The Heart of Jesus

His humiliation had been complete. One of his closest friends had betrayed him. All of his other friends had abandoned him. He'd been bullied and beaten. They'd mocked him, and then mauled him. Their cruelty had been unspeakable. The pain was so great he could hardly stand. When his time in court came, he'd watched the witnesses lie and the judge turn a blind eye to obvious inconsistencies. He'd watched his oppressors' triumph over his downfall, wicked glee dancing in their eyes. Whips had cracked over his head and back, and the blood loss had made him dizzy. The thorns in his scalp were hard to ignore whenever the cross on his back had bumped them. How much more could he endure? Then they'd stripped him, forcing him to stand before the city in complete nakedness. Then the nails had pierced him and the cross had been raised. Every breath was agony. Every muscle and nerve protested. The end was near. And with his last breaths he flung words out over the crowds. Not a backlash of curses. Not regrets. Not a promise of revenge. Jesus gasped out words of forgiveness. Though they had done their worst, Jesus still loved them -- loved them enough to say, "Father forgive them."