Hi Roy,
There is actually some question as to whether this verse is truly scriptural. It is on Professor Tischendorf’s list of spurious passages according to his notes on the early Sinaitic and Vatican Manuscripts. This list can be found on the bibletruths.com forum at this link:
http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/topic,6638.0.htmlThere is evidence within scripture that repentance must come first before forgiveness can or should be given.
2 Chronicles 7:14 If My people, which are called by My Name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear
from Heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Psalm 86:5 For Thou, LORD, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon Thee.
Jeremiah 36:3 It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them; that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may
forgive their iniquity and their sin.
Also in Jeremiah 18, we have Jeremiah asking God not to forgive Israel for the evil that they have done.
Jeremiah 18:23 Yet, LORD, thou knowest all their counsel against me to slay [me]: forgive not their iniquity, neither blot out their
sin from thy sight, but let them be overthrown before thee; deal [thus] with them in the time of thine anger.
I doubt this is a statement usually attributed as a prophecy of our Savior [and I’m not saying it absolutely is], but God definitely knew all the counsel of the Pharisees and Romans to slay Christ. And it wasn’t as if Jeremiah here is asking something contrary to how God acts, because we read in the very next chapter of all the evil that He brings upon His people for disobeying Him.
Jeremiah 19:3 …Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, the which whosoever heareth, his ears shall tingle.
And there could be an argument made that the physical Jewish people as a whole to this day have experienced nothing but God’s anger ever since the death of our Lord, i.e. the destruction of Jerusalem, the many Jewish holocausts throughout the ages culminating in the attempted Jewish genocide by the Nazis, etc…
So the very words, 'Forgive them for they know not what they do' could be seen as in direct contradiction to the sum of scripture.
Here is what one commentator I’ve read had to say regarding Luke 23:34:
Luke 23:34 -- Some copyist added these words with the evident thought of revealing the Master's benevolence toward his enemies, but actually they are not in harmony with the known facts. Whatever Jesus requested of the Heavenly Father would be granted. But those who crucified him were not forgiven. It was a national sin for which they have suffered severely.I could be completely wrong, [and I am more often than not
] but if nothing else, further study is needed on this subject. We are constantly learning and growing, and perhaps Ray will provide further insight into this in an upcoming paper or conference.
Hope this at least gives you something to think about and perhaps spur you on to more studying of His Word.
God bless,
Eric