Luke 23:33-43
Today is the last Sunday of our deep dive into Luke’s gospel, which we have been looking at for the last five months. Today is the day we celebrate Christ the King and the end of the church year.
And how does Luke portray our King of Kings? In his mighty resurrection and glorious ascension, or his coming again with the whole host of heaven to judge the earth? No. Crucified between two common criminals. His body broken and bleeding.
We end this season of the Church - the Body of Christ, by gazing on the crucified and violated body of Jesus the Christ, Son of Man.
As we behold our King, what do we first notice?
In this moment of physical pain and weakness and absolute humiliation, Jesus shows The Father’s love for the world, even those crucifying him. In v. 34, he turns his eyes to heaven and says: “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”
Here is the loving mercy and grace of Jesus most clearly revealed. Even while the nails are being driven into his body, he shows no vindictiveness or anger or resentment.
This is our King, Jesus, who loves those who put him on the cross. The Jewish leaders, the Roman soldiers, the crowd. For this is the way God chose to show his love for all mortals who are born and die.
The next thing we notice is, as Jesus hangs there in agony, he is mocked by those watching this event. First, the Roman soldiers cast lots for his clothing. Then a conga line of people all cracking the same vile joke.
The Jewish leaders turn up and scoff at him, saying, “He saved others, let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, the Chosen One!”
Then the Roman soldiers join in the mocking: “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” And just in case anyone missed the point, they made a sign of mockery and pinned it over his head.
Everyone is mocking Jesus as he dies in humiliation and pain. No-one tries to defend him. People shout abuse or they remain silent. But no-one speaks up on his behalf.
And even one of these criminals joins in the mockery, v.39; “‘Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!’”
Could there be a more disturbing scene in the history of the world than the Son of God being mocked as he is crucified to death? This seems the lowest point in the low history of sinful human behaviour.
But then begins a truly remarkable conversation in vv. 40-43.
In answer to the scorn and mocking words of one of the criminals, the other cries out
“’Don’t you fear God … 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.’” (vv. 40-41)
This beautiful and remarkable man then turns to Jesus and says, “‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.’ Jesus answers, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.’”
The word Paradise is used only three times in the Bible. Once by Paul (2 Cor 12:4) who had been taken “up to Paradise” and heard things in the very throne room of God that he was not permitted to repeat.
The second time is in Rev 2:7 where believers are promised that we will eat of the Tree of Life in the Paradise of God. The remaining time is right here in today’s passage. The tree of life is of course in the Garden of Eden, where sinless humans lived with God.
The root of the word Paradise implies the sense of a beautiful place, enclosed. An example of such a place would be a lush tropical island, enclosed by the ocean.
The fact that a paradise is enclosed is important because it means it has a boundary.
The great paradise in Scripture is of course the Garden of Eden. Now we know Eden had a boundary because when the mortals, Adam and Eve, were sent from the Garden, God placed the cherubim with flaming swords at its entrance to guard the way to the tree of life.
Paradise is not the same as heaven though, which we will experience and enter into when Jesus, the King of Kings returns in his glory, not in his poverty and humility.
The very opposite of Paradise is the ‘Place of the Skull,’ Golgotha, where Jesus was crucified and the location of this remarkable conversation.
Not an enclosed Eden but outside the enclosed walls of Jerusalem, high on a cross in an arid place, not at all beautiful and with no boundaries.
Jesus is promising this penitent criminal that he will be with this criminal in a beautiful place, enclosing him – hiding him in himself - in the eternal Eden of God. He tells the thief that this will happen ‘today,’ this very day.
Jesus is not talking about when he returns. Take great comfort from this promise because this assurance is for us as well.
Luke’s great and common theme is the s been the unexpected people, and groups of people, that Jesus has extended mercy to. The poor, the lepers, and women, especially widows.
Through his parables we read that even rebellious spendthrift children are precious in his sight the moment they repent.
Luke writes that Priests and Levites have no goodness in themselves; they, too, can have unrighteous and uncircumcised hearts; whereas even non- Jews, Samaritans no less, were seen as righteous because their actions glorified God the Father.
In all these healings and encounters and parables, we find the great mercy of Jesus Christ – in other words, salvation - has been extended immediately. No delay at all.
It always comes instantly, to the repentant thief, and to us.
Not after we prove that we have changed our ways; not until after we have been baptised; but immediately. This day. Instantly, we come into the Kingdom of God. All things follow from that.
Today’s gospel, as we celebrate the reign of Christ, reveals this mercy again being extended to one on the very limits of life. This crucified King of Kings, still on his cross, spoke directly to the anguish of the convicted thief beside him.
The criminal acknowledged God, repented of his sin, (i.e., he literally turned to Christ) and cried out to Jesus as the thief and self-confessed sinner knew the kingdom of God belonged to Jesus.
This day, instantly, he was enfolded in Christ Jesus and would be with him forever in a beautiful place.
It is worthwhile trying to picture this – but to do this requires some courage because the reality of it is brutal.
This conversation between Jesus and the criminal was not conducted on a seat in a shady churchyard, sipping coffee, with the criminal softly reciting the Sinner’s Prayer. But on the cross!
To even breathe, crucified people had to push themselves up from their nailed feet to get air into their lungs! This short dialog between the thief and Jesus was not made up of composed or carefully considered sentences but delivered in extremis.
The criminal, laboring to snatch even a breath; in unimaginable pain and existential fear for his soul would have sounded more like “JESUS!!!! Remember me when you come into your Kingdom!!!”
Jesus’ reply would have been equally as breathless and pain-filled, wrenched from him.
The mercy of Christ is beyond limit and immediate We see it in a tangible way in the very sick in our hospitals, Jesus is always near when we are at the limit of our life.
Jesus says to all of us who cry out to him, when we have come to the end of ourselves, and to the end of our lives, “truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Right now, enclosed in me, hidden with me in the Kingdom of God which belongs to me. I am the King of all Kings.
Behold our King. Amen and Amen, let me pray …