First Word

"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

Can you think of a time when you did something to someone that had unintended bad effects?
Playing a joke, it hit somebody the wrong way...
Or, being mad, saying something that seemed totally warranted - but then watching the other person's face crumple, and you really had no idea it would hurt them like that...
Or worse, knowing it would hurt them like that, and saying it anyway - because it would hurt - and then, seeing how much it hurt, a lot of regret...

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to..."

Some of the answers can be pretty harsh:
"Well, you didn't mean to to!" I'm sorry...
"Sorry's not good enough!"

But here, there's a different response.
"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

Even before people could realize what they had done, Jesus was understanding them and accepting them, and wanting God to be gentle with them. He didn't ask for justice; he didn't want to be vindicated, for God to get them back - to make them suffer like he was suffering, so they'd know what it felt like - so they'd know what they had done.
How could they know, really, what they had done? How could they have any idea?

When they did start to realize it and came to God with their apologies and their grief and their sorrow, God listened - and he didn't say, "Sorry's not good enough!"

In confession, we come to God and say, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to... I didn't realize..."

and God looks at Jesus and then back at us and says, "I know."