Luke 23

Vs. 4  “ I find no guilt in this man.” Vs. 14  “I have found no guilt in this man regarding the charges which you make against Him.” Vs. 20  “Pilate wanting to release Jesus” Vs. 22  “ I have found in Him no guilt” Vs. 41  “..but this man has done nothing wrong.” Vs. 47  “Certainly this man was innocent.” We know that He, our Christ, was without sin and therefore could and did pay for my sins which are many. I am so grateful or I think I am.   Yet what do I do when I am accused of something and I think I am innocent?  Am I innocent?  Good question to ponder first.  “Removing the plank from my eye.”  Wow, there are a lot of planks here, Lord.  I can barely find my eye. However, even after this some hurts seem to linger.  We potentially could nurture this hurt.  We could water it every time we see this person. This we know becomes bitterness and we should beware of it for it can grow up and defile many.  Jesus tells us we should forgive as He has forgiven us.  He who was totally innocent, died for us and forgave us and we (who are rarely  innocent) should forgive our fellow sinners.  We should not be like the forgiven slave in Matt. 18 who threw his fellow slave into prison.  We should not seek revenge that belongs to God. When Jesus was on the cross He asked His Father to forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.   “He saw them as deceived and the slaves to sin that they were.”   (Robert D. Jones)  People usually do not wake up in the morning and make a plan to hurt you.  Jesus sees them in their slavery to pride and selfishness that leads to acts against their fellow humans.  They are deceived.  Have mercy on them.  He did.  I am glad that when I stand before God He will deal with me in forgiveness and mercy.  He will because of what Jesus did on the cross, that world changing day described in Luke 23.  Thank you, Jesus.  Thank you.