Good Friday devotion: Forgive Them - Luke 23:34

Luke 23:34     Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

Song – to the Irish tune of Cockles and Mussels

In God’s Holy City,

Where we were shown pity,

When Jesus the Christ died upon Calvary,

As He suffered and bled,

Our Savior He said,

“My Father, forgive them, and save them for Me.

O save them for Me, O save them for Me.

My Father, forgive them and save them for Me.”

I can remember almost 25 years ago when my first daughter was born. Both my wife Evelyn and I felt both the joy of bringing a new baby into the world, but also the deep anxiety of not knowing what to do next. There are no instructions or blueprints that come with a baby and if truth be told, most parents wing it on a day to day basis. Every child is different and each precious baby has their own unique personality. What works for one, will not work for another child. We learned this the hard way when our second daughter was born two years later. We soon realized that all that we had learned with the first child was not applicable to the second.

Not knowing what to do because of inexperience happens to us all. When we first learn to drive, we have to be taught what to do step by step, gear by gear, and street by street. We can’t suddenly take the car keys at the age of sixteen and expect to drive. We have to know what we’re doing, we have to know where we’re going; we have to think about where we’re driving and how fast we are moving. To get in a car and drive without knowing the basics is just asking for trouble.

Crucifying the Christ, the Holy Son of God, was the ultimate act of human ignorance. The people had seen and experienced Christ’s miracles. They had heard His teaching and wondered at His miracles. He had brought them closer to God than any other prophet or religious leader in their history, but they ignored the Truth He proclaimed, cast aside His way for their own understanding, and chose to take His life rather than accept His lifestyle choices. They thought that they were getting rid of another false messiah, a theological trouble maker, and religious rabble rouser, but what they were actually doing was killing the Son of God.

Jesus could have called down a thousand angels to protect Him. God could have stopped the crucifixion at any time and destroyed His holy city. Instead of judgment and wrath, Christ calls for gentleness and redemption. Instead punishment and destruction, Christ prays for peace and deliverance. In all of the history of humankind the most wicked of sins occurred at Calvary, but in the history of all Creation, the most gracious Savior of the world shows mercy.

“Father,” He prays, “forgive them for they don’t realize what they are actually doing.”

“O save them for Me, O save them for Me!

My Father, forgive them, and save them for me!”

Holy Week Devotions: Just Like Us - Proverbs 12:21

Proverbs 12:21           No harm befalls the righteous, but the wicked have their fill of trouble.

Today’s verse from Proverbs expresses a religious idea that was prevalent in Old Testament times: the good are blessed by God; those who are evil befall all kinds of disaster.

During Holy Week, we are constantly reminded that this is not true. Christ, who was entirely good, was not protected from the pain and ignominy, suffering and shame that He endured. Instead, because He was all good, He was humiliated and wounded, abused and executed, tortured and sacrificed by people just like us. Had we been there in Jerusalem during Christ’s last week, we would have joined the mob and condemned Him.

On that day of infamy, all manner of harm befell the Righteous One. On that day, the wicked had more than their fill of bloodlust and anger, vengeance and hatred, fanaticism and bigotry.

The question we need to ask ourselves today is this: are we any different from Christ’s abusers, or does this most sacred and holiest of weeks in the year become life changing and truly meaningful to us?

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, help us to take time out from the busy-ness of our tight schedules and lay aside a worthy portion of our time to think about You, Holy Week, Good Friday and Easter. Keep us from being distracted and enable us to remain focused on You. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is currently the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment or ask questions of today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest Holy Week drawings. It’s called “New Day” and is a Maundy Thursday/Easter sunrise picture. If you would like to see a larger version of this, please visit the following link: http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5223/5622811365_440f59a85b_b.jpg

Daily Devotions: The Blame Game

Genesis 3:12 The man said, "The woman you put here with me--she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it."

I call it the “blame game.” You know about it, too. Someone does something diabolically wicked and it’s reported in the newspaper. The evidence is there and enough witnesses come forward to make the conviction stand. And then we read about parents, relatives, and friends who sobbingly declare that their child would never do this, or that the police have framed him, or that the System (whatever that is) is to blame. In other words, the wicked event – a murder, a rape, or an armed robbery – all took place by itself. And even though the evidence and witnesses clearly point to his or her guilt, the perpetrator is surely not to blame.

I’ve also seen it happen with drug addicts and alcoholics. I’ve sadly watched them ruin their lives, lose their jobs, and sever themselves from their families and friends. Despite all of these unfortunate things, the addict still mistakenly believes that someone else is to blame.

It’s a sad part of the human condition which has been with us since the very beginning. In the Garden of Eden, God discovers that Adam and Eve have eaten the forbidden fruit. When God questions the couple, Adam blames Eve (and also God for making her). Eve blames the serpent. No one is willing to stand up and say, “God, I cannot tell a lie. It was me.” They don’t even say that they are sorry.

Left to ourselves, human beings can be highly irresponsible and totally unrepentant. But through the mercy of God, the Holy Spirit sometimes afflicts and convicts us of our mistakes. When that happens we have two simple choices: we can go on thinking that we’re not to blame, or we can come to Christ’s Cross and ask Him to hear our confessions. If we approach Him sincerely, He will cancel our sins. We will be at last freed from the “Blame Game” and received into the Light of Christ.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us to name our shame and impart from our hearts the failures, mistakes, and blame for the sins we have committed, the relationships we have ruined, and the wrongs we have done. Grant us the courage to make things right with You and with those we have hurt, disappointed, or decried. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.