"Father, Forgive Them . . . "
"Father, forgive them, they know not what they do" — Luke 23:34 1
The verse quoted above is one of the "seven last words," as recorded in the Gospels, that were spoken by Jesus during his crucifixion.2 What does Jesus mean when he says, "they know not what they do"? 3 Obviously, those in power or members of the crowd who demanded and had Jesus put to death intended to punish and murder Jesus. The ground asserted to justify the killing of Jesus was that he claimed to be "King of the Jews" who opposed Caesar (See John 19:16b–22). Crucifixion was the most violent, painful, and humiliating means employed by Rome against those who challenged its authority or power.
What may surprise some is that Jesus Christ inherently forgave, or at least expressly asked the "Father" to forgive, these people without first requiring them to understand, acknowledge, repent, and offer contrition for their part in willingly desiring and causing the death of an "innocent" human being—Jesus—let alone the death of the "Messiah" or the "Son of God." But we should not be surprised since God's essence is love (1 John 4:8), and it is "God our savior, who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:3b–4).
Would a loving parent ever condemn their child to eternal condemnation, punishment, and separation from them for disrespecting them, or failing to do their will, or failing to repent of their wrongs before they die? Like a loving parent, would not an eternal and unconditionally loving God always wait and remain open for the return of God's children regardless of when that occurs, such as we learn in the parable of the "loving father" (Luke 15:11-32).
That's not to say that God does not have a plan to purify us so that we can "achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven." In essence, isn't that what "purgatory" seeks to do regardless of the amount of time it takes? Therefore, we should be careful of judging who, when, under what circumstances, or how an eternal and unconditionally loving God forgives and transforms those who "sin" against God.
Instead of judging the eternal fate of others, let us pray that God's unconditional love will lead everyone, including us, to experience God's love and Presence throughout all eternity. Let us begin by hoping and trusting in Jesus' words, "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do."
1 Presented in the end notes to the Gospel of Luke, in the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE), is the statement: "[23:34] [Then Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.']: this portion of Lk 23:34 does not occur in the oldest papyrus manuscript of Luke and in other early Greek manuscripts and ancient versions of wide geographical distribution." Despite this reservation, Catholic Tradition has accepted the attribution of this statement to Jesus.
2 Tradition identifies the other six "last words" as: [Jesus speaking one of the thiefs being crucified with Jesus], "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." (Luke 23:43); "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit" (Luke 23:46); ""Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani which means, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'” (Matthew 27:46; cf. Mark 15:34); [Jesus speaking to the "disciple whom Jesus loved"], "Woman, behold your son. . . . [Son], Behold your mother." (John 19:26); "I thirst." (John 19:28); "It is finished." (John 19:30)
3 Compare the statements recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, suggesting the intentions or acts of those who participated in demanding or participating in the crucifixion of Jesus were out of ignorance or their failure to recognize who Jesus was (the "Messiah" or the "Son of God"?), or they were used to fulfill God's plan: For example, after the crucifixion, Peter proclaimed in the Temple area in Jerusalem, "Now I know, brothers, that you acted out of ignorance,* just as your leaders did; but God has thus brought to fulfillment what he had announced beforehand through the mouth of all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer" (Acts 3:17–18). Paul later proclaimed at Antioch, "The inhabitants of Jerusalem and their leaders failed to recognize him, and by condemning him they fulfilled the oracles of the prophets that are read sabbath after sabbath. For even though they found no grounds for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him put to death" (Acts 13:27–28; emphasis added). According to Paul, had these people who caused Jesus' crucifixion known of God's plan "predetermined before the ages,. . . they would not have crucified the Lord" (See 1 Cor. 2:6–8).