“Lord Jesus, we pray for the eyes of people to be opened to know You. In coming to You, by faith, their eyes will be opened to know Your wonderful ways. In Your name, we pray. Amen.”
Acts 3:17-18 “Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers. (18) But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.
There are two important matters that Peter and John are presenting to the crowd. The first is that they killed the Prince of life by ignorance and the corollary was that this was foretold by the prophets. These two positions must always be seen together.
Let us take up the first issue, which is about killing Jesus by ignorance but we’ll do this, keeping in mind the second factor, of the prophecy of the Scriptures.
The Lord Himself prayed this prayer as He was being crucified. Luke 23:34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they divided His garments and cast lots.
I have found this prayer of our Lord, a challenge to accept, considering what it seems to communicate. Did the Jews or the Gentiles, not know what they were doing to Jesus, by murdering Him on the cross? No. They did know very well what they were doing. They did what they did with all intentionality and malice. Then, how do we understand the prayer of our Lord?
Apostle Paul gives us an answer to this dilemma, as He writes to the Corinthians. I Corinthians 2:6-7 However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. (7) But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, (8) which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
Jesus going to the cross is the hidden wisdom of God, ordained before the ages, for our glory. This is difficult for the human mind to grasp but this is what we receive by faith in God.
The people who crucified Jesus did not know God or understand His ways. Therefore, Jesus prayed the prayer that He prayed, which was, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”
Paul explains this matter to the Jews in Antioch. Acts 13:27-30 For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they did not know Him, nor even the voices of the Prophets which are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled them in condemning Him. (28) And though they found no cause for death in Him, they asked Pilate that He should be put to death. (29) Now when they had fulfilled all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb. (30) But God raised Him from the dead.
The sin and guilt of taking Jesus to the cross rests on humanity, and this is in no way being ignored or overlooked. At the same time, the matter of the hidden wisdom of God, too, remains firm. We must ask the Lord for maturity to hold these two, seemingly opposite, views, concurrently.
Why are the eyes of man, blinded that we are not able to see and know the wisdom of God? John 16:1-3 “These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. (2) They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. (3) And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.
People’s eyes are blinded because they do not know God. People are not in a personal, intimate, faith relationship with Him. This is why people stumble. It is when people come into the personal faith fellowship with the Master that the scales on the eyes fall off and they see and know the ways of God.
Even today, the eyes of most Jews are still blinded and they are not able to know the ways and wisdom of God. II Corinthians 3:14-16 But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. (15) But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. (16) Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
It is only when a person turns to the Lord, that the veil is removed and they can see and appreciate God’s ways.
This should be the prayer of the church that the eyes of the people will be opened so that they will know the truth and understand the ways of God. John 8:31-32 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. (32) And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”