Lent - Pt 41

One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:39-43 ESV).

The life of Jesus was a mission of redemption. His death was no exception. The crucifixion of Jesus is a lesson in living. Jesus loved to teach by example. His death is another one of those incredible lessons. Our reading tells us that one of the other condemned men was ridiculing him (vv. 39-41). But the other criminal rebuked him. Jesus was suffering in a way that we cannot begin to grasp or even partially understand, so too was this criminal. He was never to come down from that cross alive, and yet he saw, or sensed something in Jesus that moved him in such a way that it became the road to his salvation. If ever there was a soul hovering on the brink of Hell it was this criminal, a virtual nobody hanging beside Jesus, the Son of God. In a heartbeat, he voiced what his intuition had detected; that Jesus was indeed the messiah! What Jesus did next was a wonderful example of understanding, acceptance, love, and compassion all wrapped up in one conclusive act. It is the epitome of the life of Jesus, strength thru adversity. Without hesitation Jesus responded to his plea for mercy: "Jesus answered him, 'I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise'" (Luke:23:43). We can learn from one of the two who were crucified next to Jesus. It is never too late to repent and ask the Lord to accept us. Jesus cleansed this man from his sins, received him graciously, and justified him unconditionally. He extended the gift of eternal life to him. We should learn from this incredible scene. Jesus’ love and mercy can subdue our doubts and ease our pain. As we come to Him without excuse and offer our heart and soul to Him, we can experience the awesome love and grace of the Lord. Jesus never strayed from His objective which was to teach us unconditional love and acceptance towards each other. His death was a testimony that salvation is a reality for all of us when we voice our faith. Jesus gave us a lesson in forgiveness while He hung there upon the cross suffering for us, dying for us. Perhaps today is your day to simply whisper a prayer of repentance and experience the flood of God’s grace into your heart and soul. It is never too late in this life!