It Is Better to Forgive...

 

As I was reading through accounts of the crucifixion during the administration of the Sacrament recently my mind lingered on Luke's account in chapter 23.  There, while enduring the incomprehensible pain of crucifixion (23:33-34) and summoning strength only available to a God, he looked down to see soldiers gambling for his clothing. At this pathetic sight, rather than expressing anger or derision he pressed the limit of charity with the appeal, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do".

For me, this moment is the best example of the Savior's divinity in scripture and perhaps the moment he reached full perfection. As Alma explained, "And he will take upon him death..., that his bowels may be filled with mercy according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people...” (Alma 7:12, see also Heb 2:18).

I reflected on, "for they know not what they do" since it seems the soldiers and all who had gathered to witness the grisly scene knew exactly what they were doing and yet the Savior is saying their mistake is of the same kind as a child jamming a screwdriver into a light socket and blowing the Fusebox.

So, while any of us would have looked down to see our persecutors, the Savior saw brothers and sisters with divine potential, carrying their own burdens and crosses (many of them self-inflicted), just coping the best they could.

In his extremity, the Savior knew they were looking through the lens or acting within the worldview (pick your metaphor) inherited from their parents and the world around them. To them their actions made perfect sense. In this moment, not only were they inured to the inhuman practice of crucifixion, they were blind to the fact that it was no common criminal who hung there but a God, the Messiah they had been expecting to redeem them. 

Of course, those the Savior saw below him included all of us and the his plea to the Father for forgiveness extended to all. This was and is the plan, that through his atonement we can repent and move toward our divine potential something we can only see darkly.

But this is not easy. The lenses we see the world through (our worldviews) are warped to fit each of us and are wired deep inside making change difficult. Some of us will even resort to conspiracy theories to paper over the cracks, particularly when our views are attacked.  And yet, we are promised that we have the agency and ability to change. 

The scriptures carry high profile examples that transformation is possible through the power of the atonement.  Few examples are more dramatic than the Apostle Peter who "wept bitterly" (Matt 26:75) after realizing he had denied the Christ three times at the crucial moment. Then, in that instant Peter shed a significant piece of who he had been and transformed into the one who (according to the Church Father Origen) was condemned to death for preaching Christ and then requested to be crucified upside down not feeling worthy to die as the Savior had.  

One also thinks of the angel issuing a command to stop or be damned to Alma the Younger as he persecuted Christians . In that moment he was "racked even with the pains of a damned soul" for three days and nights and then emerged as Alma the Younger who spent the rest of his days tirelessly preaching the Gospel of Christ.

The scope of Peter and Alma the Younger's transformations point to a moment of terror when they left the camp of those "who know not what they do" to a full realization of exactly who they were and what they had been doing. A consuming yet transforming wave of guilt and regret followed. 

These examples remind what kind of shear force can be required to make significant change to who we are and how we see the world. They also remind of the hope and joy on the other side of this guilt and regret. As Alma the Younger shared with his son, "that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy” (Alma 36:21).

Not only is there joy for us as we repent and improve, but there is also joy in extending the same forgiveness to our brothers and sisters.  The Savior remains the perfect example of how we should respond when we are on the receiving end of unkindness or when we meet someone suffering from self-inflicted wounds. Just like us, "they know not what they do" presenting us with the opportunity to follow the Savior's example to forgive and bless. 

C.S. Lewis gave us a good frame of reference for these situations when he said, "Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbour is the holiest object presented to your senses. If he is your Christian neighbour, he is holy in almost the same way, for in him also Christ vere latitat—the glorifier and the glorified, Glory Himself, is truly hidden" (from Weight of Glory). 

As we recognize the divine potential in others, we should also remember that we are all carrying burdens, we are all coping.  President Eyring shared, "Many years ago, I was first counselor to a district president in the eastern United States. More than once, as we were driving to our little branches, he said to me, “Hal, when you meet someone, treat them as if they were in serious trouble, and you will be right more than half the time.” Not only was he right, but I have learned over the years that he was too low in his estimate. Today I wish to encourage you in the troubles you face." 

There is great power in assuming "they know not what they do" in our interactions with others. As we do, feelings of empathy and a desire to support and help rather than judge will increase. The desire to judge will replace the desire to "judge what is needed". In most cases love will return from those we've forgiven and blessed as this virtuous cycle as we see the world as a more beautiful, Christlike place.

We will also be more likely to forgive the most difficult of all to forgive, ourselves. We will better understand the Savior's injunction to "Come unto me...for my yoke is easy and my burden is light". As we forgive ourselves false burdens can be released along with our sins as we continue on the road to becoming a little more like our North Star, Jesus Christ.