Holy Week, especially Good Friday and Easter, reminds us of the salvific work of God, manifested in Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Since sinners cannot earn their salvation, God designed that Jesus die on the cross for humankind. The seven sayings Jesus spoke on the cross remind us of his heartbeat for humanity—for their forgiveness, salvation, and the restoration of their fellowship with God.

In Hinduism, the ten avatars (incarnations) of Vishnu are intended for “dushta sikshana & shishta parirakshana” i.e., to punish the sinner and protect the good. But the purpose of Jesus is to forgive sinners. The father of India, Mahathma Gandhi, was influenced by the forgiveness of Jesus. He adopted ‘ahimsa’, non-violence, as a weapon to fight with the British government. Thus, the forgiveness of Jesus, exemplified on the cross, is one of the secrets of the independence of India.

If I were to identify the theme of Jesus’ final seven sayings from the cross, I would suggest “The Heartbeat of the Messiah for Mankind.” We will meditate on the first and second sayings, which focus on the theme of humanity’s forgiveness or the forgiveness of sinners. In the first saying, Jesus interceded for people who did not repent of their sins, while in the second one, he assured the penitent that he was indeed forgiven (Lk. 23:34, 43)

The first saying is, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Lk. 23:34). This saying reveals three things about the forgiveness of sinners:

The Basis for Forgiveness is God’s Fatherhood (Jesus cried, ‘Father!’). Jesus and God the Father maintain a father-son relationship, and the Son has access and intimacy that allows him to appeal to his Father for forgiveness. Hence, Jesus interceded on behalf of people who wronged him.

The Potential Recipients of Forgiveness included three groups. Jesus pleaded with his Father to “forgive them.” There were three groups of possible recipients of forgiveness. First, the decision-makers who sentenced Jesus to be crucified, including the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate; the King of Galilee, Herod Antipas; and the Jewish High Priest, Caiaphas (Lk. 23:1-25). Second, the implementers of the death sentence (Lk. 23:26-33). Third, the confused crowd (Matt. 21:9, 27:22).

The first group were the authorities: as Judea was directly under Roman rule, decision-making was primarily in the hands of the Roman governor, Pilate, who repeatedly stated that he found no grounds for sentencing Jesus to death. However, he ultimately succumbed to the pressures of the religious leaders and the confused crowd. The subsequent decision-maker was supposed to be Herod, the King of Galilee under the Romans. However, he wanted to gain political mileage by not deciding on the crucifixion and leaving the decision to Pilate. The third group of decision-makers were the religious leaders. These religious leaders took the law into their own hands and incited the crowd to demand the release of Barabbas and the crucifixion of an innocent man, the Messiah. The religious leaders headed by Annas and Caiaphas, in reality, hijacked the decision-making process, instigated the crowd, and forced Pilate to sentence Jesus to death (Mt. 26:57-68; Jn. 18:13-14).

The second group that Jesus prayed for was the group who carried out his crucifixion. There were two groups of soldiers: the temple police and the palace guards. These people were with the victim, Jesus, throughout the trial and crucifixion and heard his prayer with their ears. They treated Jesus’ trial and death sentence with a lack of seriousness. They did not understand its gravity, so they mocked and humiliated Jesus and carelessly cast lots for his garments (Matt. 27:35).

The third group was the confused crowd, which included some ladies who were weeping for Jesus because they had once been helped by his ministry, and the rest who were so confused that the decision-makers convinced them that Jesus should be crucified; they ignorantly cried, ‘Crucify him, crucify him.’ The previous week, in the event of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the crowd shouted ‘Hosanna’ (meaning, ‘save us’). Now they cry, ‘crucify him, crucify him,’ (Lk. 23:27, Matt. 21:9, 27:22). They were confused.

The Barriers to Forgiveness. The barrier given in Luke 23:34b “for they do not know what they are doing,” highlights ignorance or deliberate bias. Ironically, Jesus now took pity on them because they did not know that Jesus, the Messiah, had to die (Lk.23). They were the ones who needed to be held accountable for their poor judgment. They believed and practiced the Eastern saying, “There is no thief until he is caught.” The Romans wanted to capitalize on the honor-shame culture of the Jewish people by sentencing Jesus to the cross, ignoring the mistakes of the decision-makers.

