“Father,
forgive them for they know not what they are doing …” was the ardent petition,
the merciful request, the incredible plea of the Son! Whence, from what holy place, comes
such?! Who, indeed, is this man?! As the centurion on that hill confessed,
“surely, this is the Son of God!”
He told the
“sons of thunder” that they did not know of what “spirit” they had! (but, it was not the Holy Spirit of
God!) He chided the Sabbath-defenders
for wanting to DESTROY life (indeed, the “Life”!) on their blessed Sabbath;
but, he RESTORED life as He healed the cripple’s withered hand. (Besides, the “Son of David” was far more
righteous and sovereign that the “shewbread-eating” King David, whom they
readily excused and before to whom they respectfully acquiesced.) O, how so very ignorant they were!
To the
angry, self-righteous, predatory mob, with the humiliated “trap bait”, the poor
adulteress, He quietly remarked, “… he quietly remarked, “… he who is without
sin, let him cast the first stone …”
And, then He patiently knelt, writing in the sand, (who know
what?!) waiting for the ignorant mob to
come to their senses. And, then to the
quivering, sobbing lady on the ground, he gently, but firmly, and, oh so
kindly, whispered, “… where are those who condemned you? … I condemn you
not! … go, and sin no more…” “Who, who indeed, is this man?!” She surely wondered as she stumbled away,
glancing over her shoulder in wonder and gratitude!
With
“sinners He ate, much to the confusion and consternation of those who “did not
know”! On one occasion, He graciously
accepted the heart-broken homage, the forgiveness-hungry fealty, the
accepted-one adoration, of the “what-sort-of” woman as Simon the Pharisee
ignorantly sat in judgement on this “supposed prophet”! Jesus pushed Simon to the edge to know the
source of here love, that Simon somehow did not know. He just did not get it!
David got
it. He wrote of knowing this blessed
place – “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are
covered. Blessed is the one whose sin
the LORD does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit..”
(Ps.32) Humbled, David found refuge
there! Saul of Tarsus got it. He would forever remember the answer to his
Damascus Road question, “…who are you, Lord?”
Ouch! The Pharisee missed it;
but, the publican knew it full well, as he pleaded “mercy”!
O, Jesus, I
know that You are the Way, the Truth, the Life; and, I know that your name is
the only name given that saves. But,
Lord have mercy on us! Satan is such a
liar. We are so weak and stupid. Darkness clouds the Light. Open our eyes to see the ray of hope that you
give us, so graciously. So many of us
have even distorted your sweet name into a rock-hurling, lightning-striking caricature. Others of us have shoved you
from the table that you prepared for us, and invited your enemies to head the
table. Forgive us! We do not know what we do. Maybe even Judas can find mercy? Surely, You are “not willing that any should
perish”?! Will there be a tear in your
eye when you, at last, command, “depart…”?
Forgive us – we know not what we do!
