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Cork Free Presbyterian Church, 10 Briarscourt (Annex) Shanakiel, Cork, Ireland
Pastor: Colin Maxwell. Email: colin.maxwell@fpcmission.org

JOHN CALVIN: "Nor can it be doubted that this prayer was heard by the heavenly Father, and that this was the cause why many of the people afterwards drank by faith the blood which they had shed."
JOHN FLAVEL: "We have considered the solitude and patience of Christ's death. We come now to its instructiveness in the excellent and weighty sayings which dropped from His blessed lips upon the cross, while His sacred blood dropped on the earth from His wounded hands and feet. These sayings are seven in number; three directed to His father and four to those about Him."
MATTHEW HENRY: "Here are two passages which we have not had before and they are very remarkable ones. Christ's prayer for His enemies (v34) Seven remarkable words Christ spoke after He was nailed to the cross, and before He died, and this is the first."
BISHOP JC RYLE: "The first of His seven sayings on the cross was a prayer for the souls of His murderers...The fruits of this wonderful prayer will never fully be known until the day when the books are opened, and the secret of all hearts are revealed. We have probably not the least idea how many conversions to God at Jerusalem took place during the first six months after the crucifixion, were the direct reply to this marvellous prayer...Let us see in our Lord's intercession for those who crucified Him, one more proof of Christ's infinite love to sinners."
BISHOP JOHN HALL: "His tongue cries louder than His blood, 'Father forgive them' O Saviour, thou couldst not but be heard. Those, who out of ignorance and simplicity thus persecuted thee, find the happy issue of thine intercession. Now I see whence it was that three thousand souls were converted soon after at one sermon. It was not Peter's speech, it was thy prayer, that was thus effectual."
JOHN GILL: "...the fruit of this his prayer quickly appeared, in the conversion of three thousand of them under Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost, next following, in six weeks time."
JOHN WESLEY: " Our Lord passed most of the time on the cross in silence: yet seven sentences which he spoke thereon are recorded by the four evangelists, though no one evangelist has recorded them all...Forgive them — How striking is this passage! While they are actually nailing him to the cross, he seems to feel the injury they did to their own souls more than the wounds they gave him; and as it were to forget his own anguish out of a concern for their own salvation. And how eminently was his prayer heard! It procured forgiveness for all that were penitent, and a suspension of vengeance even for the impenitent."

"The Greek text used in translating the New Testament was an eclectic one. No other piece of ancient literature has such an abundance of manuscript witnesses as does the New Testament. Where existing manuscripts differ, the translators made their choice of readings according to accepted principles of New Testament textual criticism. Footnotes call attention to places where there was uncertainty about what the original text was. The best current printed texts of the Greek New Testament were used." (Emphasis mine)

According then to the NIV...there is uncertainty about whether these great words, so blessed of God in the salvation of sinners, ever fell from the lips of Jesus Christ or whether the Holy Spirit made sure it was to be included in the text of Holy Scripture. Although the explanation above just simply states "Some early manuscripts do not have this sentence" yet elsewhere, we read of these same manuscripts that they are "the most reliable early manuscripts" and therefore heavily imply that the other manuscripts (which our verse is based upon)are not reliable. True...this is not a complete denial...but it is a serious doubt.

When Satan wanted Adam and Eve to abandon the word of God in Genesis 3, he did not initially deny what God had said outright. He came first sowing the seeds of doubt: "Yea hath God said...?" (Genesis 3:4) Having sown this doubt...it was not long before Satan denied the word of God outright: "Ye shall not surely die" (Genesis 3:4)

Did the Lord Jesus really speak these words from the Cross. I answer "Yes! He did" and I do so, because the vast majority of the available texts allow me to do so. If I were a NIV man, I would have to mumble some kind of reply, but I could not be consistent with my Bible translation and speak so clearly.

This latter observation may be seen in the comments of Dr William Hendriksen, who was a translator with the NIV. Listen to this otherwise great commentator as he approaches this verse in Luke 23:34: "On the omission of these words from certain manuscripts see note on this passage on page 1040. In all probability what we have here is the first of The Seven Words of the Cross." OK...we go to page 1040 and what do we read there? "Although the words, 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing,' are omitted in some of the best manuscripts, [My note: This is classic NIV language] who would be bold enough to ascribe them to anyone but Jesus? Besides, the textual support for their retention cannot be regarded as weak." With all due respect...I think Dr Hendriksen misses the point. If they are omitted in some of the best manuscripts as he views them...then why are they considered to be some of the best manuscripts in the first place? What happened to all the classic NIV translation principles about the readings with the fewest words etc., If God did not providentially preserve His word...what was to stop any pious, well meaning but mistaken Christian from spicing up the gospel story? If the "textual support for their retention cannot be regarded as weak" then why are the texts which support this reading considered inferior at all?

I chose this text very deliberately to make my point. In a sense, I am being cruel in order to be kind. These words are dear to every evangelical Christian. They are often on the lips of every evangelist and soulwinner. They epitomise the whole ministry of the Lord Jesus. Dr Hendriksen could not bring himself to expunge them from the Bible, but his allegiance to the NIV and the few texts which support it led him to relegate these words to the realms of "all probability" Probably are...but possibly not. How different this is to the words of the man who included them in his account of the gospel in first place. He assured his readers that [these] things which are most surely believed among us...That thou mightest know the certainty of [these] things, wherein thou hast been instructed. (Luke 1:1-4) This certainty is retained in the AV...it is seriously compromised in the NIV

The NIV loses its way here even by its own guiding star. The words of the early writer are clear to understand...how can it be argued that in their thoughts, they wanted to relay a doubt?

If there is a doubt over any verse of Scripture, then it is unlikely that the preacher will use it with any degree of faith. He must be "sold" on the verse himself before he can hope to influence others. The NIV with its many little disclaimers peppered all over its NT translation certainly does not help us on to faith. Assuming, of course, that we take them seriously in the first place!

MORE INFORMATION?
Trinitarian Bible Society,
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http://www.trinitarianbiblesociety.org
e-mail: TBS@trinitarianbiblesociety.org
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Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.	Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.