Oh, Father Won't You Forgive Me, For I Don't Know What I've Been Doing

I heard a song on the radio the other day that really got me thinking.

The chorus of the song repeated the verse “Oh, Father won’t you forgive them, for they don’t know what they've been doin’”

I found myself immediately questioning how I felt about these lyrics. You see, the line in this song is quoting Jesus. While Jesus was dying on the cross, the very people he was dying for were fighting over his few material possessions. Jesus, who was without sin, asked God to show mercy on these people who didn't understand what was happening...these people who were living, buried in their sins...these people who are you and I.

This might sound abrasive, but who are we to go to God, asking Him to forgive others, when we need just as much (if not more!) forgiveness ourselves? Wouldn't it make more sense to ask God to give us the strength and grace we need to forgive those who have hurt us? Wouldn't we be better off asking God to help us live like Jesus– full of grace, compassion, and forgiveness– even for those who were crucifying him?

In the Lord’s Prayer, we recite the lines:

“forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

This isn't saying, “Forgive me so that I can forgive others.”

No.

This is saying, “Forgive me BECAUSE I have forgiven others.”

We are reminded to forgive not just seven times, but seventy TIMES seven times. This is Jesus’ way of telling us to constantly and continually forgive– as many times as it takes. If God, through Jesus, will show us the grace and mercy to forgive ALL our sins– yes, even the really, really bad ones...then we should try with all our might to do the same for others.

It might take a day. It might take a week. It might take years. We can ask God for the strength to learn how to forgive. We can ask God to forgive us for our un-forgiveness as we work through the– sometimes very difficult– process.

But I don’t think we should ask God to forgive “them” when we are not without sin ourselves.

We all sin. We all struggle to forgive. We all fall short. None of us know what we are doing. What we do know is God is faithful, and just, and loving, and sent his only son to die for our forgiveness and salvation.

So let us learn to forgive as God forgives. Let us be courageous. Let us love our enemies. And let us always remember that

God is good. All the time.