Text: Luke 23:1-49
Look:
On this “Good” Friday, I thought we might meditate on what so powerfully grabbed Dr. King’s attention in 1963:
Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.
-Luke 23:34
"Few words in the New Testament more clearly and solemnly express the magnanimity of Jesus’ spirit than that sublime utterance from the cross, 'Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.' This is love at its best. We shall not fully understand the great meaning of Jesus’ prayer unless we first notice that the text opens with the word 'then.' The verse immediately preceding reads thus: 'And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.” Then said Jesus, “Father, forgive them.' Then- when he was being plunged into the abyss of nagging agony. Then- when man had stooped to his worst. Then- when he was dying, a most ignominious death. Then- when the wicked hands of the creature had dared to crucify the only begotten Son of the Creator. Then said Jesus, 'Father, forgive them.' That 'then' might well have been otherwise. He could have said, 'Father, get even with them,' or 'Father, let loose the mighty thunderbolts of righteous wrath and destroy them,' or 'Father, open the flood gates of justice and permit the staggering avalanche of retribution to pour upon them.' But none of these was his response. Though subjected to inexpressible agony, suffering excruciating pain, and despised and rejected, nevertheless, he cried, 'Father forgive them.'" -p. 39, Strength to Love
This is the crucial moment for King in the passion narrative. Often our emphasis in the church on this day is on the immense suffering of Christ on the cross. King pushes us even farther: not only is it Christ suffering on the cross, but it is what Christ is doing in that moment on the cross. Jesus continues to love and to forgive. May we also reflect on the “then” of our lives: our current context and how we are called to love and forgive within it.
Listen:
Also for your meditation tonight, I share Osvaldo Golijov’s, “La Pasion de San Marcos.” In 2001 composers around the world were commissioned to write a passion piece in the spirit of J.S. Bach. This particular work won the most international acclaim, as it brings together musical elements from South America, Africa and Arabia. You can hear Golijov's interview on NPR, listen to a sample of the music, and even hear some of his theology.
