Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing. And they cast lots to divide his clothing-Luke 23:34

Recently, there was a scandal. A local doctor, who dedicated most of his life working among the imprisoned, did a short segment on a televised program on incarcerated transgendered felons. He interviewed them on their challenges and struggles being incarcerated in one of the most crowded prison systems in the world. One particular person shared that she found loneliness and isolation to be the most difficult thing to be deal with in prison. Her family had abandoned her. She has been in prison for 8 years and has never received a visitor. It is almost as if she has ceased to exist. The doctor moved by her thoughts asked if he could give her a hug. His spontaneous act inspired others to be compassionate. People started sending letters to this particular person. Unfortunately, a few weeks later, someone from a religious group took it upon herself to investigate and publicly expose all the details of the crime of this prisoner. Regardless to say, it was heinous and despicable in nature. The post claimed that this prisoner was not a human but indeed a demon. Not many would disagree with this after the reading the nature of the crime. Many, especially the religious people, took upon themselves to make sure that everyone knew about this. Like the doctor’s action, this negative campaign had a contagious effect. It inspired many to express their hatred and disdain towards the transgendered woman and the doctor. Suddenly, the doctor was portrayed as a villain for being insensitive to the victim’s family. The doctor decided to put an end to this. He made a video apologizing to the family even though he never did anything to offend anyone or condone any crime. Besides, he was not aware of the crimes of any of the people whom he interviewed. It was clear that he was emotionally devastated by the outcry. He said that he is a doctor to the prisoners and he knows that all of them have committed serious offenses. However, he is their doctor and not their judge. He hugged her because he thought that it was right thing to do at that moment. His sincere comments did not calm the furor of religious sector. I don’t usually follow scandals but the outcry was impossible to avoid. Unfortunately, I heard it through some of my friends who went to church regularly. They were scandalized by the doctor’s actions and claimed that he did something shameful. This is the world we live in presently. It is not very much different from the one where everyone yelled, “Crucify Him!”

They were the same ones who wanted Jesus to be crucified for not being all that they wanted Him to be. They are the ones who chose a murderer over Jesus. Not because they cared for the welfare of the former but because they hated Jesus. They did not understand Him even though they had acknowledged Him as their Messiah not too long ago. It didn’t take long for them to realize that He was not there to fulfill their personal and national projects. They realize that His will was not aligned with their will. He was not going to hate those whom they hate and favor those whom they favored. He was not going to speak the same language as the religious authorities of His time. He was a grand disappointment to the people and they could not forgive Him. He represented everything they hated and despised in this world. He was the opposite of them. They refused to forgive Him for being as such. Anyway, it was out of the question unless He showed them that He was able to do what they required. They demanded a sign from Him even as He hung on the Cross. They would forgive and believe Him if He showed them a sign. Their willingness to forgive came with a condition. In reality, it was not forgiveness at all.

In another time and another place Jesus said, “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20) One of the key elements that separates Jesus from the Pharisees is forgiveness. There was no room for forgiveness in the spirituality of the Pharisees. They were the most devout people in Jesus’ time. They never broke the Law. They never missed a sabbath. They were meticulous about their rituals and traditions. They even memorized the scriptures. We can be all these things and yet incite the crowds to shout, “Crucify Him!”

The reality is that if our spirituality does not exceed that of the Pharisees, the Kingdom of Heaven will be hell to us. It would be crowded with people that will make us feel uncomfortable. Jesus, throughout His ministry, has shown us that He invites those who are usually considered unworthy. He forgives without expecting repentance. In most cases, when the person understands what is being given to him or her, there is an inevitable change in their hearts. However, it is a change not for the world to see. The change may be obvious to us or it can be very subtle. The change is something personal within the soul of the person. It is impossible to receive God’s forgiveness without being changed or transformed. However, it is not impossible to receive His forgiveness and refuse to grant it to others. In this case, I am not sure if these people are like the Pharisees or worse. Maybe they are just just like those who shouted, “Crucify Him!”

In response to these words of hatred, Jesus responded, “Forgive them for they do not know what they do.”

Jesus did not say these words hoping that they would change their mind upon hearing them. The verses that follow this cry reveal that the people continued with their heinous activities without giving heed to His words. However, those closest to Him heard it. They knew a grave injustice has been committed. Like normal human beings, whenever we see such things, we can’t help but feel resentment and hatred building up in our hearts towards the perpetrators. However, we cannot allow these to take root in our hearts. If it happens, we will be just like the rest of the crowd. Forgiveness is the way. Jesus pronounced these words to reveal to us that God the Father is a God who forgives unconditionally. He has always been this forgiving God. Perhaps, it has not been clear throughout the stories written in the Bible. Nevertheless, Jesus makes it crystal clear that our God is a God who forgives unconditionally. If we want to follow in the footsteps of His Son whom He loved, then our path is a way of forgiveness. It is the mark that will separate us from those cried, “Crucify Him!” We have to forgive those who have allowed hatred to be their guide and motivator in this life. We have to learn to forgive without condition. This is impossible for us as humans. This is why we cry at the foot of the Cross. We don’t have the strength and courage to be like the One who hangs on this cursed wood. However, it doesn’t stop us from bringing our doctrines, ideology and convictions that promote hatred and unforgiveness to the foot of the Cross. Even then, we know deep down in our hearts that we are too weak to be like Him. All we can do is to look to Him and hear Him say that He forgives us too.