Luke 23:34 "Then Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they're doing...'"

“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).

Question:

We had a talk on forgiveness, and I would like to hear a metaphysical interpretation [of this passage].

Comment:

Jesus is speaking from the cross; and even in this moment of pain and anguish, he is holding firmly and lovingly to the spiritual Truth that was the basis of his entire ministry. It is easy, when others are painfully oppressing us, to assume a dualistic world in which they are “evil”—a power opposite to God seeking to oppose the energy and expression of God in the world. But there can be no opposite to God. Among the attributes of God are omniscience, omnipotence and omnipresence. There is only God. The forces of darkness that make life so difficult are simply expressions of our collective ignorance of God’s eternal Presence and Love. So it is with the forces crucifying Jesus: They are not evil, they are ignorant. “They do not know what they are doing.” It’s difficult to hold to this spiritual Truth even on the best of days; to affirm it so lovingly at such a moment of ultimate challenge is truly an expression of the Christ Nature that Jesus expressed and demonstrated, and calls us to find in ourselves.

Blessings!

Rev. Ed