“Today You Will Be with Me in Paradise” Luke 23:39-43

I can’t imagine a more horrifying day.

Condemned and humiliated, carrying my cross along the streets of the city, being mocked and jeered at and who knows what else a surly crowd might choose to do. Carrying the heavy instrument of my pending death, climbing the path to the top of the hill. Being hung on a cross with two other men condemned as I am, with a crowd below yelling and taunting, some in anguish as the sight of seeing a loved one hanging there, knowing the inevitable outcome.

How does a person respond to such a tragic turn of life? Obviously, no one grows up thinking that this will be their lot. And yet, here we are, alone amidst a crowd, lost in my own anguish and pain, my own shame and sorrow, even my anger.

When we talk about the day Jesus was crucified, we sometimes forget that two other men suffered the same fate as Him. These two men are unknown to us apart from the events recording Jesus’ crucifixion. We don’t know their crimes. Luke only describes them as criminals, while Mark and Matthew refer to them as robbers. John omits any criminality of any kind, only mentioning that two others were crucified with Jesus. All four Gospels indicate that Jesus was hung in the middle.

As the three men hung on their crosses, what was going through their heads? Luke gives us an idea simply by telling us of a conversation between the two criminals and then between one of the criminals and Jesus. We don’t know which man said what to Jesus. But the one thing we do know is that one of those men died without hope, while the other died with God’s promise in his heart.

Central Truth: Even on the cross, Jesus ministered to those who called on Him.

The debate (39-41)

We know from last week and from the other Gospels that Jesus’ crucifixion was surrounded by verbal abuse and taunting. The Roman soldiers jeered at Him, the religious leaders mocked Him. I am of the opinion that there were some in the crowd that pleaded with Jesus to come down to confirm their faith in Him. If He would only set Himself free He could prove to everyone present He was Messiah, and Rome itself would fall under His power.

Luke is the only Gospel writer that records some of the words said to Jesus from the crosses on either side of Him. In the brief dialogue between the men, we see hopelessness and we see faith. We see anger and we see sorrow.

The first man is recorded as hurling insults at Jesus. One of the insults was, “Aren’t you the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” (v. 39). Before we condemn this man too harshly, let’s remember that no one had ever survived a crucifixion. The standard operating procedure was to let a person hang there until they died. It didn’t matter how long it took. Eventually, the person would be too weak to support their weight and they would die.

We aren’t told what kind of life this man had led. Judging from his words, we can surmise that he was a hard man, an angry man, a defiant man. He seems to have cared for no one but himself, and he probably didn’t feel too good about himself, either.

What goes through a man’s mind that he can taunt someone who is suffering as he is? What kind of venom creeps through the soul of such a person?

It would be one thing if the man actually thought there was some hope in his words. But Luke makes it clear that the words spoken were not ones indicating a faith in Jesus’ Messiahship. His words were insults and jeers. Rather than mustering his strength for his long ordeal, he uses that strength to deride the only one there that shouldn’t have been there, but had to be there in order to save our world.

In contrast, there is the other condemned man. He seems to have a deeper awareness of what is taking place. He asks a question, then makes two statements that show us where his heart is.

“Don’t you fear God, since we are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve?” The second criminal lets us know that he is aware of his crime and is willing to suffer the consequences of his decisions. He also seems to know that there is more to Jesus than meets the eye.

“But this man has done nothing wrong.” There is no reason for us to believe the second man is aware of the events that led to Jesus’ crucifixion. There is no indication he even knew who Jesus was. And yet, there seems to be an awareness on his part that Jesus is distinctively different from them. His words about Jesus indicate not only that he didn’t believe Jesus deserved to die, but he goes one step further to declare Jesus was innocent.

In a trial, a person can be found “not guilty,” even though everyone outside the jury may believe he is guilty. Even most of the jurors can believe in the person’s guilt, but can’t vote to convict because the state has failed to prove its case. It’s rare for a jury to come back from the jury room and declare that not only is the person not guilty, but he should never have been on trial to begin with.

This is the second convict’s statement. Jesus had done nothing wrong.

The contrast between the two men is startling. One is filled with rage and hate, while the other is filled with remorse and sorrow. It should come as no surprise that only one of the criminals would then ask Jesus for help.

The prayer (42)

Again, we have no reason to believe the second man had any real knowledge of Jesus, although I think his prayer may indicate he did have some awareness. His words also indicate that he had an awareness of what was happening on Calvary that day. Maybe he didn’t grasp the full theology or dynamics of the day, but it seems he had an awareness that Jesus was not going to be set free, and that Jesus was Messiah. Why else pray to Him?

