Jesus had been beaten, mocked, stripped, and nailed to a cross.
And His first words were a prayer for the people doing it.
Not a curse. Not a plea for rescue. A petition for the forgiveness of His executioners.
That is either the most extraordinary moment in all of human history, or it is something we have heard so many times we have stopped feeling its full weight.
The Text and Its Setting
Luke 23:34 records the words:
“Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.’ And they divided His garments and cast lots.” (Luke 23:34, NKJV)
This is the first of seven statements Jesus made from the cross.
He had just been nailed through His wrists and feet.
Soldiers were already dividing His clothes beneath Him as He spoke.
Luke is the only Gospel writer who records this prayer.
It fits perfectly with Luke’s consistent portrait of Jesus as calm, others-focused, and interceding even in His darkest hour.
Who Did Jesus Mean by “Them”?
The question is not as simple as it seems.
Standing at the cross were Roman soldiers who hammered in the nails, Jewish leaders who had orchestrated the trial, the crowd who shouted for His death, and Pontius Pilate, who handed down the verdict.
Jesus did not specify which group.
Most scholars understand “them” to include everyone directly responsible for the crucifixion: soldiers, religious leaders, officials, and onlookers alike.
But Acts 3:17 gives a broader window into how the early church interpreted the prayer. Peter addressed the crowd in Jerusalem and said:
“Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers.” (Acts 3:17, NKJV)
Peter’s use of the word “ignorance” directly echoes Jesus’s words on the cross.
The prayer was being answered in real time as Peter preached and thousands responded.
What “They Know Not What They Do” Actually Means
This is where most readers stop too soon.
Jesus was not saying His executioners were unaware of the crucifixion.
They knew very well they had cried out, “Crucify Him.” They knew the nails had been driven. They were eyewitnesses to everything happening.
What they did not know was the enormity of what they were doing.
They did not know they were crucifying the Lord of glory.
1 Corinthians 2:8 captures this plainly:
“Which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” (1 Corinthians 2:8, NKJV)
Their ignorance was not factual. It was spiritual and deep.
They could see the cross clearly. They could not see who was truly hanging on it.
This distinction matters because it shapes what Jesus was asking for.
He was not excusing what was being done to Him.
He was identifying a blindness that made mercy possible.
Why Jesus Asked the Father Rather Than Forgiving Directly
This is a detail Luke includes that is easy to miss.
Earlier in His ministry, Jesus had forgiven sins directly. He said to the paralyzed man in Matthew 9:2:
“Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.” (Matthew 9:2, NKJV)
He said to the woman in Luke 7:48:
“Your sins are forgiven.” (Luke 7:48, NKJV)
On the cross, Jesus did not say, “I forgive you.” He prayed, “Father, forgive them.”
The reason is significant: an offense against the Son was also an offense against the Father.
Sin against another person is ultimately sin against God.
Jesus was directing His executioners to the only One whose forgiveness could actually reach the depth of what had been done.
Was the Prayer Answered?
Acts 2 records the Day of Pentecost, roughly fifty days after the crucifixion.
Peter stood before a crowd in Jerusalem, many of whom had likely been present at the trial and death of Jesus, and preached that the one they had crucified was Lord and Messiah.
Acts 2:37 records what happened next:
“Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Men and brethren, what shall we do?'” (Acts 2:37, NKJV)
Three thousand were baptized that day.
GotQuestions.org identifies this moment as the most visible answer to Jesus’s prayer.
The very people whose ignorance He had named on the cross were now hearing the truth, being cut to the heart, and turning to the God He had interceded with on their behalf.
The prayer was not left unanswered. It was answered at Pentecost.
What This Means for Every Believer
This prayer was not only for the soldiers and the Pharisees.
Isaiah 53:6 describes what put Jesus on the cross:
“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6, NKJV)
Every person who has ever sinned played a role in why the cross was necessary.
Which means “Father, forgive them” was also a prayer for you and for me.
The ignorance Jesus named is not a different kind of blindness from ours. Every person who has lived and sinned has underestimated the weight of what sin costs.
Jesus interceded for that, too.
Matthew 5:44 records His command to His followers:
“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44, NKJV)
What Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount, He demonstrated from the cross.
He did not model a watered-down version of this command. He modeled it at the moment of maximum cost.
A Prayer in Response
Father, I am among those who needed that prayer. My sin is part of why the cross was necessary, and I have not always grasped the weight of what that means. Thank You that the words Jesus spoke covered me too. Teach me to forgive the way He forgave, not after the hurt has faded, but in the middle of it, and not because the other person deserves it, but because I remember what was prayed for me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
What People Ask About This Saying
Who was Jesus talking about when He said, “Forgive them”?
He was speaking about everyone responsible for His crucifixion: the Roman soldiers, the Jewish leaders, Pilate, and the crowd. Acts 3:17 confirms that Peter later described them as acting in ignorance. Most theologians understand the prayer to extend to all of humanity, since sin universally sent Christ to the cross.
Does “they know not what they do” mean ignorance excuses sin?
No. Sins of ignorance still required atonement under Old Testament law, as Leviticus 5:15-16 confirms. Jesus was identifying spiritual blindness, not excusing the act. They did not know they were crucifying the Lord of glory. That blindness made mercy possible, not automatic.
Was Jesus’s prayer in Luke 23:34 answered?
Yes. Acts 2:37-41 records three thousand people in Jerusalem, many present at the crucifixion, responding to Peter’s Pentecost sermon with conviction and repentance. Peter’s language in Acts 3:17 directly echoes “they know not what they do,” showing the early church understood Pentecost as the visible answer to Jesus’s cross prayer.
Does this prayer mean everyone is automatically forgiven?
No. BibleStudyTools.com notes that Jesus offered the pardon, but it still had to be personally received. John 3:18 confirms that those who do not believe stand condemned. The prayer opened the door of mercy. Faith is what walks through it, through repentance and trust in Christ.
How does this saying apply to how Christians should forgive others?
It sets the standard. Jesus prayed for His executioners before anyone repented, without conditions. Matthew 5:44 commands the same posture toward enemies. The cross is not just a doctrine of forgiveness. It is the model of what forgiveness actually looks like when it costs something.
Sources
Pink, A. W. (1982). The seven sayings of the Saviour on the cross. Baker Books.
Morris, L. (1988). The Gospel according to Luke. Eerdmans.
BibleRef.com. (2022). What does Luke 23:34 mean? BibleRef.com. Bethany Doyle Ministries.
GotQuestions.org. (2014). What did Jesus mean, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do”? GotQuestions.org. Got Questions Ministries.
BibleStudyTools.com. (2025). Why Jesus said “Father, forgive them” and what He meant. BibleStudyTools.com. Salem Web Network.
Crosswalk.com. (2021). “Father, forgive them”: What Luke 23:34 teaches us. Crosswalk.com. Salem Web Network.
Knowing-Jesus.com. (n.d.). Luke 23:34 meaning and commentary. Knowing-Jesus.com.
Wisdom International. (2024). Father, forgive them: Understanding Jesus’ prayer of forgiveness. WisdomOnline.org.
Bible Verses Guide. (2025). Father, forgive them: Luke 23:34 meaning explained. BibleVersesGuide.com.
The Heidelblog. (2022). Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. HeidelBlog.net.
