April 7
“Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, ‘If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.’ But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise,’” Luke 23:39-43.
When Jesus was crucified, at first, both of the criminals joined the mocking multitude and reviled Him. The evangelist Matthew reports, “Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing,” Matthew 27:44. As time passed on, one of the criminals continued to blaspheme Jesus, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us!”
However, in the course of time, the heart of the other criminal was touched by the Holy Spirit with the Word of God. Exactly how this happened, we do not know. We do not know all the details that played a part in his conversion. But this we do know: That on the way to Calvary, and while hanging on the cross, he saw and heard much that must have made a deep impression upon his soul! Scripture tells us, “No one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit,” 1 Corinthians 12:3.
While the one criminal continued to mock Jesus, the other criminal turned to rebuke him. “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds, but this Man has done nothing wrong!” He asked his co-criminal, “Don’t you fear God? We are getting what we deserve for our ungodly deeds!” Capital punishment is ordained by God for deliberate murderers: “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed,” Genesis 9:6. And then, to the amazement of all, he added, “This Man has done nothing wrong!” He declared that Jesus was the sinless Son of God! He turned and pleaded with Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!” What a confession! First he rebuked the other criminal. Then he confessed his sins. Then he pleaded for Jesus’ mercy and forgiveness! He acknowledged that death would not end Jesus’ life and kingdom.
“Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” To his penitent plea, the criminal received Jesus’ gracious and forgiving promise: “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise!” “Today – not just at some time in the future, but today – you will be with Me in heaven!” At the time of death, the soul of the dying child of God goes to heaven. God’s Word speaks of only two places after death: Heaven and hell. The soul of the dying Christian is immediately in heaven, and the soul of the dying unbeliever is immediately in hell. There is no place in between, as is falsely taught in some churches.
What comfort there is also for us in those words of Jesus to the dying criminal! In our dying hour, we too plead for the Savior’s mercy and forgiveness: “Lord, remember me with Your mercy and forgive me all my sins where I have done wrong!” In response to our plea, we too will be told: “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise!” Going to heaven is not determined by how much good we have done or by the evil that we have not done. We are received into heaven by believing in Jesus as God’s Son and our Savior, who suffered and died to redeem us and who rose from the grave to conquer sin, death, and the devil. We have a living Savior, who has gone on before us to prepare a place for us. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved,” Acts 16:31.
“Jesus, pitying the sighs
Of the thief who near Thee dies,
Promising him Paradise:
Hear us, holy Jesus.
May we, in our guilt and shame,
Still Thy love and mercy claim,
Calling humbly on Thy name:
Hear us, holy Jesus.” Amen.