I was honored to be part of our church's first Tenebrae service (Latin for darkness or shadow) where we recall the 7 things Jesus said while hanging on the cross. I had the opportunity to study Luke 23: 39 - 43 and provide a short reflection to go along with it. As the second of the 7 words of Jesus, the focus here is on the hope he provides to each of us.
Luke 23:39-43English Standard Version (ESV)
39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him,[a] saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
As Jesus is hanging there on the cross, fully God, yet fully human, he is feeling the very real pain of the physical wounds he has sustained and the mental anguish of rejection from the soldiers, the crowd, and even another man condemned to die beside him on his own cross.
If you've ever felt rejected by everyone around you, it can be one the loneliest, most depressing feelings to know. But during this time, God ordained that there would still be someone beside his Son – someone in the unlikeliest position to be of encouragement. Another thief, hanging beside him.
In the midst of the rejection and jeering, this man makes several truthful statements. He admits that he is guilty of his crimes and that his punishment is justified. He also correctly declares that Jesus is innocent of his crimes, yet hangs unjustly for them.
It's this person – a thief, a criminal, justly condemned to death that steps up to support Jesus with his words. Not one of the Twelve, not one of the disciples. And this is the one person that Jesus responds to. The laughing, anger, and mocking earned no response.
If you've ever had someone come to your side during a season of rejection, it can be the most incredible feeling and give you the strength to face it. Jesus knew what he was doing on that cross, he knew why he was dying, and he was there willingly. But what an encouragement it must have been to hear the words of this criminal – both because of what he said but also the faith that it showed he had. Faith that Jesus is who he says he is, is going where he says he is going, and that this man desires to be with him.
And Jesus turns to this thief and says “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” Following the admission of his guilt and acceptance of punishment, with nothing he can possibly do to save himself, the thief places his faith in Jesus. With witnesses surrounding the scene, Jesus guarantees this thief's salvation by his own words – the words of God the Son suffering as the Son of Man.
It strikes me that not only does Jesus show us what is required for salvation – confession of guilt and faith in him – but that there's more going on. There are witnesses all around and it's logical to think Satan himself would not miss this. Appearing weak, vulnerable, and on the verge of defeat, but encouraged, Jesus calls his shot. It's as if he subtly, yet at the same time boldly says, “That's one, wait and see what happens next.”
