Jesus prays Father Forgive them

“We draw people to Christ not by loudly discrediting what they believe, by telling them how wrong they are and how right we are, but by showing them a light that is so lovely that they want with all their hearts to know the source of it.” I wrote this quote from Madeleine L’Engle in the front of a notebook where I record questions I want to ask my kids to help them grow up in their faith.

“Is God good”? This is one of the first questions in my notebook. “For many, a distrust in the goodness of God, often because of deep pain or great loss, has led them to conclude that God is not good. What about you? Do you believe God is good? Why or why not? Do you think it is important for a Christian to be convinced of the goodness of God? How well can we trust someone if we are unsure of their intentions?”

In Luke 23, we read the narrative of the final agonizing hours of Jesus’ life. Nailed to a cross, while lots were cast for His clothes, the rulers scoffed at Him while the Roman soldiers mocked Him. “And Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Hung between two criminals, one jeered, while the other asked for mercy. Jesus assured him, “today you will be with me in paradise.” Finally, He would breathe His last breath and die.

These are the historical facts of what transpired that day, but what occurred behind the scenes is the “light so lovely” L’Engle referred to. No one could read this gospel account, and walk away assured that God is truly good, without delving into the rest of the Bible. We must read all of the story to begin to understand how God’s goodness to us is fully displayed at the cross. A transaction was made at Christ’s expense. What transpired at the cross is our assurance that God IS good. He is for us!

What happened behind the scenes that would cause us to think an event so awful was good? At the cross, Jesus absorbed the wrath of God. He showed the wealth of God’s love and grace for sinners and His own love for us. He cancelled the legal demands of the law against us. He became a ransom for many. He secured the forgiveness of our sins. He provided the basis for our justification. He completed the obedience that became our righteousness. He took away our condemnation, gave us a clear conscience, reconciled us to God, made us perfect, blameless and holy in God’s sight, freed us from the slavery of sin, and secured our resurrection from the dead.*

Jesus died to show that the worst evil is meant by God for good. Do you believe it? Is God really good? Then let’s go show the world a light so lovely that they will want with all of their hearts to know the source of it.

*This list was developed from John Piper’s Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came To Die. You can read the book free online: https://www.desiringgod.org/books/fifty-reasons-why-jesus-came-to-die 

-Natalie Runyon