What would you do if what you did would determine whether you would die tomorrow? What if you knew that your sacrifice was the only thing that could ultimately save your friends and family? Jesus faced those questions. What if Jesus had decided to run away instead? Aside from the fact that our sins would not have been redeemed and that we would probably still be offering blood sacrifices as a part of our religious rituals, aside from the fact that there would not have been a missionary heart that would be a foundation of our great nation, and aside from the fact that Charles Martel would not have had a holy cause to hold back the Muslim tide, we would still be in a world where the gods were vengeful, pernicious creatures. He sacrificed Himself for the sake of love and hope.
What would you do if you knew that people would reject your sacrifice? What if you knew that people would pervert your teachings for the sake of their own avarice and advancement? Jesus sacrificed Himself anyway. Forgive them, Lord, for they know not what they do. He was not just speaking of that moment, but the many moments that followed. He was speaking of those who ridicule Him because they have listened to the false prophets.
I still fear my death. Were I to know that it would come tomorrow, I do not know if I could face it bravely. I do not know if I could forgive those who rejected me. I hope that I have that strength within me, and I am grateful that He had it within Him.