by Tin-Chee Lo
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:32)
Jesus is the Son of God, and He has the sovereign authority to forgive people’s sins. So when He wants to forgive a sinner, He does so immediately. But this time (possibly the only time in the Bible), He said, ” Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing (Luke 23:32).” Why was this time Jesus specifically appealed to the Father to execute forgiveness while He could do it himself?
First, let’s look at the first half of the verse”: “Father, forgive them.” As the idiom goes: “it is not what you know but WHO you know.” This time, Jesus emphasized the oughtness and importance of forgiveness by addressing to Father directly. This way of interpreting seems to have no biblical basis, but is not wrong in itself. However, some preachers, with the sentiment of a shepherd, did so in hope that the congregation will know that If God the Father forgives you, why don’t you forgive others? This kind of teaching has the effect of encouraging the congregation to practice forgiveness as an example of life application to the Word of God, commendable, but seems not entirely hermeneutically proper.
I believe that Jesus’ appeal to the Father in this instance is intended to bring out this message: “I am going to the cross now to be a spotless sacrifice once and for all for your sins, but in a little while, I will ascend to heaven and be glorified and to become the High Priest interceding for you forever and this is what you should know.” One of the important tasks of the high priest is to intercede for the elect as a mediator. So, when Jesus said “Father!” it was to express that He would be the “Eternal Priest” as mentioned in Hebrews 5:6, continuously interceding for His people. Jesus delivered this important teaching before His leaving so people would never forget.
Now let’s look at the second part of the verse, “For they do not know what they are doing.” Are they really ignorant of their heinous act? Not only did they choose to release the great notorious Barabbas, but they insisted on crucifying Jesus, the one in whom even Pilate could not find any crime. This was obviously a knowingly intention. How could one claim that they didn’t know? Even the two robbers who were crucified together (one evil and one good) knew it, then how could the masses have an excuse to say they didn’t know? But these are indeed the words spoken by Jesus Himself, and they cannot be wrong. So how do we perceive it?
When Jesus said, “they do not know what they are doing,” He was referring to the fact that those (actually including us today) who crucified Him were indeed ignorant because they did not “fully” understand the extent of the seriousness of their sin: they were in fact crucifying God’s only begotten Son.” However, ignorance does not absolve them of their sin; it simply highlights the depth of human depravity that we can commit such heinous acts without fully understanding their gravity. We are judged based on what we know and not on the depth of our understanding.
Now let’s put the two phrases together, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” This saying raises another question: “Did Jesus forgive ALL the witnesses?” If your answer is “yes,” then you are bordering on the unbiblical “universalism” which suggests that everyone is saved indiscriminately, an idea going against the grain of the Gospel.
The forgiveness taught in the Bible is not a blanket forgiveness for all sinners without repentance. The forgiveness offered by Jesus on the cross is indeed open to ALL, but only applies to those who through faith and repentance receive it, as was in the case of the thief at the cross. The other robber represents the unrepentant people of that time, who obviously could not receive the grace of salvation.
Building on the above discussion, we can now answer the question more directly: “Did Jesus forgive “all” witnesses at the foot of the cross? “
Peter and Judas both opposed Jesus, but Peter, who denied the Lord three times, was forgiven, whereas Judas was not. Why? Because Jesus prayed for Peter but not for Judas (note).
Jesus said to Peter, “But I have prayed that you may not lose faith, but that you may strengthen your brothers (Luke 22:31).” To whom did Jesus pray for Peter? Praying to God the Father, of course. “Intercession” is the duty of the High Priest. Therefore, the “them” in the phrase, “Father, forgive them,” obviously refers only to “the Elect” among the masses, a group of people chosen by God the Father before the foundation of the world. As for Judas, Jesus once said, “The Son of Man needs to die, as it is written of Him, but woe to him who betrays the Son of Man. It would have been better for him not to have been born in the world (Matthew 26:24).” Obviously, disciple Judas was not one of among the ranks of Elect.
(Note) The Bible does not explicitly mention Jesus praying for Judas. However, as recorded in John 17:6-19, Jesus did pray about His disciples, but Judas was not specifically mentioned in the prayer. The scope of Jesus’ prayer for Judas is not specified in the Bible. The object of His intercession in John 17 (known as the “High Priestly Prayer” passage) is exclusively the Elect.
