Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.

Luke 23:43

That is the promise that Jesus makes to the thief hanging on the cross next to him, and that is the promise that he makes to us all: That when we die, we will join him in Paradise. 

Our death is no longer the end, because of Jesus, but is now the beginning of eternal life with Jesus. 

Next week, of course, we celebrate Jesus’ victory over death. We will rejoice in the resurrection –  His resurrection, and ours. 

But today, and throughout this week, we pause to remember what came first, what had to come first. And this is crucial for us to do. Because there is no promise of Paradise without Jesus dying for us. There is no resurrection without his crucifixion. There is no joy without first the agony. 

We would like to think otherwise. We would like to celebrate Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and his triumph over the grave, without having to acknowledge the cross. No one wants the Son of God to have to die for them. Why would we? But all of us need the Son of God to die for us. That is the truth that is at the heart of this day, and this week we call “Holy.”

Why the Cross?

But it is worth remembering why – why it is so necessary for the Son of God to die. And not just why he had to die, but why he had to die in such a horrible way. Why was the cross necessary? 

There is a modern classic by the Episcopal priest, Fleming Rutledge that wrestles with this question at length. The name of the book is “The Crucifixion: Understanding the Death of Jesus Christ.” And in this book, she starts her answer by saying: 

“Something is wrong and must be put right. When we feel that in our bones, when we admit that something is wrong, not only with the whole human situation in general but also with one’s own self in particular, then God is at work bringing us closer to the cross of Christ.”

Something is wrong and must be put right. In this world, and in us. That is, I hope, obvious. But, still we might ask: Why the cross? Why did the Son of God have to be crucified? Not just die, but die in the most painful, gruesome, horrifying way imaginable? Why was this necessary? 

Jesus himself tells us that it was necessary. He says to two of his disciples in Luke 24: 

“Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things, and then enter into his glory?”

Clearly, it was necessary. But why? Perhaps we will never know the full answer to this. Perhaps there could have been another way. That is not up to us to say. But the way that the Triune God chose to set things right in our world and with us was through this gruesome, sacrificial death. And if Jesus said that it was necessary, then there is no doubt that it was. 

What Does the Cross Mean for Us?

Jesus had to suffer and die in this way, for us and for our dying world. It was necessary. We simply have to trust him when he says so. And instead of trying to figure out why, we can focus instead on what it means for us. 

What difference does his death make, when we leave here to live out our faith, at home and at school, at work and in daily life? And my favorite answer to that is based on today’s gospel reading. 

Let’s go back to the thief dying next to Jesus. The one asked Jesus to remember him when he came into his kingdom. Jesus’ answer was quick and decisive: 

“Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” 

But what I once was invited to ponder, in an encounter with this story that changed the course of my life, was what might have happened if, instead of being promised Paradise, Jesus let this thief down from the cross to go in peace and serve the Lord. 

Imagine being that thief. Imagine that you have been forgiven your sins and have been let down from your cross. What would you do with your life now? What would you do with this “bonus life,” that you don’t deserve, and didn’t expect? 

In a very real sense, of course, that is true for us. We have been let down from the cross. Because Jesus has taken our sin upon him. We have been completely absolved and forgiven of our sins. We have been given this bonus life, unexpected and undeserved. 

Life is a gift. And the forgiven life is a grace-filled gift. It is precious. And not meant to be wasted. What are you going to do with it? Or, as the poet Mary Oliver famously put it, 

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” 

The life that Jesus died to give you?

This Wild and Precious Gift 

We have been given a priceless gift. What are we going to do with it? 

When I think of the repentant thief being let down from the cross, I imagine him running to find other believers. I imagine him getting baptized, turning his life around. I imagine him giving up a life of crime, finding work. Finding someone to share his life with – a wife, perhaps, and children. 

I imagine him getting active in a church community. Sharing what he was given with the poor and those who needed it. Being generous with his time, gladly serving others. Not worrying too much about what was happening in the world. Going to bed each night with gratitude. 

And I imagine him remembering, in his darker moments, those dreadful hours on the cross. His desperate prayer. The shocking answer. Knowing, even when life was throwing its punches, that Paradise awaited him. But not being in a hurry to get there. Because each moment of every day was an opportunity to thank his Savior, with his every breath. 

And, finally, I imagine him sharing his story, with anyone who would listen, the story of him being saved by his Savior. I imagine him telling his friends, his family, his children, grand-children. I imagine people asking him to share his wild and precious story again and again. And him never tiring of telling it. 

It would have been the defining moment of his life. And so it is of ours. 

We are that thief, let down from our cross. We have been freed by Jesus. Given new life. What will we do with this wild and precious gift, that cost Jesus so very much? Every moment of our life is a moment we have not earned, and do not deserve. The cross teaches us that. So, what are we going to do with it?

Here to Remember

We are here today to remember what happened on that cross outside Jerusalem. We are here, not just to wave our palms, but to remember Jesus’ passion, suffering, and death. To remind ourselves that it was necessary for Jesus to die in this way, for each and every one of us. We are here to see ourselves in the crowd, the soldiers, in Peter, and even in Judas. But also to see ourselves in the repentant sinner on the cross next to Jesus. 

If this day means anything, it means that. It means that we are the one saying, with our dying breath, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And it means that we are also the ones who hear the promise from Jesus: “You will be with me in Paradise.” 

And so we will. That promise is for you and for me. And for all who would look to Jesus. And Jesus can make this promise because of what he did for us on that sacred cross. 

We remember this great gift throughout this week we call “Holy.” Until next Sunday, when we gather here again, to join those first disciples who found the empty tomb. And to celebrate the day when the doors to Paradise were flung wide open, never to be closed again. 

What a wild and precious gift this is – his crucifixion and resurrection – for every one of us. What are we going to do with it?