Bible passage:
Luke 23:34,35 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.
Ignorance: Matthew 22:29 But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. Luke 19:41-44 And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.” 1 Corinthians 2:7,8 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
Presumably good/ right intentions John 11:47-50: So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” Matthew 26:63-66 the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.”
Hardened hearts/ wickedness Acts 7:51-53 “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it
Presumably good intentions + Ignorance + Hardened hearts + Satan's intervention = Murder of God. If this simple combination could result in the killing of our Lord, why do we still get surprised when we see evil things happening around us and to us? Is presumably good intentions going wrong uncommon? No. Is something acted out due to ignorance gone wrong uncommon? No. Do we have people who have human failings/ flaws and unrepented weaknesses? Yes, all around, including us. Is Satan still working against God's kingdom? Yes! Then why are we still taken aback, irritated, or depressed when it happens to us or around us? If such scenarios happen to us, would we be able to say like Jesus, 'Father, forgive them, they know not what they do'? Would we choose to remember their frame of dust than just their capacity to do evil?
Let us then learn about intercession from Jesus:
Jesus, the true High Priest, and Caiphas, the high priest of that time: Caiphas thought he was doing something for the welfare of Israel, but he was willing to have someone else pay the price for it 'one man should die for the nation'. Jesus, the true High Priest, also our Shepherd was willing to take up the cross Himself. He was interceding for the murderers while being the one killed. As an intercessor, whenever possible, let's take the burden on ourselves (to then lay it on the cross). (E.g. if someone is sick, as given in James, let's not just say we will intercede, but also do something sacrificially. If someone is fighting, let's not just say we will intercede, but possibly try listening to both sides and prayerfully consider peacemaking.)
Jesus, our Advocate, and Satan, the adversary: It is true that when it is painful we would like to vent it out to God. Yet, remember that whenever we are playing an accusatory role, we are more like the devil, than like our Lord Jesus. This doesn't mean we should justify everyone's actions. When our blood is spilled, does it call for avenging or forgiving? Do we pray for condemnation or repentance? Do we say, 'They will never change' or do we still have hope?
Jesus, the Cornerstone, and Stephen, a living stone: How wonderful that the Bible notes the witness of an early Christian who followed the footsteps of our Lord and said the same thing when he was murdered? Stephen showed us that it is possible to say this prayer. It is possible to give powerful rhetoric as a defense, and call someone 'stiff-necked people', be stoned, and say 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them'.
Prayer points:
Praise our Lord Jesus for choosing to forgive even His murderers, choosing to set an example and say these things loudly for us to learn from, even when He was at the cross.
Pray that our intercession will be joined together with our sacrificial action, and pray that we will not get burnt out bearing others' burdens but learn to take them and then lay them at the feet of our Lord.
Pray that while interceding for some, we don't at the same time be accusing someone else. Let us pray for repentance and forgiveness over condemnation.
Pray that we will be encouraged by the testimonies of the saints who went before us, and that we will know that these goals are not unreachable for us, even us, with the help of the Holy Spirit.
If you can, try memorizing Luke 23:34.
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