Forgiveness is the Foundation of Restoration
And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. (Luke 23:33–34)
There were but seven sayings of Jesus recorded on the cross. In six long hours on the cross, Jesus was more about doing than He was about speaking. As we near Passover and the celebration of the resurrection of Christ, I have been studying these sayings through the lens of restoration. In prayer, the Lord impressed me that each of these statements gives us another step in the process of restoration. Redemption’s scope is larger than the forgiveness of sin; it is the reestablishment of God’s original intent for mankind. Jesus said it this way:
For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10)
I like the KJV rendering because it is much more inclusive. Jesus did not say, “The Son of man is come to seek and save them that were lost”; He said, “that which was lost.” Jesus is restoring everything sin took away from mankind. In other words, the work of the cross goes beyond the surface effects of sin. The restorative work of Calvary deals with all the root causes and consequences of sin if we will but embrace it for ourselves.
We find a hint of this restoration in Jesus’ handling of the leper. A leprosy diagnosis in Bible times came with a stigma of sin. Having leprosy not only was a reproach that meant being rejected by society, it destroyed the nervous system, causing the loss of fingers, toes, nose, and ears over time. The longer a leper suffered from the disease, the more hideous he or she would look. The Law allowed people to throw stones at lepers if they got too close because leprosy was considered contagious. An approaching leper would cause many to run away, but not Jesus. He did the unthinkable: He embraced them.
And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. (Mark 1:40–41)
Yes, Jesus put forth His hand and touched the leper. The leper was immediately cleansed and returned to society to tell his story of restoration. Jesus was not afraid of the leper’s problem, and He isn’t afraid of ours!
Later on in the ministry of Jesus, He healed and cleansed ten lepers, only one of which came back to fall at Jesus’ feet and glorify God with a heart full of thankfulness. What Jesus said next gives us insight that we should consider.
And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole. (Luke 17:17–19)
There is a dimension of restoration that goes beyond being cleansed: this man was also made whole! It is one thing to remove the disease; it is something entirely different when someone is made whole. “Cleansing” means the disease can no longer ravage your body. “Wholeness” means that whatever damage the disease did to you is no longer there. If you lost a finger or a toe or part of your nose, it is restored. This is the complete work of restoration that Jesus came to do. Whatever “that” was that you lost, Jesus is seeking to take it back from the enemy that stole it from you! Hallelujah!
As Jesus hung on the cross, His first words started the process of restoration and laid the foundation for all that would follow. Only Jesus could change history and reverse the trend of bitterness, hate, and accusation by looking at the very people who shook their fists at Him and say, “Father, forgive them.” Jesus not only gave us the example; He gave us the power to say these words too. Let the Father forgive through you today. Your restoration can start today with these three simple words: “Father, forgive them.”