Jesus’ Last Words: You will be with me in paradise

The crowd was going wild. There was a small group, mostly women, that stood a bit away from the rest weeping, but the mob of Pharisees, Sadducees, Jews, and even Romans reveled. They mocked, spit, and hurled things because Jesus was on the cross. The leaders scoffed, “He saved others; let him save himself if this is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One” (Luke 23:35)! The soldiers brought sour wine, which would only exacerbate his thirst and suffering, and mocked, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself” (Luke 23:37)! Pilate ridiculed from afar with the sarcastic inscription detailing the charge against him: “This is the king of the Jews” (Luke 23:38).

In fact, the mob mentality was so intoxicating that even one of the two men crucified alongside Jesus was caught up in it. In Luke 23:39, he “began to yell insults at” Jesus and jeered, “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” It is funny how some people will mock another, even when they have more than enough troubles of their own. Indeed, whether it was a way to distract himself or he was just that stepped in sin, that antagonistic toward God, even as he was hanging on the cross dying, this prisoner was insulting and mocking Jesus.

On the opposite side of Jesus, however, the other guy took a markedly different approach. In Luke 23:40, he rebuked his partner, “Don’t you even fear God, since you are undergoing the same punishment?” In verse 41, he confessed, “We are punished justly, because we’re getting back what we deserve for the things we did, but this man has done nothing wrong.” That is, he acknowledged that his punishment was just. He was guilty. As astonishing as this confession was, the next words from this prisoner’s mouth were even more surprising. In Luke 23:42, he bid, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

This plea was remarkable for two reasons. First, Romans reserved crucifixion, the most brutal method of execution in their impressive repertoire, exclusively for insurrectionists. Indeed, the whole thing was designed to demonstrate the futility of opposing the power of Rome, and when, at last, the victim died, his body was cast into an unmarked grave, and his family never visited for fear of being associated with an insurrectionist. Indeed, history all but forgets the members of an aborted insurrection. This man, then, was keenly aware of his own guilt and insignificance. He would not dare to be granted a place in God’s kingdom, but he was desperate to not be forgotten.

Second, even though Jesus hung on a cross just a few feet away, this man realized that, for Jesus, this was not the end. In fact, this man believed that Jesus was now merely on his way to “come into [his] kingdom”! In other words, he believed that Jesus was king, and he was about to be inaugurated into a kingdom that was not part of this earthly realm. He believed Jesus was on the brink of conquering death!

Now, I realize that this man had done absolutely nothing to deserve remembrance, let alone salvation. Here, he hung on a cross, just hours from death. Yet, that his words sound like a basic statement of faith, and Jesus apparently agreed. In Luke 23:43, our Lord replied to the criminal on the next cross, “I assure you: Today you will be with me in paradise.”

To be certain, it was an astonishing proclamation! This guy was going to be with Jesus in paradise! This guy was going to be saved! Yet, there were three things about this statement make it even more profound.

We can be assured of our salvation.

The first is the certainty with which Jesus spoke. The first word of his response – amen – could be rendered into English as verily, amen, or surely. It was, in effect, an emphatic affirmation of the veracity of the following statement. More, the main verb of Jesus’ response was in the future tense, indicative voice. In short, this was no suggestion of what may happen or could happen. It was declaration of what would happen. Indeed, there was in Jesus’ statement no shadow doubt. This man would be with Jesus in paradise, and if Jesus could offer such confidence to a man hanging on a cross, I submit he can offer the same confidence to you and I.

We can be assured of our salvation. That is, it is possible here and now to be absolutely certain that we are saved and bound for paradise, and all we must do to secure that confidence is do the same three things as this unnamed man on the cross. First, we must realize we have done things that went against God’s character and command. This, the criminal did when he recognized that he and his friend were crucified justly for their crimes. Second, we must repent. Essentially, this means to be as saddened by our previous guilt as God is and to commit to doing things his way from now on. The criminal did this when he rejected the insults his buddy was hurling at Jesus and pronounced that Jesus would be King. Finally, we can receive our salvation.

Of course, none of these actions, in and of themselves, fixes us any more than the criminal could fix his guilt. He could not save himself, and neither can we. Yet, in response to the man’s realization and repentance, Jesus declared him innocent, and if we will realize our own guilt and resolve to follow Christ, then Jesus’ response to us will be the same: I assure you, you will be with me in paradise.

We can be saved immediately.

The second thing that makes this statement even more profound is its timing. Jesus said, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” From a practical perspective, this was a rather curious statement. Jesus and the criminal were hanging on their respective crosses in absolute agony. With every breath, pain shot from their hands and feet as they had to push and pull against nails which had been carefully driven directly through some of the most sensitive bundles of nerves in the human body. Moreover, the crucifixion process was designed to last at least three days. These guys had not yet been on the cross three hours, but Jesus said it would be over today.

