He had just been abandoned by loved ones, wrongfully accused, savagely whipped and beaten, stabbed with thorns, and had nails driven through his hands and feet, all the while being mocked.

As he hung there, literally gasping for air, he looked down on the very people who were torturing him and said,

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34

Even in the midst of the worst physical, emotional and spiritual pain, Jesus never lost his compassion for people.

It’s easy to blame them but we too are to blame as the song “How Deep The Father’s Love For Us” says, “It was my sin that held him there until it was accomplished.”

In that moment, Jesus was both praying for our forgiveness, and paying for our forgiveness. His death paid our debt, so anyone who turns from their sin and trusts him can be fully forgiven, and once we accept that forgiveness, we too can offer that forgiveness to others!