What is the takeaway for us as we meditate on the first saying? Jesus, as the Son of God, has access to his Father, who can save anyone who repents of their sins. You and I may belong to one of three groups: decision-makers, implementers, or crowd. While God’s love and compassion are for everyone, the question is, do we acknowledge our ignorance and need for the forgiveness of sins?

This leads us to focus on the second saying: “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Lk. 23:43).

While the first saying provides a path to forgiveness for all kinds of people, the second word (Lk. 23: 43) illustrates how penitent people can avail themselves of forgiveness and immediately find their place in paradise. This second saying was Jesus’ response to one of the criminals who was nailed to a cross alongside him. While one criminal doubted and ridiculed whether Jesus could save himself and others (Lk. 23:40), the other criminal rebuked the unrepentant one and appealed to Jesus to remember him in his kingdom (Lk.23:41). Both criminals heard the first saying and witnessed Jesus’ prayer to his Father to forgive those who were harming him (Lk. 23:34). They listened to the three accusations against Jesus: blasphemy (Lk. 22:70), treason (Lk. 23:3), and even benevolent service to humanity (Lk.22:51). Both heard that he was a Messianic King who could save humanity. However, one doubted and questioned Jesus, while the other one appealed to Jesus to remember him. The penitent robber confessed that Jesus was the Messiah who had the power to forgive and the power to save humanity. We can observe certain things in his confession. He believed that even though Roman officials punished people for the crimes they committed (Lk. 23:41), it was God who ultimately either punished or saved the sinner. He believed there was still an opportunity to approach God and his Messiah directly. He also tried to evangelize his fellow robber to ask for forgiveness. Jesus honored his repentance and evangelistic effort and instantaneously granted his prayer. The second saying thus describes the following three aspects of forgiveness and salvation:

Firstly, Jesus affirmed the confession made by the repentant criminal. The penitent thief acknowledged Jesus as King when he requested to be remembered in his kingdom. He confessed that he deserved punishment for his wrongdoing and did not seek to have his sentence repealed. He was willing to bear the cross and bear the crucifixion. Sadhu Sundar Singh said, “From my many years experience, I can unhesitatingly say that the cross bears those who bear the cross.”¹

Secondly, this saying contrasts the two criminals: one found forgiveness through repentance, restoring his relationship with the Messiah, while the other demanded salvation without it.

Thirdly, there was an immediate reward for the confession. Jesus assured the repentant criminal that he would be in paradise the same day. The word “paradise” is a Persian term that indicates a walled garden or a royal park where the king would invite any citizen he wished to honor for their contributions to the kingdom. Even in his physical agony on the cross, Jesus rejoiced that the thief had received the spiritual honor of paradise. Heaven celebrates a repentant sinner with singular joy, as if they were the only one. What a consolation and reward! Another thing we cannot overlook is that in the Garden of Eden, sin separated man from God and condemned the sinner. Here, paradise reunites the sinner with the saviour as a reward.

Let me quote Sadhu Sundar Singh again, “Should I worship Him from fear of hell, may I be cast into it. Should I serve Him from desire of gaining heaven, may He keep me out. But should I worship Him from love alone, He reveals Himself to me, that my whole heart may be filled with His love and presence.”² May we, like the penitent thief and Sadhu Sundar Singh, desire the presence of Jesus rather than the absence of suffering and wish for life!

Dr. Abraham Saggu is an Old Testament teacher at Caleb Institute, New Delhi, India, and a CTIA visiting scholar. He spent three months on sabbatical at IGSL, Manila, and will spend the remainder of his sabbatical at OCMS, Oxford. His current research interest is “Witness of the Patriarchs and Missions of the Church in India.” He was a missionary to Nepal and set up AGST Nepal. Before that, he was the Registrar and Academic Dean at SAIACS, Bangalore, India.