As we began last week, so I will remind you that this year, during the Wednesdays of Lent we are looking at the words Jesus’ spoke from the cross. In the four Gospels we can count seven different times that Jesus spoke. The seven times that Jesus spoke were during His last six hours of life on the cross from nine o’clock in the morning, when He was nailed to the cross, until about three o’clock in the afternoon, when He died.
Last week we heard the beautiful Gospel filled words, “Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” This week we hear the words which are a result of that forgiveness. Jesus’ second words from the cross as the hours passed are spoken to one of the thieves on the cross, the thief who was repentant, who acknowledge his sin and his just punishment. “And he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom’” (Luke 23:42). “And Jesus answered to him, ‘Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.’”
As always, we want to keep the Words of Scripture in their proper context so we want to go back and listen to the whole account. When He was crucified, Jesus was crucified between two criminals, one on His right and one on His left, as was prophesied by Isaiah, “Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:12). One of the criminals that was hung on the cross with Him mocked Him. Luke relates the account, “One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, ‘Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!’” (Luke 23:39).This criminal showed no remorse. He was not sorry for his sin and in his own ignorance he did not know who Jesus was, that He was the Son of God who came to give His life for him. Indeed, had Jesus saved Himself and the two criminals then no one would be saved.
On the other cross was a second criminal. This other criminal knew what he did was wrong. Again, as Luke relates the account, “40But the other rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong’” (Luke 23:40-41). He was sorry for his sins. He also knew who Jesus was, for it had been revealed to him by Jesus Himself. This second criminal believed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God and in faith asked Jesus for forgiveness.
Jesus words to the criminal who repented were, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” The word “truly” is sometimes translated rightly as “Amen.” This word “Amen” comes to us from the Hebrew into the Greek and literally means “faithful,” or “God is faithful.” Thus, Jesus, as He has done on many occasions, emphasizes what He is about to say by saying that God is faithful and will do what He says. Maybe you have heard me put it into words today saying, “God’s Word does what it says.”
Jesus says, “Today,” not tomorrow, not in three or four days, which is how long a typical crucifixion might last, several days of suffering, but today. Jesus words also show that there is no place between earth and heaven. There is no holding place where we go to work off our sins. It is either directly to heaven or directly to hell (do not pass Go, do not collect $200). Jesus words show that for this criminal on the cross there is complete forgiveness. Because without forgiveness there is no way to get to heaven.
As an aside let me reiterate what I have said in Bible class on occasion, often when speaking about death and our own resurrection the Bible speaks from two points of view. At times it speaks about our point of view as we await our own passing or the Lord’s return. This point of view is spoken of as one is asleep and the body waits in the ground to be reunited with the soul on the last day, this point of view is the point of view of those of us who continue to live in the time frame the Lord has given to us. Other times the Bible speaks of death and resurrection, such as here to the thief on the cross and is speaks from God’s point of view. Because we know that God does not live in time, which He created on day one for us, but He lives in the eternal present, thus for God there is no yesterday nor tomorrow, only the now, so here Jesus is speaking from God’s point of view that today the thief will be in paradise with Him.
Moving on, Jesus also says, that you will be “with Me.” His words indicate that He was on His way to heaven, yet by His words He does not mean to localize Himself, to say that He will be only in this one place from now on, for as true God He is always, everywhere present, or as we learn in confirmation, He is omnipresent. Jesus was here suffering hell on the cross. He would then descend into hell, not for more suffering but, to declare victory over the devil. And He would ascend into heaven from where He descended to accomplish our salvation. And at the same time, as true God, Jesus is always everywhere present. And as an aside I believe this explanation helps us better understand the real presence of Jesus’ body and blood in, with and under the bread and wine in His Holy Supper.
Jesus’ promise to the thief is that he was on his way to heaven to be with Jesus. What comfort those words must have brought to the thief. Here he was suffering and dying because of the social consequences of his own sin and next to him was his Savior suffering and dying for the eternal damnation of the sins of the thief and the sins that all people had earned for Him. And in the midst of Jesus’ suffering He speaks words of forgiveness and words of promise of heaven. Notice again how God created us to love us and how even in His suffering Jesus thinks of us, cares for us and forgives us. Also, notice that Jesus does not immediately remove the suffering of the thief. As we sin in our world and as Jesus forgives us, that does not necessarily mean that He always immediately takes away our suffering. Rather it means that we are forgiven and we can be certain of our eternal salvation where there is no more suffering.
Finally, the last part of Jesus words are that he will be with Him in “Paradise.” Paradise is a place of eternal bliss. Paradise is the name given the Garden of Eden before the fall into sin. Certainly heaven will be of similar grandeur, like the Garden of Eden before the fall into sin with humans and God in perfect fellowship with one another.
Paradise is also a reference to God’s kingdom. God’s kingdom is heaven. Heaven is a wonderful place, filled with God’s glory and grace. The criminal on the cross who repented is told of his forgiveness and the gift of eternal life with Jesus in heaven. For him it was a good day to die.
We might be so “crass” as to say that Jesus words to the thief on the cross are words of comfort to us because, as sinful human beings, we deserve to be on the cross next to Jesus as that thief. As Jesus speaks to the thief, He is speaking to us. It is Jesus’ life, suffering and death which earns our forgiveness, just as His suffering and death earned forgiveness for all people of all places of all times.
And with the forgiveness which Jesus has earned for us comes life, even eternal life. “Today you will be with me in Paradise,” means that heaven is ours, now. It is a present reality. Certainly we will not move in until after our physical death or the Lord’s return, which I always remind you will be sooner than we know and sooner than we might imagine, but we do not need to concern ourselves with where we will spend eternity. Heaven is ours.
As we stand at the cross of Jesus, everything that is happening to Him should rightly be happening to us. We are the ones who deserve to suffer hell. Our sins earned eternal death for us. As Jesus speaks from the cross He speaks, not only to the people who are there at that time but, to us some two thousand years later. Thanks be to God that Jesus came to give His life so that we might have forgiveness, so that we might have eternal life, so that heaven might be ours. To God be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
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