Prayer Removes the Veil

When Jesus was nailed to the cross and hoisted up to be crucified, the first words out of His mouth were “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

For whom was He praying this prayer?  Certainly, that prayer was for all those surrounding Him at Golgotha.  The two thieves, crucified as criminals on either side of Him, heard it. Soldiers on duty heard it.  Men and women, watching and wailing, heard.  Roman and Jewish leaders heard.

And what were the immediate results of Jesus’ praying to the Father like this?  What happened when He asked the Father to forgive all these people?

Some sneered.  Some mocked.  Some hurled insults.

But some hearts were changed that very hour with Jesus’ prayer. The one thief asked to be remembered by Christ and was promised a place in Paradise.  The commanding centurion praised God and declared Jesus righteous.  Terrified guards exclaimed, “Surely He was the Son of God.”

When Jesus prayed forgiveness for those people at the Cross, the veil in the Temple was torn. Surely His prayer is for all mankind.   Now people have access to the MOST HIGH GOD, because the Son of God poured out his sacrificial blood as the Lamb. Now people have a choice to draw near to God, to enter into the Holy of Holies, and have a personal relationship with the Almighty.

At Calvary, some took that opportunity and declared their faith in Jesus.  And their lives changed.  Their choice moved them from darkness into the light.

If you want to see people change, pray for them — that God would forgive their sins and the veil around them would be removed, both promised by God.  Then people have access to Him.  After that happens, the choice of how each responds to God belongs to that person.