Saving Paradise

Scripture:

Luke 23:32   Two others also, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. ³³ When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. ³⁴ [Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”^a] And they cast lots to divide his clothing. ³⁵ And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!” ³⁶ The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, ³⁷ and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” ³⁸ There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”

Luke 23:39   One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, “Are you not the Messiah?^b Save yourself and us!” ⁴⁰ But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? ⁴¹ And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” ⁴² Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” ⁴³ He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

Observation:

Luke’s crucifixion draws to completion Jesus’ mission declared after going to the home of Zacchaeus, “For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10, NRSV). This theme of salvation continues throughout this scene. Failing to understand the mission, the religious leaders scoffed at him, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!” They couldn’t see that the mission was not about himself, but about everyone else. If Jesus was to save the lost, he would have to die on that cross. 

Not only the religious leaders, but also the soldiers mocked him. Again, he was challenged to “save yourself!” The misunderstanding came from the fact that an earthly leader would have done all that he could to save himself. Continuing in their ridicule they placed the sign over his head, “This is the King of the Jews,” and wondered why he did not do anything to save himself. 

Finally, we hear the voices of those on either side of Jesus. The first criminal joined in with the others in mocking Christ. He added to the chastisement of the others for not only did he want Jesus to save himself, but to save them as well. In these final moments of Christ’s life, he then turned to continue in his salvific mission. The other criminal saw Jesus for who he really was and declared that he had been unjustly condemned. Out of a gentle and repentant heart he cried out to Jesus, “remember me when you come into your kingdom.” In that moment Jesus mustered up the breath to respond and to speak words of salvation as he replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” 

Jesus didn’t come to save himself, but others. Not only did he provide a pathway for all of humanity to be saved by his action on the cross, but he redeemed the life of the repentant criminal and shared with him the secret that the pathway to paradise would be opened that very day. Through his sacrificial death, paradise would be restored. This criminal was able to enter into new creation because of what Christ accomplished on the cross. There is salvation and new creation, and all of this is promised through these simple words of Jesus, “today you will be with me in Paradise.” 

Application:

Jesus’ salvific mission began from the moment of his conception. Every act of his life was intention and it was leading to this climax. The beauty of this sacrificial act is the inherent invitation. Even the most hardened criminal is invited to partake in new creation, to be with Christ in Paradise, because of the work that Jesus has done. 

Because Jesus fulfilled his mission and restored the pathway to paradise, we can follow him into that space. So often we think about this Paradise as heaven, but I think that Jesus was providing for restoration on that very day. His comment about “today” was not just for the criminal that day, but for all of humanity. It’s an invitation for us to live in his new creation on a daily basis through a restored relationship with our creator. 

At the same time, we must take note of the attitudes of the two criminals. One mocked Jesus, while the other honored Christ for who he really was. Only one of the criminals would experience Paradise. We are invited into this relationship with Christ, but we must respond to his presence through active engagement. We cannot just be passive bystanders watching Jesus engage in his saving activity. There were three groups of people who mocked people that day; the religious officials, the guards and a criminal. There was only one who spoke up, defending Jesus for the just man that he was, and that one found his way to Paradise. 

The mocking voices are loud and powerful. They overwhelmed the government officials that day and put a man to death. Just because they are the loudest voices doesn’t mean that they are telling the truth. The truth came from a very unlikely source — a voice of a man dying on a cross. When we look at the scene that day, can we find ourselves identifying with the criminal? I have to ask myself whether I have the strength to speak truth in the midst of clamoring voices. The criminal was crucified — but he also found life in Christ. 

The world may want to crucify us for speaking truth, but we live for participation with Christ in new creation. Thanks be to God!

Prayer:

Lord, I pray for strength to speak your truth — for you are the way, the Truth, and the life. Amen.