As surprising as this was, however, it was even more surprising to think that this man could be saved today. After all, he had never kneeled at an altar or attended even a single Sunday School class. He certainly never demonstrated the sort of life transformation Paul talks about in Romans and elsewhere. Yet, Jesus pronounced that even he would be saved today.

Now, here is the thing. Just because this man got away with a deathbed confession does not mean that you should put off realizing, repenting, and receiving. Rather, no matter who you are, no matter what you have done, you can be saved right now.

Indeed, we can be saved immediately. We need not wait until we have cleaned up our acts, fret until our very last breath, or even languish in some sort of purgatory until we have paid our debt. We can be saved immediately, right now, today.

We can be with Jesus in paradise.

But what exactly does it mean to be saved? Enter the third thing that made Jesus’ statement even more profound. He said, “I assure you: Today you will be with Me in paradise.” Now, many people will focus on the bit about being in paradise, and they will equate salvation to going to heave to spend eternity being wined and dined in unimaginable luxury. However, there was something more significant here.

In fact, notice the word “paradise.” In the most literal sense, it meant garden, forest, grove, or park. In fact, when scholars in ancient Egypt resolved to translate the Hebrew Old Testament into Greek, this was the word they used in Genesis to represent the Garden of Eden, and over time, it became closely associated with the uniquely intimate relationship between which existed between God and humans in the garden.

This relationship was demonstrated in in Genesis 1-3. In Genesis 1, God placed people in the garden in charge of his good creation. The garden, then, was a place of trust between God and people. In Genesis 2, God brought all of his animals to Adam to be named. One can imagine the scene when God brought the giraffe. Adam said, “Whoa! That one’s a little… disproportionate, don’t you think?” God grinned, “Yeah, I know. Looks like it could tip over, doesn’t it?” Then they both chuckled. There was fellowship in the garden. Then, in Genesis 3, we are presented with “the sound of the Lord walking in the garden a tthe time of the evening breeze” (vs 8), and God called to them. Who would you want to take on a long walk in a beautiful garden just as the sun was setting? Yes, there was a deep intimacy in the garden between God and people.

Sadly, that intimacy was shattered when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, but this is exactly why it is is so interesting the way Jesus said this. In English, sentences follow a familiar form of subject, verb, predicate. In Greek, however, because a word’s form changes based on its function in the sentence, you can jumble the order, and generally the most important part came first. Notice, then, that Jesus did not say, “You’ll be in paradise with me,” suggesting that the paradise bit was most important. No, he said, “You’ll be with me in paradise.”

Could it be that the most important thing here is not the vintage of the wine or the decadence of the chocolate souffle waiting for us in God’s banquet room? Could it be that the most important thing will be being with Jesus and having the sort of relationship that God intended for us to have from the beginning?

We can be with Jesus in paradise. And while that certainly includes eternity with him in heaven, I do not believe it has to wait that long! No, Jesus was trying to tell the criminal that he could start that relationship then and there, even as they hung on their crosses that day, and Jesus is trying to tell us that we can start our relationship with him here and now, no matter what is going on in our lives today.

Indeed, while Luke called this man a criminal (Gk: kakourgon), Matthew and Mark called him lestai. The most common translation for this term is “thieves,” but this was no common pickpocket or burglar. Strong’s and other translators suggest a better translator would be “brigand,” which google defines as “a member of a gang that ambushes and robs people in forests and mountains.” Several sources even indicate these gangs typically killed their victims in the process. This man, then, was no petty criminal but a murderous bandit, and maybe even worse.

In fact, lestai was used also to describe Barabbas, the guy Pilate tried to trade for Jesus. In Mark 15:7, we learn that Barabbas “was in prison with rebels who had committed murder during the rebellion.” While there were so many localized insurrections in ancient Palestine that it is virtually impossible to isolate which rebellion Mark was referring to, it does make it even more interesting to know that the NET Bible notes that Joseph, the Jewish historian, routinely used this term to describe guerilla warriors and revolutionary leaders. It is therefore entirely possible – perhaps even likely – that Barabbas was the leader of the first-century equivalent of al Queda, and this criminal was one of his followers.

Yet, Jesus said to him, “I assure you: Today you will be with me in paradise.”

And if Jesus could say that to the criminal hanging on the cross that day, what is stopping him from saying it to you? No, the only thing he is waiting on is for you to call out like this guy on the cross who recognized that he was guilty, repented to leave behind his old way of life and make Jesus his God and King, and so was now ready to receive salvation. Therefore, the bigger question is, what are you waiting for?

If you realize your sin and would like to repent and receive salvation, I would love to talk with you. Shoot me an email at jgeerdes@dhw.church right now!