What was the first thing Jesus said on the cross?

'Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do' (Luke 23:34). As he was being crucified, Jesus' first word was a prayer asking God to forgive the very men putting him to death, showing that mercy was his first response even to his own murder.

Who was Jesus asking God to forgive?

The soldiers crucifying him, the mocking crowd, and the leaders who condemned him, and through them all humanity. He added 'for they know not what they do,' pleading their ignorance as a reason for grace rather than excusing the evil.

A word from the cross

Father, Forgive Them

The word of forgiveness · Luke 23:34

As the soldiers drove in the nails, Jesus' first word from the cross was not a curse but a prayer for them: 'Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do' (Luke 23:34). The first thing he did while being murdered was ask his Father to forgive his murderers.

The word

“Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”

Luke 23:34

What it means

Consider the timing. Not after the pain had eased, not once he had made his point, but in the very act of being crucified, as the hammer fell and the cross was raised, the first sentence out of his mouth is a prayer for the men killing him. Anyone else would have screamed, or cursed, or begged. He interceded. 'Father, forgive them.' The soldiers gambling for his clothes at his feet, the crowd jeering, the leaders satisfied, he gathered them all into that prayer.

And notice the reason he gives: 'for they know not what they do.' He does not excuse the evil; he covers it with mercy. He sees, as no one else in that crowd could, that they are more lost than cruel, that people who murder God do not understand what they are doing, and he pleads their ignorance to heaven as a reason for grace. This is the heart of God laid bare at the worst moment humanity ever produced: when we did our absolute worst to him, his instinct was to forgive.

The first word from the cross was not for himself. It was mercy for the men holding the hammer.

For you, at the foot of the crossIf you have ever wondered whether your sin has finally gone too far, listen to where this prayer was aimed: at the people in the very act of killing the Son of God. If mercy reached them, in that moment, then there is no sin of yours that falls outside the range of 'Father, forgive them.' And if he could forgive that, from there, then the person you cannot bring yourself to forgive is not beyond the grace he is asking you to pass along.

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He said it for you

Every one of these words was spoken over the very people who put him there, which means they were spoken over you and me. The cross is not a tragedy to admire from a distance; it is a door held open. The Living Bread is a quiet place to come and stand at the foot of it, read the Gospels, and pray, and find that the arms were spread open for you.

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Frequently asked questions

What was the first thing Jesus said on the cross?: 'Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do' (Luke 23:34). As he was being crucified, Jesus' first word was a prayer asking God to forgive the very men putting him to death, showing that mercy was his first response even to his own murder.
Who was Jesus asking God to forgive?: The soldiers crucifying him, the mocking crowd, and the leaders who condemned him, and through them all humanity. He added 'for they know not what they do,' pleading their ignorance as a reason for grace rather than excusing the evil.