Thought for 4th Octobwr 2023

Luke 23:39-43

³⁹ One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you?

Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!”  ⁴⁰ But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? ⁴¹ We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” ⁴² Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”  ⁴³ And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

I was going through my usual routine in an attempt to decide what today’s thought would look like and what to write about.  A couple of ideas were beginning to form when, on checking Facebook, there was a film clip of a preacher in America.  He was Scottish but it looked as if he’d lived in America for some time because he used ‘Americanisms’ when he spoke, and his Scottish accent occasionally took on an American ‘twang’.

He put forward the question that if we died tonight and got to the entrance of heaven, what would we say if we were asked why we should be allowed in.  If our answers began with ‘because I……’, he reckons that’s not the answers the folks at heaven’s door would be looking for.  The only proper answers have to begin with ‘because he….’.

This argument was supported by the story in today’s passage telling of the forgiveness bestowed on the thief who was being crucified on the cross next to our Lord.  The preacher said that if he was blessed to be granted access to heaven, he would seek out that thief just to ask him what had happened, because at one point, both thieves were cursing Jesus?  How did it get from that point to one of them realising that this man next to him was receiving the same punishment as him despite being innocent.  This thief had most probably never studied theology, never been baptized, didn’t know anything about church attendance or church law and yet, Jesus had assured him of a place in heaven.

When this man reached heaven’s door, one of the doorkeepers must have asked him what are you doing here?  The first response of the thief must have been ‘I don’t know’ or maybe ‘I’m not sure’.  He might have asked him are you clear on the doctrine of justification by faith or the doctrine of scripture?  His answers most likely would have been ‘Never heard of either of them’.  If the door keeper went on to ask ‘On what basis are you here’, the only possible answer that man could have gave is ‘The man next to me on the middle cross said I could come’.

After this, I had to go out for a wee while and when I came back in, Facebook had refreshed, the post had disappeared, and I didn’t know how to get it back, so my thanks go to this preacher for providing today’s story.  I don’t know his name, but he certainly opened my eyes, and I hope you experience similar after this account.  Recently I’ve had to prepare documents that comply with Church Law which I find quite challenging.  Is it not refreshing to step back and realise that our salvation is quite simply down to the man on the middle cross, what he taught and what he achieved on our behalf?

Prayer - Lord, we thank you for the thief on the cross who recognized his sin and asked for your mercy. We pray that we too may recognize our sin and ask for your mercy. We pray that we may have the faith of the thief on the cross, who believed in you and was saved. We pray that we may have the courage to confess our faith in you, even in the face of persecution. We pray that we may be like the thief on the cross, who asked to be remembered by you. We pray that we too may be remembered by you, and that we too may be with you in paradise. We ask this in your holy name. Amen.