Are We Bridge-Burners or Bridge-Builders?

Luke 23:34 - Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.

        ‘Father forgive them’ - This is one of the precious Seven Words from the Cross, spoken by Jesus under intense suffering. There is a vast body of literature that has been written and preached, over the centuries, on these sayings and oh, how rich the literature is. Some have said that Jesus still had things that He must say before He died, so He preached them from the most sacred of all pulpits; the pulpit of the Cross. Even while He is undergoing the worst type of torture and pain known to man, Jesus is thinking of others. Love is ever thinking of others, never of itself. Truly Jesus’ life portrayed the ultimate selfless Man. Save yourself, one of the thieves said, but it could never be, He didn’t come to save Himself, He came to save others. He came to save us, to save you, and to save me. He is still looking to His Father, the source of love and forgiveness. Father, forgive them. That is why you sent me, to forgive, to see mankind released from their sin.    

         Forgiveness is the bridge between the Father and ‘them’, please build that bridge, Father. Release the prisoners and unlock the shackles that have bound them. It has been said that forgiveness is like setting the prisoner free and then realizing that the prisoner was you. Father, release them, free them, liberate them, and let them cross that bridge. All forgiveness ultimately comes from the Father. We would not truly know forgiveness if it weren’t for the Father. The Father is the one who created us and He is the one who remains committed to us regardless of our stance toward Him. Do not hold this against them; they do not understand what they are doing. The vast majority of people are crowd influenced and driven. Most of the people in this crowd were simply caught up in the frenzy and emotions of the moment; they did not understand what was really happening behind the scenes, so to speak. Paul tells us that ‘if the princes of this world had known, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory’. The Jewish leaders did not know. Pilate and Herod did not know. The crowd did not know and the soldiers did not know. None of them truly knew the significance of this event. God, however, knew exactly what was happening and he knew that in order for forgiveness to become available to all, there must be a sacrifice. Jesus was the lamb of God who would bear away the sin of the world by accepting the weight of other people’s choices. That’s what forgiveness does; it doesn’t do away with the wrong done, but it releases people from their self-imposed chains. 

         Unforgiveness burns the bridge over which we, ourselves, may one day need to cross. Let’s not be bridge burners but instead be bridge builders. Father, we look to you for the love and the grace to continue to forgive ourselves and others.