Luke wrote by THE SPIRIT in chapter 23:
33 And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. 34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”
Jesus provides us the key to forgiving others in the above verse. Jesus did not call upon 10,000 angels to wipe out the enemy but instead He forgave them. Men and women act and react based upon their revelation of who they are. Jesus observed their fruit and knew they were blinded to Love and discerned their current state of destruction. Jesus spoke in Matthew chapter 7:15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
Each of us was born into a fallen state and as we become self-aware, we are able to make a decision to change. The decisions we make will determine the fruit we bear. If we are ignorant of what it takes to make a positive change in our life, then we will continue toward self-destruction.
Our fruit reflects our current state of blindness. Jesus forgave them of their blindness and we should do the same when people negatively affect our lives for they are simply living at the level of their current revelation of Love. Clearly, it can be negligible.
Men’s fruit which are outward speech and actions are what we are to observe and discern. Each of us knows whether their fruit is consistent with Love and lawfulness. When drivers cut you off in traffic, they are benefitting themselves at your expense. Rather than responding in rage, Love realizes their blindness and forgives them.
Each day we make decisions moving us toward full restoration or moving us toward some manner of destruction. We must be brutally honest and open with ourselves by judging our own fruit. If we have acted badly, there is something needing to be revealed and corrected in our lives. We must ask FATHER to show us the root of the problem causing our unloving act so correction can take place. Jesus continued:
24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.”
As we do the sayings of Jesus, even those He spoke while on the cross, our foundation of forgiveness will respond in Love to the bad acts of others. Let their blindness not ruin your day, forgive them they know not what they do.