Father Forgive Them

 

 

“Father, forgive them

For they know not what they do.”

These words were spoken by Jesus

And the ‘them’ were the Jews.

 

He had come to his own

And his own had not received him,

Blinded by their self-righteousness

To them Jesus was the sin.

 

In co with Beelzebub

Was how they saw his works

And throughout his earthly ministry

They treated him like dirt.

 

Herod attempted to kill him

Two years after his birth

And the Jews wanted to stone him,

The Lord of all the earth.

 

They plotted against him

Morning, noon and night

And would not rest, they had decided,

Until he was out of their sight.

 

And when they ran out of ideas

They turned to one of his own,

Judas Iscariot, you would recall

Was right in their zone.

 

A fence-straddler, I’d call him,

Committed only to himself

And scheming so that one day soon

He’d come into wealth.

 

 

You’d recall he carried the bag

And with it he was obsessed

And once, when Jesus was anointed,

He was not impressed.

 

 

He suddenly felt for the poor

And pretended that he cared

But Jesus rebuked him indicating

The poor is always here.

 

Well, for thirty pieces of silver

Jesus Christ was betrayed

But as far as the proceedings went

It did not go all Judas’ way.

 

Jesus was captured

But he did not try to escape

So that Judas’ plan went horribly wrong

After he had taken the bait.

 

We know how that concluded

Regarding the infamous Judas

Who ended up in the potter’s field

On account of his lust.

 

A miscarriage of justice followed

Encouraged by the Jews,

Their leaders wanted Christ crucified,

To them he was bad news.

 

They eventually got their wish

Much against Pilate’s reasoned mind,

Both Pilate and his wife felt

Jesus was not that kind.

 

She said he was innocent

And he said in him was no fault

But in those exacting circumstances

The crucifixion he could not halt.

 

 

He made one final offer:

A criminal named Barabbas

But the people called for the criminal

And crucified Jesus.

 

Crucify him, crucify him, they said,

His blood be on us and our children,

We have no king but Caesar,

To them Jesus was the problem.

 

Like the harlot, Jerusalem was,

She rode on the beast called Rome

Ignorant of the fact that very soon

Jerusalem would not be home.

 

Jesus was aware of her demise

Which he prophesied in Matthew 24,

John in the Revelation confirmed it!

It was even at the door.

 

 

Hence, “Father forgive them,

For they know not what they do.”

For while it was on a Roman cross,

The real culprits were the Jews.

 

Their house was left desolate,

Their blood flowed in the streets,

The temple and Jerusalem were laid waste

And for them the times were bleak.

 

The tribulation was Jacob’s trials

Rachel had wept for her children,

As Jesus had meticulously prophesied

It all happened in Jerusalem.

 

First the Jews were ignorant

Because they knew not redemption’s plan,

Secondly, they were ignorant

Because they knew not the God-man.

 

Thirdly they were ignorant

Because they knew not the future,

The future that was about to unfold

Presenting a horrid picture.

 

 

“Father forgive them

For they know what they do.”

Thus, Jesus ever intercedes in heaven

For his children: me and you.

 

Stewart Russell © April 6, 2023

 

To the Misinformed

Let’s talk about this god

That you don’t like,

Is he a tyrant?

Does he bite?

Is he unjust?

Is he unfair?

Does he give you reason

To be full of despair?

A few more questions

Just to make sure

And I promise you

I won’t ask any more.

Does he make promises

That he doesn’t keep

Especially in difficult times

When the road is steep?

 

Now I have finished

Let me analyze

This god in your head

That you have described.

Having read your form

I am now informed

Your god is deformed;

You need to be transformed.

You are void of sight

Your world is all night,

You will never be right

Until you see the Light.

You’ve been led astray

Each and every day

But your fears I can allay;

I can show you the way.

 

The god you do not like

Is Beelzebub,

A.k.a. the devil,

In him is no good.

He is a tyrant

And he also bites,

In him is all darkness

And surely no light.

He is unjust

And he is unfair,

And he gives every reason

To cause you to despair.

His name is spelt

With a common ‘g’

And his followers are common

And disorderly.

With that understood

Let me introduce to you

God my Saviour

Whom you never knew.

For had you known him

You would also have known,

That none of his children

He ever leaves alone.

Once one of His children,

Always his child,

Nothing like the god

Whom you described.

Acknowledge Him now

And confess your sins,

Open you heart

And let Him come in.

This is no coincidence

But a planned encounter,

Say yes to Him-

That’s your best answer.

To be misinformed

Is to be misdirected

And to continue therein

Is to be regretted.

Now you are informed

Correct your form,

Be ye transformed

And to Jesus conform.

Then…

Let’s talk about this God

That is from above

That now showers you

With infinite love.

Stewart Russell © June 2020