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Father Forgive Them
Table of Contents
From the cross Jesus prayed Father forgive them for they do not know what they do.
Key Concept
But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves.Luke 23:34 NASB1995
- Nailed and mocked, Jesus prayed for the people driving the nails - Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.
- The prayer is intercession for enemies at the moment of maximum injustice, not a delayed lecture after He won.
- Moved with Compassion bent His calendar for hurting people; here mercy speaks when He had every right to condemn.
- Under Free Grace, I am among the forgiven who did not know the weight of what we rejected - His prayer bought space for Repent and Believe later.
Examples
- Someone slandered me online and my thumb hovered over a nuclear reply - Father forgive them is prayer first, not victory lap after I cool down.
- The coworker who sabotaged my project walked past my desk - Jesus prayed for His executioners while they were still executing.
Note Relationships
| Relationship | Wikilink | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| contradicts | Sunk Cost Fallacy | when I treat old hurt as debt I am owed before I forgive |
| extends | Free Grace | Prayed mercy before I asked - grace at the cross |
| extends | Jesus' Prayers | Verbatim cross prayer - Luke 23:34 |
| extends | Love Your Neighbor | Neighbor includes enemy at the worst moment |
| extends | Moved with Compassion | Mercy when condemnation would be fair |
