The very first words Jesus spoke as he hung on the cross was a prayer of forgiveness. Jesus opened His public ministry with prayer Luke 3:21, and here we find Jesus prayed for people who were hardened sinners. It didn’t look like they could ever be saved--but they were. Acts 2:22-23, 37-41. This should show us that we need to pray for everyone, regardless of who they are or what they do. Jesus said, "They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. I come not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

Isaiah 53:12 records the prophesy that Jesus would pray for those that strive to harm him. In Isaiah chapter 53, we find at least ten things about the sufferings of Christ on the cross. It declared that

Verse 3 - He should be despised and rejected of men;

Verse 4 - that he should be wounded, bruised and acquainted with grief;

Verse 5 - that he should be wounded, bruised and chastised;

Verse 6 - that He would be led, unresisting, to the slaughter;

Verse 7 - that He should be dumb before His shearers;

Verse 8-10 - that He should not only suffer at the hands of man, but also be bruised by the Lord;

Verse that He should pour out His soul unto death;

Verse 9 - that he should be buried in a rich man’s tomb.

In verse 12, it was added that He should be numbered with the transgressors, and then

Verse 12 - pray for our salvation (made intercession for the transgressors).

Jesus did not forgive sins on the cross. His Father did. Jesus was still God, but He was paying for our sins. Jesus was in the "man" role. Jesus was my substitute on the cross of Calvary. Compare Matt. 9:6 and John 12:32. Jesus was lifted from the earth and His Father forgave sin, not Jesus.

Can Jesus forgive sins? Yes, he can. Matthew 9:1-8 records the time Jesus healed the man with palsy. Jesus said to the man, "Son, be of good cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee." Some of the scribes didn’t like what Jesus said, because they believed that only God could forgive sins. They didn’t realize, of course, that Jesus is God. So the people would know that Jesus could forgive invisible sins, Jesus gave a visible sign by saying to the man with palsy, "Arise, take up thy bed and to unto thine house."

If Jesus was not in the position to forgive sins on the cross, how could He have saved the soul of the thief on the cross? (Luke 23:39-43) Notice the difference in the two. For His enemies, Jesus prayed that God would "forgive their sins." For the thief on the cross, Christ simply stated a fact. God saves through the blood of Jesus. The thief was saved upon the cross, but the enemies of Christ were not saved until some 47 days later. Christ prayed that His enemies might be saved when the gospel was preached to them.

"They know not what they do." Man needed to be forgiven for their sins even though they were ignorant of the sin. The people knew that they were killing a man, that called himself God, but they did not realize that He was the Christ. An atonement must be made for sins of ignorance. Lev 5:15,16 Numbers 15:22-25 (Both Leviticus and Numbers speaks of the sacrifice that should be given when a soul sins through ignorance.) Ps. 19:12 (Cleanse me from secret faults.)

Jesus practiced what He preached. Matt. 5:44 states, "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." Christ did not personally forgive His enemies of their sins, but He did pray for them. Christ was ready to forgive them as soon as they asked. This is exactly what we are supposed to do. If our enemies ask our forgiveness, certainly we should forgive them, but if they don’t as us to forgive them, we should still pray that God may forgive them. We must understand that our enemies will stand before God in judgment. We should have compassion on their wicked souls, like Christ has compassion on our wicked souls. Sometimes we forget the "big picture" believing our enemies have wronged us more than they have wronged God.

Here is a thing that all lost people need. Nobody can be saved without the blood of Christ. Mankind is blind to its natural spiritual state. We can have friends, money, the very best of everything, but if we have not the forgiveness of sins, we have hell for our eternal home.

Notice that the first word in this verse is "Then". Read verse 33, and read again Isaiah 53. After man had done his worse to Christ, Christ prayed for them. He might have uttered awful curses upon them, or let loose thunderbolts of wrath upon them, or caused the earth to swallow them, or called down legions of angels to destroy them, or gotten down off the cross and killed them himself. Through Christ was in much shame, and much pain, despised, rejected, hated, He cried "Father, forgive them". This is real love. I Cor. 13:4. When Stephen died, (Acts 7:59-60) he asked forgiveness for his murderers, but notice that he took care of his own needs first, and then prayed for his enemies. Christ prayed for his enemies first.