Holy Week Prophecies: Today You Will be With Me in Paradise
Good Friday – Pr. Abraham Faugstad Homily
St. Luke 23:39–43
Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.”
But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”
And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, thank you for sending your Son, who on the tree of the cross earned salvation for all mankind that, from where death arose, by the fault of one man, from there also life might arise by the obedience of one Man; and that even Satan once overcame by a tree, likewise by a tree he was overcome, through the death of Jesus Christ, our Lord (ELH p. 74). Amen.
In Christ Jesus, who by his suffering and dying has opened paradise to all believers, dear fellow redeemed,
In Genesis 3, it is recorded that the first Adam, after he had broken God’s command and stretched out his hand to the forbidden tree, was soon driven out of Paradise. The Lord set cherubim and a flaming sword to guard the tree of life. Adam was thrown out of the garden because he had brought sin and death to all people, and was therefore the greatest murderer, and God could no longer allow him to live in his Paradise, where the tree of life stood. In our lesson, we learn of the second Adam, Jesus Christ, who stretched out his hands on the tree of the cross, making payment for the sins of all people, so that a repentant murderer might have the gates of Paradise opened for him.
Tonight, we are given a wonderful account from the last hours on the cross. We see that genuine faith acknowledges its sins and looks to Jesus alone.
The Gospel writers indicate that initially, both thieves mocked Jesus and ridiculed him as they were led with him to Calvary. They joined in with those who were insulting Jesus: the soldiers, the Pharisees, and the crowd. Mirroring the other taunts, the first thief mocks him, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” Jesus makes no reply. He doesn’t try to justify himself against these unfounded words. He was silent, fulfilling the words that the prophet Isaiah foretold, “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth” (53:7).
Both thieves mocked Jesus, but one repented. As the thief witnessed and heard Jesus’ comforting words to the mourning women on the way to Golgotha, and saw all the pain and slander Jesus bore with patience, and how with meekness he even prayed for his enemies, through all this the Holy Spirit was working faith in him. And as was the Roman custom, they came to put a sheet of paper above the cross to list all the reasons for a criminal’s sentence. As the thief looked up at his own, he knew he was guilty of them all. But then he looked over at Jesus’ sentence and saw the only reason for this man’s punishment, “The King of the Jews.”
Recognizing his own guilt and Christ’s innocence, the thief becomes the first to protest against the wickedness taking place on Calvary. In fact, he was the only voice raised at Calvary in defense of Jesus. Going against the popular opinion and all outward appearance of right, the penitent thief rebukes the other, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?” As if saying, don’t you realize that in only a few hours you will have to stand before God our maker? Then the thief goes on to this frank and honest confession. “And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.”
The man knew two things. First, he knew that he was guilty. You cannot be saved unless you recognize your own sin. The Holy Spirit showed this man his sins. The Holy Spirit must do the same with us. We are no less guilty of the thief. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6). “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Not only are we born in sin, but we daily sin much and deserve nothing but punishment. Do you believe this? Do you realize that your gossip, lust, jealousy, pride, bitterness, and hate are sins against God? Or do you treat them as no big deal? But it is our sins that sent Jesus to the cross—it was your sin that taunted him on the way to the cross, it was your sin that put the nails in his hands and his feet. The example of the thief on the cross doesn’t teach us to wait until the end to repent. When we realize our sin, we are to repent of it. 1 John states, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1:8).
The thief had lived a terrible life. Crucifixion was kept for the worst of criminals. He was likely a murderer and by no means a model citizen. But the Holy Spirit worked faith, so that he recognized his sin and repented. This is the first part of repentance—sorrow over sin. But the thief also demonstrated the second part of repentance, faith in Jesus. Scripture states, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” The thief knew he was guilty, but even more importantly, he knew that Jesus was innocent. And he believed that Jesus could and would help him. Despite his bloody outward humiliation, the criminal confessed Jesus as his Lord and King, and asked that he would remember him in his Kingdom.
Jesus, in the face of all the taunts and mockery, remained silent. He made no reply to all the taunts. But to the plea of the repentant thief, a contrite criminal, Jesus answered him without delay. He didn’t hesitate. He did NOT keep silent, but said, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
On the cross, God shows us the great depths of what our sins deserve. But exactly at the same time he reveals his great love for us. Jesus was mocked, beaten, wrongly condemned, and abandoned by God, so that we never would be. The cross is our great comfort because Christ shows us that there were no limits to what he would do to accomplish our salvation, paying for the sins of the whole world, so that even a thief in his last hours, might have the gates of Paradise opened to him. But it was not just for him… but for the whole world (I John 2:2), and that includes you and me. There is no sin that you have committed that beyond forgiveness. Paradise has been opened wide. It is finished!
Our Savior’s words to the thief, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise,” are the most comforting words that he could have heard because he knew that he would soon die, the soldiers knew their mortal business, but now he knew God’s plan for him. That day his bitter sufferings would be over, and he would be with Jesus in the Kingdom of Glory, where no pain could not touch him, where sorrow was no more. Now death had lost its sting!
The admission of the criminal into heaven shows that there is no need for any of us to despair over our sins. Don’t let the devil burden your conscience. Jesus has wiped our sin-filled slate clear by nailing them to the cross (Col. 2:14). The Lord says, “I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins” (Isaiah 43:25). Because of Jesus, God no longer remember your sins, but he will remember you in his kingdom. We have his promise too: Today you will be with me in Paradise.
This is our great comfort for all time and eternity! Surely, there are trials, struggles, and sorrows all the way of our lives. There may be times when the weight seems too much to bear. But regardless of our burdens, we are assured that heaven is our home because of Jesus. The sorrows of this life can’t compare to the glories which are reserved for us there. But even now, the same Lord who has prepared Paradise for us, comes to us through his Word and Sacraments to forgive us, strengthen us in the faith, and assure us of our hope of eternal life.
Our sins deserved death and hell, but Jesus, God’s own Son born of Mary, took our place. That is what makes today a good day. By his suffering and dying, he has won our salvation. On the cross Jesus was forsaken by God, so that we would be remembered by him for all eternity… so that we could be with him in Paradise.
On my heart imprint Thine image,
Blessed Jesus, King of grace,
That life’s riches, cares, and pleasures
Have no pow’r Thee to efface.
This the superscription be:
Jesus, crucified for me,
Is my life, my hope’s foundation,
And my glory and salvation.
Now, we wait and look with hope to the empty tomb. Amen.