In the name of Jesus
Tonight we consider the second of the words or statements from Jesus on the cross, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."
Jesus is crucified between two criminals. As it is written, "He was numbered with the transgressors." Jesus was counted as if He were the worst of sinners, so that we who are the worst of sinners might be made to be His saints. He who is holy was judged to be worthy of the death penalty, so that we might receive the gift of everlasting life.
Jesus bears not only the physical pain of the cross but also the humiliation of the cross. He is hung there stripped of His clothing, while He is mocked by the rulers, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God." Even the soldiers joined in the sport. They offered Him sour wine, something more like vinegar, to quench His thirst. "Here, want a drink?" And they too called out, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself." Most of us know what it's like to be made fun of for one reason or another. But even the worst of that is only a shadow of what Jesus here experienced, to be mocked mercilessly while dying an innocent, excruciating death.
Jesus' mockers kept telling Him to save Himself. And surely He could have. He could have come down from the cross and put them all in their place. But Jesus had come not to save Himself but to save us, to bear our pain and humiliation and shame so that we might be released from it. He shows Himself truly to be the Christ, the chosen One of God, by not retaliating, but by suffering it all on our behalf.
Even one of the criminals crucified with Jesus joins in the mocking,
"If You are the Christ,
save Yourself and us." Of course, Jesus was saving them in that
very moment. But this criminal couldn't recognize it and didn't receive
it. Even in death he was not repentant for his sins but was full
of anger and denial. Jesus became a convenient target for his impenitence
and unbelief.
In this entire account, there is only one person who seems to get it, who sees Jesus for who He is and believes in Him, namely, the other criminal crucified with Christ. This criminal rebukes his counterpart, saying "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong." There is no complaining from this second criminal about how unfair his situation is, how he shouldn't have received the death penalty. Rather, he acknowledges that he's getting what he deserves. He comes clean before God and does not deny his sin. He confesses it and turns to Christ.
What brought this criminal to repentance and faith? Two things, I believe. The first was the cross itself. As he experienced in his flesh the just penalty for his actions, any illusion of self-sufficiency before God was stripped away. He recognized how lost and helpless he was and how desperately he needed to be saved. And there is one other thing that turned this criminal's heart to faith. We don't know if he had heard Jesus' teaching prior to this; he probably did. But one thing we do know. He had heard Jesus say of those who crucified Him, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." Even if that's all the criminal ever heard from Jesus' lips, he knew that this Messiah was one full of mercy and forgiveness. That reality turned the criminal's heart to hope and trust in Christ and to seek help from Him.
Learn from this how to bear crosses in your own life. Don't
be like the first criminal when
you experience suffering or hardship and lash out at God in anger and
denial because He's not coming through for you. Rather, be like the
second criminal and acknowledge that God is not unjust. Whatever
suffering we must endure is only what we deserve. And ultimately,
it is a gift meant to bring us to repentance. God uses the cross
to empty you of your pride and self-reliance and to show you how helpless
you are on your own. He tests and tries you not because He wishes
to punish you but because He wants to save you and to draw your heart to
rely on Him alone for help and deliverance. Sometimes it takes the
equivalent of having nails driven through our hands and feet before our
hearts are broken in penitence.
The fact of the matter is, we all must be crucified with Christ in order to be saved. We must all become that second criminal. Dying with Jesus in order that we may also rise with Him is what Christianity's all about. It begins in our baptism, of which St. Paul says, "Do you not know that all of you who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?" Again, St. Paul declares, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life I live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." And finally, St. Peter writes, "Christ Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we having died to sins, might live for righteousness–by His stripes you were healed." This death of your sinful flesh and this rising up of the new life of Jesus in you is exactly what was accomplished and begun in your baptism. It is what defines you as a Christian in this world.
So when it comes right down to it, this criminal didn't get saved any differently than you. Some have questioned how he could be saved without baptism. But the fact of the matter is that in a very real way he was baptized into Christ. He was crucified with Christ, just as you have been at the font, just as you will be when you die. And he was given life with Christ in heaven, just as you have been at the font, just as you will be given when you die.
The criminal said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom." What an amazing statement of faith that is, that He would say such a thing to a man being put to death! He could not possibly have been thinking that Jesus was going to establish some earthly kingdom. Yet even in this situation, the criminal saw by faith that Jesus truly was the King of the Jews, the royal ruler of God's people who would establish an eternal and heavenly kingdom. And his prayer to the Lord is very simple, "Remember me." As we prayed in the Psalm, "Remember, O Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old." Remember me, and give me entrance to your kingdom.
Jesus said to this repentant and believing criminal, "Today, you will be with Me in Paradise." Paradise calls to mind the Garden of Eden, how things were before the fall into sin and the curse of death. Here Jesus bears the curse of death in order to break its power and reverse the fall. Here Jesus restores Paradise by putting to death the old order of things in His body in order that He might bring into being the new creation. And it's all accomplished right here on the cross. Today, Jesus says. All the work will be completed today. Easter will reveal and prove the victory of the cross, but everything that is necessary to rescue mankind and renew creation is accomplished on Good Friday.
"Today, you will be with Me in Paradise." Those two words, "with Me" define for us what Paradise is. It is to be with Christ. Where Christ is, there is heaven. To be in His presence is to have all that you need. With Him is the fullness of life and majesty and peace and happiness and pleasure.
"Today, you will be with Me in Paradise." So it is also for all those who die in the faith. That very day they are with Christ in heaven. There is no suffering in purgatory, no waiting around in limbo or soul sleep. Today, they are with their Savior, who loves them with an everlasting love. You who believe and are baptized may face death without fear because of this saying of Jesus. Let these words of His ring in your ears as you lie on your death bed. "Today, you will be with Me in Paradise." Though your body must be crucified in death, your soul will be drawn into God's glorious presence. And then, just as Christ's crucified body was raised from the dead, so will your dead body be raised to life again on the Last Day. Your soul and body will be rejoined to a life that is perfect and free from the curse of suffering or pain or decay or death. And you will see God in the flesh and dwell in His Paradise, His new creation forever. For if you have been united with Him in His death, you will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection.
In the name of Jesus