyes. She later described it as the hardest thing she’d ever done, but also the moment she felt truly free. The act didn’t erase the pain or excuse the atrocities, but it released her from the bitterness that could have consumed her life.

If you haven’t yet, please accept Jesus’ offer of forgiveness. Repent of your rebellious sin and say to Jesus, “I accept your gift of grace. I want to be your friend, not your abuser.”

And if you are holding a grudge against anyone, for any reason, please forgive them. Say in your heart, “I accept the cost of your sin, I forgive you and release you.”

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Please join me in singing an anthem to our King, Jesus, who is worthy of all our praise and all our love.

Worthy is the Lamb