Gospel Day 10 That Whosoever: Digging Deeper

1) What does this exchange tell us about the assurance of the gospel?
Christ was crucified between two criminals, both of whom were equally deserving of death for the crimes they had committed. One received the gift of eternal life, while one did not. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:18, “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” In these two men, we see a microcosm of the eternal outcome for the entire human race. For every single person who has ever lived, or ever will live, each are faced with a choice to either submit to Christ as Lord or reject Him entirely. There are no half-way options. Full belief or complete rejection. Christ Jesus, disgraced, mocked, spit upon, beaten beyond recognition, deserted by His disciples, reviled by His nation, forsaken by His father, falsely accused, struggling for breath, losing blood, held up on a hill as a prominent thief, while entirely innocent, breathes out promised, assured, certain hope. He stays on the cross precisely for this thief, for his salvation, and our own. Christ on a criminal’s cross for our sin, with bold authority goes beyond the thief’s request to “remember him” and promises the thief Paradise today. Only a King can give that kind of promise. Not a dying king, but a king with full rights, rule, and authority. In His death, Christ opened Paradise for all who, like the thief, would believe and trust in His work. 

2) Both men spoke to Jesus, why did Jesus only promise Paradise to one of them?
Only Luke’s gospel records this incredible event in such detail, but both Matthew and Mark record, “In the same way even the criminals who were crucified with Him taunted Him.” All three men were on their crosses for hours, and both criminals witnessed the unique events surrounding Jesus’ crucifixion, including Him calling out, “Father forgive them, they do not know what they are doing.” At one point, both robbers mocked Jesus, but there came a moment when one man changed his language. While one continued railing at Christ, “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”, the other man rebukes the thief and his brief speech arrests our attention. “Don’t you even fear God, since you are undergoing the same punishment? We are punished justly, because we’re getting back what we deserve for the things we did, but this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom.” The mocking criminal had the audacity to mock the Savior while still insisting He save him if He could. This man concluded that if Jesus could save, He would save. He also indignantly felt he somehow deserved to be saved. In sharp contrast, the other thief begins with an interesting question about “fear(ing) God”. Proverbs 1:7 notes that the “fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” and the psalmist writes, “The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him.” This man admits his guilt as a sinner deserving punishment while recognizing that Jesus was blameless. Then the sinner-turned-saint places full trust in Jesus as He not only recognizes that Christ is blameless, but also assumes His deity by assuming He has a “kingdom”. Unlike the mocking criminal, this man doesn’t assume he deserves to be saved, only that Jesus “remember” him. This is the faith that gives eternal life! Like the Father welcoming home the prodigal son who returns hoping to simply be a servant, Jesus assuredly responds, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise!”.

3) What does it mean to “be in Paradise”?
The Paradise Jesus spoke of is a real, physical place and entrance to it is immediate upon death in this life. (2 Corinthians 5:8) When Jesus rose from the dead, He had a real, physical body with supernatural abilities. His was a resurrected body. In Paradise, we will have these new bodies with which to enjoy the delights of eternity.
Jesus used the word “paradise” on purpose as it hearkened back to the original Paradise where Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden. (Genesis 2:8-9) It was stunningly beautiful, perfect in every way, but the most precious aspect was the unity between created beings and the Creator God. Sin had left no rift in their relationship. God walked in the Garden with Adam and Eve and they enjoyed sweet communion together. (Genesis 3:8) Later, in John’s Revelation, he wrote, “To the one who conquers, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” (Revelation 2:7) This is the same Paradise Jesus references to the thief on the cross. What makes “Paradise” truly paradise is the presence of the Almighty God living once more in restored perfect peace with His created beings, us!