This Easter I had a quiet weekend with my husband. My husband had never seen “The Passion of the Christ” so we watched it on Good Friday. I remember watching it several years ago and it certainly made an impact. It really changed how I thought about Easter. This time, there was one particular scene that really caught my attention and I spent the rest of the weekend reflecting on it.
After watching Jesus get brutally tortured and nailed to the cross, it inspires some pretty intense feelings of disgust toward those men who took such pleasure in torturing him. So much so that you feel justified in judging their horrific behavior. After being nailed to the cross, in what can only be the most intense physical pain a person can endure, Jesus prays for them: “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”
Think about that for a moment. He had every right to hate them and to wish them harm. I think you would be hard pressed to find anyone who can watch those scenes and think highly of the individuals taking pleasure in harming someone else let alone when that person is Jesus. Jesus didn’t condemn them, he showed them grace. He prayed for them. He asked God to forgive them. That is some serious goodness right there.
Maybe you aren’t being physically tortured, but at some point most of us have all experienced pain at the hand of someone else. Maybe that person even took pleasure hurting you. How did you respond? Did you respond with grace and forgiveness? Or did you want to see them hurt? What if that person wasn’t hurting you, but was hurting your kids or someone you love?
I have been in that situation. It is so easy to judge the person causing the pain. Sometimes I have even wanted to see them suffer or get what they deserve. Now I am challenging myself to pause when I start to think those thoughts. Instead I want to remember how Jesus responded in that moment of intense pain. I want to practice grace. I don’t think this person knows the extent of the damage they are causing. I don’t think they can see beyond the moment and their selfish gain. They don’t see the pain that they are causing others. They don’t know what they are doing. So instead of condemning them, I want to practice praying forgiveness and blessing over them. No, it isn’t easy. But as long as I remember that goodness wins every time, then I know this is truly the best defense I have against the pain.