I can see your face in my head as you read that line.
Like how can that possibly be good?
The easiest answer is, without His death there is no eternal life. To those who actually lived this day it was anything but Good. But we know the outcome, we know how the story ends.
This day started out like any other day back then. The meat of the story doesn't really begin until sundown with Passover. Now I'm not going to do an indepth rundown of the story. You can read it here though.
We know that Jesus was betrayed, and crucified. He dies and is buried. And today there will be many services preaching the 7 last words and drilling home to us the agony that He went through for us. It is very sobering when you think about it.
However, there is a story-line during this night that many people gloss over and it is truly the backbone of what salvation is.
Its the story of the thief on the cross. It might not get that much attention because out of all 4 Gospels only Luke (Luke 23:39-43) talks about it indepth. Matthew mentions it to say that they mocked Jesus too, just like the rest of the crowd.
This has to be my favorite story in the Bible.
I know, you're like really?! This story is your favorite?
Yes, it absolutely is because it shows the instant, redemption power of Jesus.
So here Jesus is, in the middle of two thieves. People who were career criminals. People we would consider the lowest of the low. People who actually did wrong things and this was their punishment.
Jesus on the other hand had done nothing wrong but speak the truth and rebuke those who were disrespecting the name and character of God. (Ain't it interesting how people will "crucify"you for speaking the truth? You are in good company. But that is a post for another day.)
While Jesus is hanging there, on the cross, its not just the angry mob hurling insults at Him, mocking Him but also these two knuckle heads who are going through the same thing He is going through.
How can you possibly look down on someone who is nailed to a tree just like you? But don't we have these same people around us? Those who would beat us down when they are in the same suffering place.
One thief even had the audacity to say if you are truly who you say you are, save yourself and us.
Crazy right?
But now is when the story gets good. Let’s turn our attention to the other thief. Now he is watching this all go down. Mind you, he had been mocking Jesus right along with the others, remember Matthew's account? In the midst of the mocking he is watching Jesus.
We have these folks in our lives too. They at first follow the crowd but the more they watch how you are in the midst of your trials something shifts and that is what happened with the thief. Something shifted. How you live in your lows can cause folks to run towards Christ.
We don't know how long they were up there but this second thief finds himself rebuking the first and defending Jesus. He recognized that they deserved the punishment they were receiving but Jesus, Jesus did not. He recognized that there was something about Jesus, in the way He talked to and addressed the crowd even in the midst of His pain and suffering, and he knew in those moments that Jesus was who He said He was.
Mind you this man is struggling to breath, he is in incredible pain, he is dying. He could have been like his compatriot and asked Jesus to save him from a situation of his own making. How many times are we guilty of this? I know I am. But instead, he looks to Jesus and says just remember me. He didn’t ask to be saved, he didn’t ask for miracles. He just asked, Lord please when you get to your kingdom, remember me.
Now here is the best part of the story. I imagine in my mind that this man was looking at Jesus the entire time, struggling in pain, waiting for His response. And Jesus did not disappoint. He said TODAY you will be with me in paradise. He didn’t say when you say a bunch of Hail Marys, He didn’t say when you finally stop robbing, He didn’t say when you stop cussing, He didn’t say when you stop fornicating, He didn’t say when you stop loving who you loving, He didn’t say when you stop drinking, He didn’t say let me think about it, He didn’t say you ain’t worthy, He didn’t say you was just mocking me though, He didn’t say no, He didn’t hem and haw, He didn’t say tomorrow, HE SAID TODAY. Right now, you WILL be with me in paradise.
Hallelujah! TODAY!
Stop allowing other people to disqualify you from the love of Jesus!
They don’t define the criteria of salvation. God does. This thief didn’t have nothing to offer Jesus and neither do we. Jesus is in the soul saving business not the body saving business. We always are asking God to save our bodies but He came to save our souls, to help us live our purpose in this life and make us whole in the next.
It doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from, what you have done, where you have been all you need to do is LOOK UP and cry out Lord, remember me. The only person whose opinion matters is God’s. We can fake out the best of them but God knows your heart and He responds accordingly.
Jesus KNEW who this man was, what he had done, where he had been. And Jesus knew he was receiving the punishment he deserved. But Jesus also knew that he was sincere when he asked for a place in Jesus’s thoughts.
I have tried to live my life right but for some I have done things that, to them, should disqualify me for Heaven and Salvation. But it is not up to them. Hallelujah! It is up to God. God has the final say. There are no levels to this. The Bible says that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that He rose from the dead you are saved. Point. Blank. Period. And there is nothing and no one that can separate you from the love of Jesus.
So I offer you Jesus. There is no form to fill out, good deeds you have to do. All you have to be is sincere and believe that God is who He says He is and that Jesus died for your sins. Just ask Him to remember you and TODAY you will be with Him in paradise. Amen!
The Unlikely Missionary
DHW