“Jesus, remember me when You come into your kingdom.”

Look at what the man is confessing. First, he knew Jesus’ name. There is no indication anywhere in the Bible that the three men were introduced to each other during the ordeal. It is probable, then, that the criminal was aware of Jesus. Maybe he had followed Jesus from a distance, one of the crowd who heard the Sermon on the Mount, or one of the 5000 who had been fed from the boy’s lunch. We have no way of knowing how and when he had heard of Jesus nor how he had formed his belief in Jesus’ Messiahship.

But he does seem to know Jesus.

Second, he seems to understand that Calvary is not the end for Jesus. There is a faith in life after death, and there is faith that Jesus’ death on the cross would not prevent Him from ascending to His throne. There is a faith that Jesus will be cognizant of people and things, that there was hope for the future.

And in his prayer, he humbly asks Jesus simply to remember him.

This prayer has so much involved in it.

First of all, it is a prayer. I heard a preacher says once that a prayer is not a real prayer unless it was at least five minutes long. But if prayer is talking with God, talking with Jesus, then this man’s request was every bit as much of a prayer as Nehemiah’s prayers in his book. His request was a simple one: Remember me when You come into Your kingdom. It was as strong a statement of faith and as succinct a prayer as one can pray. Under the circumstances, it was probably the best prayer he could muster.

Second, this prayer lets us know that faith in Christ is enough to save us. By the time the man made his prayer, it was too late for him to do anything more than die. He couldn’t come down from that cross and be baptized. He wasn’t going to be able to go out and win souls. He wasn’t going to do great deeds of faith that would stand with Peter at the Temple or Paul before governors and kings. No, this man was dying. And yet, because of his faith in Jesus, he found salvation.

Third, this prayer tells us there is no magic formula for seeking God’s forgiveness. At no time does the man admit his sinfulness to Jesus (although he did acknowledge it to his fellow convict). At no time does he says, “Jesus, I know I’m a sinner, and that if I died right now, I’d spend eternity in hell. I know and believe You are the Savior, and You alone can save me. Please forgive my sins and be my Lord and Savior.” He didn’t use those words, but he said exactly that when he prayed, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

The assurance (43)

We know the thief on the cross found salvation through his simple prayer by the words Jesus says. “I tell you the truth, today you will be with Me in paradise.”

Jesus’ second statement from the cross is one of assurance and peace to a lost and literally dying man. And, again, there is significance in Jesus’ words.

When Jesus wanted to emphasize a point, He would begin the statement with, “I tell you the truth. . .” By saying that, Jesus was stressing the veracity and strength of His words that would follow. It is a phrase that is found throughout the Gospels. By using these words, He was letting the man know that there could be no doubt about what Jesus was about to tell him.

“Today you will be with Me.” Two things about this must have reassured the man, and should reassure us. With these words, Jesus assures us that there is no waiting period after we die. As soon as we die, we are in paradise. Jesus didn’t say, “Some day” or “In a few weeks.” No, it is today that we will be with Him.

And that’s the second part—we will be with Jesus. There are those who may get hung up in the word “paradise.” They may suggest that Jesus didn’t give the man full salvation, because He didn’t say the man would be with Jesus in heaven. First of all, there is no such thing as partial salvation. Either we’re saved by faith in Christ Jesus or we’re not. There’s no in between. And they’re missing the point. The promise is “Today, you will be with Me in paradise.” The moment the thief on the cross breathes his last breath, he will find himself with Jesus. You can call that heaven, you can call it paradise. You can call it Joe’s Crab Shack. Wherever we are, we will be with Jesus. What can be better than that?

Conclusion

The thief on the cross had a day that started out all wrong. He was made to carry his cross through the streets of Jerusalem and, because he had the misfortune of being crucified with Jesus, the crowds were no doubt much larger than normal, more emotional than normal.

But if the man had the misfortune to be crucified with Jesus, he also had the wonderful blessing of being crucified with Jesus. If a person has to be crucified, that would be the perfect time to have it happen. One thief refused to see the opportunity before him. Instead of reaching out in faith, he chose instead to mock and ridicule.

The other thief knew what he had and he took full advantage of it. It was time for him to have a one-on-one with Jesus. Using that time as wisely as any man can, he asked Jesus simply to remember him. He expressed a faith in Jesus. And he received the greatest gift a man can receive.

He received life in Christ. Even on the cross, Jesus took the time to reach out to a lost sheep, and gave him healing and assurance. In the most real sense, the thief may have died on that cross that day, but he was delivered into life everlasting, and that was the greatest thing that ever happened to him.