JESUS PRAYED FOR HIS MURDERERS AND DIED FOR THEM ON THE CROSS
Sakkie Parsons
Translated from Afrikaans: “Jesus het vir Sy moordenaars gebid en vir hulle aan die kruis gesterf.”
Someone wrote to me and asked the question:
“Who is my neighbour that I should love.”
I then sent my answer to the person with the title: “Who is my neighbour.” *
Then the person answered me as follows:
“I understand everything you say, but I cannot pray for someone who tortures or kills someone else. I will talk to the LORD and ask Him to help me”
Here is my answer to the person that I would also like to share with you:
Good day,
You write to me that you understand everything.
In other words, I assume that you know what is expected of you and then you write:
“I can’t pray for such.”
This is a lie with which satan wants to hinder you, from having a good relationship with Jesus.
We, who have truly accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, have Jesus’ Holy Spirit within us.
He didn’t just pray for murderers –
As you know, He prayed for His murderers, who first tortured and mocked Him, then crucified Him – in other words, they tortured and mocked Him again in the most cruellest, horrifying way unto death – He prayed for them with great divine love and not only did he pray for them – He endured their torture and mockery and then also died for them that terrifying death on the cross, while He prayed for them with His great love .
We read:
LUKE 23:33-37
The Crucifixion33When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and one on the left. 34And Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots, dividing His clothes among themselves. 35Now the people stood by, watching; but even the rulers ridiculed and sneered at Him, saying, “He saved others [from death]; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed) of God, His Chosen One.” 36The soldiers also mocked Him, coming up to Him and [cruelly] offering Him sour wine, 37and sarcastically saying, “If you are [really] the King of the Jews, save Yourself [from death]!”
33 And when they came to the place called Skull, they crucified Him there, and the malefactors, one on the right— and one on the left.
34 And Jesus said: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. And they divided his garments and cast lots over them.
35 And the people stood and watched. And the rulers with them also hinted and said: He saved others; let Him redeem Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen one of God.
Our Lord has given us a small, a very small glimpse to read of what His abuse, torture and terrifying murder consisted of. For His murderers He then prayed who tortured Him in this way – but not only for them, but also for you and me.
Specifically read the following, but you can read the whole of Chapter 53, it is only 12 verses:
ISAIAH 53:3-7
3He was despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and pain and acquainted with grief;
And like One from whom men hide their faces
He was despised, and we did not appreciate His worth or esteem Him.
4But [in fact] He has borne our griefs,
And He has carried our sorrows and pains;
Yet we [ignorantly] assumed that He was stricken,
Struck down by God and degraded and humiliated [by Him].
5But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our wickedness [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing];
The punishment [required] for our well-being fell on Him,
And by His stripes (wounds) we are healed.
6All of us like sheep have gone astray,
We have turned, each one, to his own way;
But the LORD has caused the wickedness of us all [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing]
To fall on Him [instead of us].
7He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He did not open His mouth [to complain or defend Himself];
Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
And like a sheep that is silent before her shearers,
So He did not open His mouth.
Do you still remember what this love that I must feel for my neighbour, consist of?
I call it “compassion” love.
The dictionary says, among other things, about “compassion”, the love that I understand from the Word I must feel for my fellow man, no matter which category I put him in and why I speak of my love for my neighbour as “compassion love”:
compassion, consideration, sympathy, empathy, mercy.
This is the love with which Jesus prayed for His martyrs and murderers and it is the Spirit of this Jesus that we have within us.
I appreciate the following you wrote to me, which is beautiful and sincere. I call it beautiful, because it is the way we must act in a state of mind like you are – ‘that you will talk to our Lord to help you, because there are people whom you cannot pray for.’
I can tell that if you do this in sincerity, He will help you and you will also be able to pray for people you don’t want to pray for now.
We read the following, and remember, it is our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who is talking to you and me here:
MATTHEW 5:43-48
43“You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR (fellow man) and hate your enemy.’ 44But I say to you, love [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for] your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45so that you may [show yourselves to] be the children of your Father who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on those who are evil and on those who are good, and makes the rain fall on the righteous [those who are morally upright] and the unrighteous [the unrepentant, those who oppose Him]. 46For if you love [only] those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do that? (That is the unbelievers around you and me) 47And if you greet only your brothers [wishing them God’s blessing and peace], what more [than others] are you doing? Do not even the Gentiles [who do not know the Lord] do that? 48You, therefore, will be perfect [growing into spiritual maturity both in mind and character, actively integrating godly values into your daily life], as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Do you see?
You can and will already be perfect here on earth in this regard – it is your decision.
MAT 5:48 48You, therefore, will be perfect [growing into spiritual maturity both in mind and character, actively integrating godly values into your daily life], as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Again, thank you very much for your writing and don’t be influenced by people who are full of hate and bitterness.
*The writing: “Who is my neighbour” can be ordered directly from me or you can search and read it on my webpage under the heading: “Ministry”.
Sakkie
Email: bediening@sakkieparsons.co.za
Website: www.sakkieparsons.co.za
Cell: 083 457 6669
Jude 1:24-25 To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy, to the only God our Saviour be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
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