Every Morning — September 29, 2026: Forgiven, Before Anyone Said Sorry
Grace doesn't wait for an apology to start working.
Key Scripture
Luke 23:33–34 (WEB)
"When they came to the place that is called 'The Skull,' they crucified him there with the criminals… Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing.'"
Devotional
This is not a prayer Jesus offers after the pain. He says it while the nails are still being driven in — present tense, mid-crucifixion, surrounded by the very people responsible for what's happening to Him. Nobody involved in this moment has apologized. Nobody has asked for mercy. The soldiers are simply doing their job, dividing His clothing by casting lots a few verses later, entirely indifferent to what they're actually taking part in.
And Jesus looks at all of it and says, "Father, forgive them."
Not "Father, forgive them once they realize what they've done." Not "Father, forgive them after they repent." Just — forgive them, now, in the middle of the offense, before the apology that may never even come.
This should recalibrate something in how we think about forgiveness generally. We tend to treat forgiveness as a reward we release once someone has sufficiently earned it back — through apology, through visible remorse, through enough time passing. Jesus models something almost uncomfortable by comparison: forgiveness offered while the wound is still actively being made.
"For they don't know what they are doing" isn't Jesus excusing their actions. It's Him naming the reality that people often cause deep damage while being fully unaware of its weight — soldiers doing routine duty, a crowd swept up in mob energy, religious leaders convinced they were protecting truth. Ignorance doesn't erase the harm. But Jesus chooses mercy over resentment anyway, before He even has clarity on whether they'll ever understand what they did.
"Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you" (Ephesians 4:32). Paul isn't asking us to forgive easy people who've already apologized well. He's pointing back to exactly this moment — forgiveness modeled at its hardest, most undeserved, least reciprocated point.
Maybe you're holding onto something right now, waiting for an apology that hasn't come and might never come — from a parent, an ex, a friend who hurt you and moved on like nothing happened. Jesus isn't asking you to pretend it didn't hurt. He's showing you that forgiveness was never actually meant to depend on their sorry.
You're allowed to release it before they ever ask you to.
Prayer
Lord, thank You for forgiving me before I ever fully understood what I needed forgiveness for. Help me release the people who've hurt me, even without an apology, the way You released those who crucified You. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Dig Deeper
Luke 23:32–43
Ephesians 4:31–32
Colossians 3:13
Matthew 6:14–15
Reading Plan
Today's Reading
Luke 23
Ephesians 4
Colossians 3
Today's Thought
Forgiveness was never meant to wait for someone else's sorry.
From Every Morning — September 2026 by Margaret Nwakaego Usio.