Today You Will Be With Me

The second saying of Jesus on the Cross is: “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” 

If the season of Lent failed to focus us on our Sin and mortality (as I think it’s meant to), then perhaps the Good Friday will serve us. It’s the story of 3 convicted men dying on crosses. 

The thought of Jesus on the cross hits each of us differently. It can move us emotionally. It can  confuse or bewilder us. I propose the most important thing we can do is to understand its meaning. The dialogue between these three men should help us.

The words of the first man show us the easiest mistake we can make as we encounter the cross. “Aren’t you the Messiah,” (he says) save yourself and us.”

Jesus was mocked by virtually everyone, wasn’t he? The Romans didn’t believe a king could be nailed to a tree and the religious people didn’t believe the chosen one could be crucified. This may be the only thing all the crowds throughout history ever agreed on: The cross is stupid – it’s foolish. 

Be careful, when everyone agrees on something. It’s easy to be swept away by the crowd – and I think maybe this first guy was. He mocks Jesus. He’s making demands. He doesn’t seem to understand his positioning before God.

Sadly, I think this guy is more concerned with his skin than his soul. 

If we want to understand the cross, we may have to get away from the crowd, maybe even be willing to look foolish. Remember, the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom. 

The second man makes the hardest admission in the world. “We are punished justly,” he says “for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong. Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

Like the first man (and like us), this second man has an existential crisis –  death is coming, quickly! But Instead of saying, get me down from this cross, Instead of a demand, he does the hardest thing one can do: He acknowledges his sin and guilt before God. And with that confession, he adds only this: Remember me. A plea for mercy. 

Somehow, in the presence of Jesus, this guy has become more concerned with his soul than his skin. 

Jesus responds to the plea, not the demand, “I assure you.”, he says, “today you will be with me in paradise.” 

Is he promising heaven in response to the plea? I think so. It’s fascinating because this guy is literally hours from death. He will never serve Jesus on earth. He can’t turn his life around. He can’t tell anyone about Jesus' mercy. Forgive the irreverence, but he might be the Bible’s most useless convert. 

It’s the perfect picture of grace, isn’t it? 

Yes, I think Jesus promises heaven to this man. But when he does, he’s promising us — you and me — so much more. Today you will be with me, he says. Do you see it? Jesus’ promise is his presence. 

Paul tells us in Ephesian 2 that God made us alive with Christ … and seated us with him  in the heavenly realms. Seated us, with him – past tense. Jesus is telling us that whether or not we die today – before and after we die, whenever that may be – we can be with him. And he wants to be with us. 

How can this be? We’re as guilty as the criminals on either side of him. In this particular case, this man could be with Jesus, because Jesus was with him on the cross. The cross is the key. It’s the axis mundi, the point on which all history turns 

And this is its meaning, the thing we must understand (I also think its the thing we most desire in our hearts). Jesus’ death opens the door for sinners to enter the heavenly realms. This is the profound wisdom of God. 

So to those who make a plea for mercy from the King, to those who acknowledge their guilt before the chosen one, He promises this: Today you will be with me in paradise.