I TELL YOU THE TRUTH…

TODAY YOU WILL BE WITH ME IN PARADISE

Good Friday – April 3rd, 2015 (s662.doc)

112 – 126 – 127 – 139 – 138

Pastor Thomas Fricke

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!”

But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” –Luke 23:39-43

It was a moment of truth. Tuesday, the 6th of June, 1944. D-Day. On that day Allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy to penetrate Hitler’s defenses in the north of France.

It was a momentous event—the initial surge of the greatest military invasion of all time. It was also a killing ground. To this day, many who were there can barely talk about it. Young men, most of them facing combat for the first time, froze in fear. Someone said, “The men weren’t larger than life. The stakes were.” The outcome of the war in Europe hung in the balance.

The moment of truth… We’ve all had them—those crucial moments, those critical times when the stakes are larger than life. Yet there is no moment of truth any greater than when the eternal destiny of our soul hangs in the balance…the moment we face our own death.

That’s what it was for the criminal hanging on the cross next to Jesus. He’s about to die. He knows that. His body is in agony on the cross, yet his soul is facing even greater agony in hell. It’s the moment of truth…

On the cross, Jesus speaks another of his “truth” statements:

I TELL YOU THE TRUTH…

Today You Will Be with Me in Paradise.

Let’s look at the three parts of Jesus’ statement:

1.  Today…

2.  You will be with me…

3.  In paradise.

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He had been there before, this criminal. A moment of truth. He decided to take the easy way, to make some fast money, to solve his problems his own way. We don’t know precisely what his crime was, but we know it was serious—serious enough for him to be caught, convicted, and crucified.

Perhaps there was a time when he thought he’d get off easy. He’d ask for leniency. “There were extenuating circumstances. Life is tough. Somebody else is to blame for the choices I’ve made.” But it was a lie…and for a while it was easy to get caught up in that self-delusion. Then came the moment of truth. He stood before the judge. He heard the sentence. He grew numb. “For your crimes, you must die.”

That was the truth. And it brought about a certain degree of clarity. “Guilty? Yes! But of crimes deserving death? I didn’t think so. It seemed so logical, so insignificant, even right, at the time. But then it grew…into a monster I couldn’t control. Guilty. Yes, I’m guilty. And in the eyes of the court, I’m worthy of death!”

Now he’s nailed to a cross with another, and Jesus between them. And it’s hard for him to know which is worse—the pains of crucifixion or the pangs of conscience. And so he lashes out. The onlookers are hurling insults at him, but they especially direct their venom at the man in the middle. And so, finding a target in the one who will not talk back, he and the other criminal join right in…and heap insults on Jesus.

But it seems that as the profanities come off his lips, they’re nothing but empty words. There is something about this man, this Jesus, that’s different. He doesn’t rant and curse. He doesn’t respond to insults with insults. He doesn’t act as you would expect. No. He accepts the scorn and the pain with a certain calm. And he prays. He prays—for his enemies. He prays, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).

The criminal turns toward Jesus and he sees the notice above his head: This is the King of the Jews, and it begins to sink in. This is the one of whom the prophets spoke—the Christ! He hears the other criminal taunting him, “If you’re the Christ, save yourself—and us!” And he shoots back, “Don’t you fear God, since you’re under the same sentence? …We’re getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” And then he says, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Luke 23:40-42).

What he says is remarkable; what he doesn't say, even more so. He doesn’t say, “Prove to me that you’re the Son of God.” He doesn’t say, “Show me what you can do. Take me down from the cross,” or “Deaden my pain.” No. He prays. He prays, “Remember me.” He believes. He believes that Jesus has the power to grant his request. He believes it, even though Jesus is about to die, right next to him. He only asks—humbly, and in child-like faith—“Remember me.”

And Jesus speaks. In the face of all the taunts, Jesus had remained silent. Now, he speaks. “I tell you the truth,” he says, “today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).

Every part of that sentence lifts the criminal’s soul. “Today,” Jesus said. “Today you will be with me.” For someone who has been on death row for who knows how long, for a man who has just begun the slowest and most agonizing form of execution—one that can go on for days—that must have been a comfort. Soon, that very day, his suffering will be over. He has his Savior’s word!

When we’re lying on our deathbeds, Jesus says the same. For anyone who lifts their eyes in faith to the center cross, to the Savior in the middle, death is not the end of life. It’s the end of all suffering, hunger and pain, guilt and tears, anger and envy. It’s the end of sin…and the beginning of life!

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That’s only a part of it. We find comfort in Jesus’ other words. “Today you will be with me in paradise.”

Imagine what this means for that criminal. His life of crime had landed him in the company of the worst sort of people. Now, in the final moments of his life, he sees religious leaders at their worst. The people who pass by spit on him and mock him. He feels alone, deserted by all. But as much as this man wants to escape the people around him, there is something that draws him to the man on his side. Instead of wanting to run away from God in fear of punishment, he’s drawn by his grace.

Jesus assures him that the sin that separates him from God is not a barrier that’s impossible to overcome. “You will be with me,” he says. Not a thousand miles away, but “with me.” His forgiveness is complete. It permits us—sinners that we are—to be in the presence of perfection.

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And what will that be like? Jesus paints a beautiful picture for us with the word “paradise.” The word paradise means “garden,” like the Garden of Eden. In heaven—in paradise—you’ll be with God.

·  You’ll be with Jesus, who loved you enough to leave heaven and be with you on earth.

·  You’ll be with Jesus, who loved you enough to live under the law he gave.

·  You’ll be with Jesus, who loved you enough to die for you so that you might be with him forever.

If he thought having you in heaven with him was worth all that, you can be sure it’s a spectacular place.

But how do you know? When you’re on your deathbed, at your “moment of truth,” how do you know you’ll be with Jesus in paradise? Keep coming back to words we’ve been looking at all Lent: “I tell you the truth.” “I tell you the truth,” Jesus says, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” Jesus left no room for doubt about whether or not that thief would be in heaven. He leaves no room for doubt about whether or not you will be in heaven.

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The moment of truth. If there’s any time we need something to lean on, it’s at the time of our death, when we face our Maker. Today Jesus makes it clear that when that moment comes, it doesn’t matter what we’ve done in the past, but through his Word we can find something to lean on. We can lean on his “Amen,” his Truth. Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners. He came into this world to save us.

“I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” AMEN.