The cross: A powerful symbol of forgiveness

By Janina Gomes

From the cross, Jesus forgave the Jews who called for his death. The Cross of Christ is not only a symbol of hope, endurance, and victory over death, but also a powerful symbol of forgiveness. Forgiving someone who has caused harm and pain is difficult, but in the Gospel accounts, Jesus sets an example. Jesus forgave those who crucified him.

He forgave the Romans who nailed him to the cross. He even forgave every chief priest, elder and crowd member demanding his death. Jesus cried out: “Forgive them, Father. They don’t know what they are doing.”

Jesus taught that forgiveness is essential in receiving it from God and extending it to others. He said that if we forgive others, our Heavenly Father will also forgive us. Jesus demonstrated this several times, including once when he forgave the woman caught in adultery. He also forgave his apostle Peter, who denied that he knew him in the courtyard of high priest, Caiaphas, after Jesus’ arrest.

In a conversation between Peter and Jesus, Peter asked him, “How many times should I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me?” Jesus answered him, “I tell you not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” Jesus also taught his followers and others about God’s abounding mercy through parable of the Prodigal Son, in which the father welcomes his second son back with open arms when he returns home after squandering his inheritance abroad.

We see how retribution is at work in horrific wars that are being fought between Russia and Ukraine and in Palestine and Israel. Many wars have also been initiated by those who say they are followers of Christ.
MK Gandhi said: “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong”. All his life, he worked for reconciliation between Hindus and Muslims, making enemies by advocating reconciliation.

Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa, chose reconciliation over revenge after decades of imprisonment for his anti-apartheid activism. He forgave his worst torturers, saying, “As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison.”

Another example is that of Mariane Pearl, widow of Daniel Pearl, an American journalist, who was abducted by Islamic militants and killed. While she fought for justice for her husband, she did not allow bitterness over his death to destroy her and her son. Instead, as Oprah Winfrey says of her, in a fiery conviction born of deep pain, she is a woman who turned the horror of her loss into a commitment to honour the two principles by which Daniel lived his life: ethics and truth.

The Cross of Christ has thus become a powerful symbol of forgiveness and reconciliation, which means working together to correct the legacy of a past injustice – not through retaliation and retribution but by practising mutual forgiveness and a belief that individuals and nations can move on and create a better world if only they are willing to open their hearts to others. The message of Good Friday is an invitation to work for peace and to let go of resentment in a fractured world.