When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with two criminals dash one on his right, the other on his left. One of the criminals hurled insults at him: ‘Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!’ But the other criminal rebuked him. ‘Don’t you fear God? …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, truly I tell you today you will be with me in paradise.’
Luke 23:33, 39-43
It amazes me how Jesus finds the emotional strength to consider others, even as he’s in excruciating pain. You’d think all his energy would go into resisting the desire to call for escape, as the first criminal says — ‘God, get me out of here!’ Yet Jesus has spoken to the women who mourned for him on the way to the execution ground. Now he speaks to a criminal crucified with him.
By the criminal’s own admission, he deserves the death sentence. He’s got no grounds to appeal to Jesus. But he’s got nothing to lose either. Unlike the other criminal, he doesn’t direct his fear and pain into anger. Instead he recognises who Jesus is, and asks only to be remembered.
In reply, Jesus does better than that. He tells the criminal that, by the end of the day, Jesus will take him into paradise.
These are Jesus’ next-to-last words. His final words will be to entrust his soul to God — the first commandment. Here is the second commandment in operation — love your neighbour as yourself. Dying for us is a huge, infinitely great, act of love. And even while he’s dying, Jesus has room for the personal touch – the gift of mercy and hope to a guilty man. It’s so generous and merciful it makes me cry. Nobody is beneath Jesus’ notice.
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