Thank God that Jesus was not merely speaking to the profane and the perplexed who gathered around the cross two thousand years ago. Those few words from the Savior's mouth exploded in "both directions" on the timeline of human existence.
The forgiveness offered by God's Son carried the potential to for_ give and cover the sins of every human being who lived in the ages prior to His brutal death on the cross at Calvary. It also carried for_ ward in time from the bloody Mount outside Jerusalem to forgive and cover all the sins of man until His victorious second coming as Lord of lords and King of kings. The only catch to the miracle is that each person must admit their need for forgiveness, and choose to receive it from Christ Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
The power of forgiveness cannot be forced upon the unwilling, nor can it be forced by human effort or diligence to flower in barren human hearts. True forgiveness is a product of Heaven alone. It unfolds in human experience through our impossibly diverse climates like the petals of a flower. To learn its lesson, we must find the perfect bloom at the cross of Calvary. It is the summit of the world's highest hopes and the abyss of the world's deepest sorrow.
The cross marks the place where God, robed in a regalia of battered but sinless human flesh and the bloodied garments of the condemned, courted and won our love with His life's blood. It is the place where divine power withheld its might while grace worked it's greatest miracle.
The sweetest story of God is the story of our Lord's victory on Calvary's bitter cross. It is God's "Ph.D. dissertation" and magnum opus on the immeasurable power of forgiveness.
When Jesus said, "Forgive.. the hordes of hell were bound, and satan felt the first chill signaling his miserable defeat. Within three hours, the suffering was complete and the Lord Jesus announced to the Father that His job was done. (See Luke 23:44-47.) Unseen hands grasped the heavy woven veil separating worshipers from the Holy of Holies in the temple and ripped it down the middle from the top to the bottom—a feat impossible for any mortal man.
Mercy danced out from the heavenly mercy seat, passed through the empty Holy of Holies and the rent veil of Herod's temple to skip and twirl down the streets of Jerusalem and touch a repentant thief on one side of Jesus. Then she reached down to transform the heart of the centurion directing the Roman soldiers at the foot of the cross. She continued her dance of joy to Jerusalem's silent graveyards to kick open several tombs so certain departed saints could enjoy an early resurrection and revisit their shocked loved ones in the city. (See Matthew 27:52-54.)
Finally, Mercy dove into hell and wrestled the keys from the devil himself and came out triumphantly shouting, "I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore" (Rev. 1: 18a NKJV). Then Jesus led captivity captive and brought forth the keys to death, hell, and the grave. (See Ephesians 4:8.)
Can we comprehend what power was released in the universe when Jesus said, "Forgive"?
We must all come into the presence of forgiveness, but why should we examine such basic truths? Because it is possible—and
probable—that many of the people in church congregations around the world enjoy the "culture" of church without being changed by an experience with God. Nothing we can say or write can typify or describe the transforming, cleansing power of God; the only way to experience it is by receiving God's forgiveness and then giving it to others. It is there, in God's forgiveness, that we find the power of a new life, the power of new hope, and the power of new joy
The cross should always remind us that forgiveness is not cheap. What Jesus gives you is not a gimmick to give you goose bumps. It is not the product of a pep rally, or some seminar-induced positive mental attitude that you can prime like some moral pump. The kind of forgiveness Jesus brings to our lives triggers radical reconstruction of the human heart! When forgiveness is released, there is incredible power. The hand of God shattered the boundaries in every known dimension through the power of release when Jesus forgave.
Every one of us must deal with certain circumstances in life that cannot be changed. Perhaps Peter the fisherman wished that he could have borrowed the classic education Paul received at the feet of the renowned Jewish teacher, Gamaliel, but he would always remain Peter from Galilee. For centuries, Christians have remembered Peter as the "man who was unlearned," but who astounded the teachers of the Law who "took note that he had been with Jesus." (See Acts 4:13.)
Jesus transformed the life of Mary Magdalene the prostitute, but she still probably wished that she could undo the mistakes and pain of her past. She couldn't. Mary faced the same choice we all face: She could remain a slave to unforgiveness by clinging to her anger and resentment toward the men who abused her and the people who rejected her; or she could accept God's forgiveness, choose to forgive, and begin a life of freedom. We know the choice Mary made. What about you?