In Paradise With Jesus

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE

IN PARADISE WITH JESUS

Luke 23:35-43

35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One." 36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37 and said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself." 38 There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. 39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" 40 But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." 42 Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." 43 Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." 

NIV

We could focus on those who sneered at him, both the rulers and the soldiers, just as today there are people who sneer at Jesus. The fact is people either believe in Jesus as the Son of God, as the Savior of the world, or they sneer at Jesus, making fun of those who have faith, and who live by faith. However, we want to focus on the two criminals on Jesus' right and left. Both men are guilty of the crime they are being crucified for. There is no doubt they fall into the category of what Paul will write later, that all have fallen short of the glory of God. They had not just fallen short, they had committed a civil crime, against the law. The penalty of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life. These two men had received their just due and were hanging on a cross. But Jesus was innocent and there he was between them because of the sins of others. First, because of the sin of hatred within the chief priests, teachers of the law, and the rulers. Second, and primarily because of the sin of the world. Interestingly, the one criminal hurled insults at Jesus. How can one condemned man insults another condemned man, unless, he was only interested in Jesus being able to get them all off the cross? Yet, the other criminal got the point. He understood both he and the other criminal were guilty and getting what they deserved, but Jesus had done nothing wrong. Then he made this great confession of faith. “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He expressed one of the greatest truths. Although Jesus was crucified, this man believed that even then, dying on the cross, and being buried, Jesus would not stay dead, but return to life and rule his kingdom. Of course, he did not say all that, but his words implied that is how he thought about Jesus. Then we come to the truth of truths. “Today you will be in paradise with me.” First, instead of spending days on a cross, dying a slow and agonizing death by suffocation, Jesus knew the Jews would not allow men to be on the cross taking days to die because the next day was a special Sabbath and they would have the soldiers break the legs of the men so they could not give themselves any relief and suffocate sooner, so they could be taken down. Jesus knew this man would die today with him, and both of them would be in paradise that day. This brings us to another whole truth. Jesus is in paradise, not in the tomb, and because he was was paradise and ruling, he could release anyone else, without going anywhere, until it was time to return to his body for a while. We could spend volumes on this truth, but we will leave it for now, to just know that someday we too will be in paradise with Jesus.