He suffered, and with an iron hard will strengthened by the anger he felt towards all this injustice, he showed cosmic restraint. He let the cycle of violence end right there. He could have cried out for an army of angels. Instead he said the one miraculous thing that could offer the only hope of turning all these enemies into friends. Father, forgive them.
Unresolved anger is deadly.
It closes us off form others. It hardens a part of our own heart. Forgiveness is life-giving, creative. It opens us up to others. When somebody is angry at you, remember, beneath every angry face is a hurting soul.