Jesus’ Forgiveness Secret!

What are the three most powerful words in the whole Bible?  And what do these words have to do with forgiveness and you?  Brace yourself because you’ve probably heard these three words hundreds of times, but most likely you never captured their power.

let’s think about the guy in Jesus’ story who was forgiven a giant debt, and afterward went out and choked another man over a tiny debt (Matthew 18:28).  When we hear this story, most of us are shocked right away.  But when we think about it just a little deeper, we often discover that we’re not that different from him. We may not physically strangle someone, but we certainly know how to hold onto our grudges, demand our rights, get divorced, end relationships, and even take legal action.

And when we are laced with unforgiveness, we cannot even realize how tight our minds remain clamped around the necks of those who have wronged us.  Our taking offense allows our offenders to live rent-free in our heads, constantly haunting us. We’re the ones left in a mental chokehold while our offenders walk away scot-free.

But what if we could break free from this vicious cycle?  What if we could discover Jesus’ secret to true forgiveness and liberation from the grip of anger and bitterness? It’s time to unlock the power of Jesus’ words and unleash a whole new level of freedom in your life.

Are you ready!  Remember when Jesus was hanging from the cross in pain and agony?  He’d already been beaten, spit on, whipped on both his front and back until his flesh was shredded, had a crown of thorns pushed into his skull, carried his cross, and then was nailed to it with railroad sized spikes.

Now consider through all this horrible torture, how Jesus never said, “I forgive you.”  Have you ever thought about this?  Even though he could have said these words, he never did.  Isn’t that the most interesting and perplexing thought?

Instead, in the middle of all this torture, as he was dying, Jesus called on God.  That’s right.   He asked for God’s help by praying, “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34).

There is no doubt that Jesus did what he always had done – His BIGGEST SECRET….  He CALLED OUT TO GOD his Father. Think of all the times Jesus asked for his Father’s help during his prayer times, or when he healed people, and now Jesus does it again, right in the middle of his struggle with pain, when he needed God’s help to forgive!

Have you ever thought possibly, just perhaps, that Jesus simply did not possess the strength to forgive on his own?  After all, he was a man, and he bled red blood – just like we do.  Jesus must have been exhausted from being awake for the last 36 hours.  After sweating blood out of fear, Jesus had been whipped to a threshold of just below death.   The book of Isaiah prophesized about Jesus’ crucifixion saying, “His appearance was disfigured beyond that of any man, and His form was marred beyond human likeness” (Isaiah 52:14).

And after Jesus called out, “Father forgive them” the most amazing thing happened, almost instantly.   Jesus’ mind became free from the pain he was experiencing and in that moment, he was able, with God’s strength to continue his own words, “for they don’t know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).

Indeed, these words, “Father forgive them” are the three most powerful words ever spoken.  And for us, they remain as our greatest first step towards forgiveness.  And even though our hearts or minds may be racked with pain and we ourselves, may not be ready to forgive YET, Jesus will be there to help us.  Perhaps he’ll help us say, “they don’t know what they are doing” or perhaps he will help us release our choke hold around their neck, or at least make one step in that direction.

Imagine how our lives will change as we keep taking steps in the process of asking for Jesus’ help.  Suddenly, you may find yourself in a place of freedom to not being offended!   If you’re mad at someone right now, it may be almost impossible to believe you’ll experience this freedom, but there is no doubt when you say this heartfelt prayer, you are on your way!

Let’s say this prayer together right now.  “Dear Lord Jesus, please forgive __________.” Let’s say it again, “Dear Lord Jesus, please forgive __________.”  Dear Lord we know that you love the people who have offended and hurt us.  Lord, we ask you to forgive them in your mighty name.

And Jesus help us to continue on the pathway toward true freedom in forgiveness.  If you want more help forgiving, click one of the articles right now and we’ll see you there!

9 Comments

  1. Allie July 24, 2024 at 9:51 am - Reply

    Forgiveness for many, is one of the hardest things to do. It has been for me…pride gets in the way for the most part. But it truly is a must. Unforgiveness is like taking poison, expecting it to hurt someone else. I do ask the Lord to help me be forgiving as Jesus was and is.

    • Luke Warkenthien July 30, 2024 at 4:12 pm - Reply

      Allie, thank you for sharing that powerful truth! “Unforgiveness is like taking poison, expecting it to hurt someone else.” I’m with you that my pride gets in the way, and the longer I wait to forgive, I’m the one who is hurt the most.

      Luke

  2. Jean June 9, 2024 at 8:04 pm - Reply

    Thanks for your help in releasing this bondage.

    • Luke Warkenthien June 10, 2024 at 5:27 pm - Reply

      You’re so welcome, Jean! God is so faithful to us.

    • John June 12, 2024 at 9:19 pm - Reply

      Jean, I love your comment. My mother’s name is Jean.

  3. Drew April 10, 2024 at 2:48 pm - Reply

    I can’t really think of anything else to say but “Thank You”!

    • Luke Warkenthien April 11, 2024 at 3:30 pm - Reply

      You’re so welcome, Drew! I’m so glad you found this post.

    • Aaron October 6, 2024 at 6:31 am - Reply

      I was verbally attacked this morning by a group of very angry people who will not forgive me for an offense I committed years ago. As i drove home, I wanted to stoke my own internal fire of anger towards THEM. But I remembered Jesus on the cross, and His teaching that we are to Love our enemies. I also googled forgiveness and found this article. It has led me to pray for those who are angry with me, that they would find freedom from unforgiveness, not for MY sake, but for theirs and for the glory of God…

      Who is this God, that he calls a man like me friend (publicly, too!) and who teaches and practices such radical forgiveness in the face of hate?

      Thank you Jesus for this word on love and forgiveness and for being so patient with us as we trudge the road of learning things like your heart of forgiveness. Thank you Jesus that you are the same yesterday, today and tomorrow and bless those who read this as well as those who worked on this article.

      • Luke Warkenthien October 7, 2024 at 10:40 am - Reply

        Hi Aaron!
        I’m so glad you found this article, and I pray you keep growing in forgiveness and God’s grace. This link on our site will take you to more forgiveness videos and our book that changes lives! https://littlebigthings.org/forgiveness-freedom/

        God bless you,
        Luke

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