It was visible to all who wanted to watch. The public display
of Jesus’ death was meant to be deliberate and purposeful. Given the
hatred the religious authorities had towards Jesus, it is no surprise He was
crucified between two known criminals. If the pain of being flogged, if the
weight of carrying the cross, if the agony of being nailed to a cross was
not enough--the story in our text illustrates that though innocent, Jesus
was forced to endure humiliation and public shame.
The scene is not new to us: Jesus’ closest disciples have
either abandoned or denied Him, and those few who were willing to remain associated
with Jesus watched silently from a distance. The scene before us is also filled
with drama as the soldiers gamble for Jesus’ clothes. What began as
a public spectacle has blossomed into crazed mob as the crowds around Jesus
taunt Him saying, “He saved others, let him save himself.” To
make matters worse, one of the criminals also taunts Him saying, “are
you not the Christ? Then save yourself and us.”
Luke tells us the insult of this unnamed criminal did not go
unchallenged. The other criminal turned and rebuked his companion with these
words: “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are
under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our
deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong” (vs. 40-41).
This unnamed criminal recognizes something. Facing certain death
for crimes he committed, and with a firm understanding of his debt to society
and to God, he accepts responsibility for the sins he’s committed and
God’s pending judgment. It’s hard to say what he knew of Jesus.
It’s impossible to tell if he heard Jesus’ preach. But given the
size of the crowd and the popularity of Jesus, we can be certain he was familiar
with the stories about Jesus: turning water into wine; walking on water; the
blind receiving their sight; or the lame walking again. Maybe he heard about
the story of Lazarus or how woman at the well found forgiveness and healing.
Despite the many negative voices around the Cross that day,
something amazing happens. With the strength he has left, Jesus addresses
this criminal’s needs. Our Gospel writer records it this way: “Then
he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. Jesus
answered him; I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise”
(vv. 42-43).
Jesus’ response seems unsolicited, but it is the response
to the question on the heart of all us. Faced with certain death without the
possibility of an appeal--the question that looms in the darkness of our heart
is quite clear, “Is it too late to turn to God?” “If I reach
out to Him, will he reject me?”
The story of Easter is many things, but for those who seek answers
about reconciliation with God, Easter tells for as long as we are able to
ask the question, the answer is: it is not to late to turn to Christ.
(For the full manuscript
of this sermon go to www.preachersmagazine.org and click on “Sermons.”)
It is a part of the human experience to have problems. Sometimes
they are emotional, physical, or spiritual in nature. Regardless of the nature
of our problems, sometimes they are so serious that we may conclude “it’s
to late.” We may assume our “time has past” for redemption.
Our text, however, teaches us that we can never say that about Christ. The
story in our text gives us hope; even to the very end the invitation of Christ
still stands. The repented condition of this criminal’s heart prompts
Jesus to say, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”
The words Jesus spoke to the dying thief are like a breath of
fresh air. We cannot deny that the thief has done wrong, and is paying the
penalty of his choices, but at last he has made the right choice: he chose
Christ. His request for forgiveness has been heard, and Christ’s forgiveness
changed his life. This criminal’s helplessness is transformed into hope,
reminding us that it’s not to late to turn to Christ.
Scholars tell us that “Paradise” is derived from
a Persian word meaning “garden” or “park” which maybe
reminiscent to the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2; 3). In the New Testament this
term is synonymous for “heaven” (2 Corinthians 12:4). Scholars
also tell us that when a Persian king wished to honor one of his subjects,
the king would make the honoree a companion for fellowship in the palace garden.
If we see the story in this context, then it was more than immortality that
Jesus promised this thief--He promised him the honored place of fellowship
with God in the garden in the courts of Heaven.
So what does all this mean? The repentant thief on the cross
discovered what the mocking crowd missed; he discovered what the chief priest
and scribes had forgotten. The repentant thief understood something his criminal
partner should have learned: “To repent is to come to your senses.”
In this regard, repentance is not so much something you do, but rather it
is something happens to you. True repentance spends less time looking at the
past as it does to the future as we thank God for His mercy and grace.
The story of the Cross calls us to become like the thief: aware
of our helplessness and our need to be redeemed. Like the thief, we are lost
in a lost world. Yet at Calvary, God has made our redemption possible if we
are willing to open ourselves to the transforming love of Christ, and like
the thief experienced the transforming grace of God.
It is not too late to turn to Christ. God accepts us where we
are, just as we are, but he doesn’t leave us that way. You are cared
for, you are loved. Christ’s gift is given to you, not as a reward for
something you did or a payment for something you accomplished--it is given
to you because, “God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only
Son, that whosoever believes in him, shall not perish, but have everlasting
life.”
God does what we are unable to do or what those around us don’t
want to do or are unable to do for us. When we accept His forgiveness, He
separates us from our sins. “As far as the east is from the west,”
the Psalmist says, which means as far as you can imagine, that offense will
be wiped away, completely blotted out.
The good news--the very good news--of the gospel in our text
is that we don’t have to remain in bondage, glued to our sins. The healing
power of God is ours for the asking, promising freedom and the loving embrace
of a Father who forgets our past and clothes us for a new life.
With the strength he has left, Jesus addresses this criminal’s needs.
