Day 31 :: Rebels in Paradise
And he said to him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Luke 23:43(39-43)
When kids do something naughty, it can take them a while to admit their offence, hoping they’ll escape unnoticed. With chocolate smeared faces they look you in the eye and deludedly declare, “I don’t know who ate those cookies!” We often try and reason with our kids, “Look, we know you’re guilty, you’re just making this worse for yourself!” We want them to be honest and repent so that we can move forward and bless them, otherwise just consequences will inevitably follow.
It’s astounding to me that on the cross, a convicted criminal enduring the agony of crucifixion could have the audacity to mock Jesus and spit insults at him. It’s as though he was completely unaware of what awaited him beyond this life - increased agony, unending punishment, and unbearable pain. Pure hatred ran through this man’s veins, pooling below as he bled out. Using his last laboured breaths he taunted Jesus, deludedly supposing that he could expose Jesus as a fraud. He failed to realise that this Nazarene carpenter next to him created the very lungs with which he uttered his disgust.
On the other side of our dying Saviour hung another guy. He was justly suffering for his crime, whatever that was. He lived a foolish life, loving evil, rejecting truth. He deserved the same fate as the other guy: hell. In fact, he was only breaths away from eternal ruin.
However, there is one crucial thing about this second ‘villain’. He used his final God-given breath to cry out for salvation. He recognised Jesus’s innocence and asked humbly to be remembered. By God’s sovereign power this man recognised his sin, he recognised his Saviour. Then came the wondrous response from the lips of the great I AM, God made flesh - words that must have felt and sounded like rushing waters,
“…today you will be with me in paradise.”
The two criminals are kind of a mirror for the rest of us. Both of them law breakers, both under judgement until the judge became the judged. Grace, mercy, and love changed everything for this wicked individual.
So, who are you in this scenario? There is no middle ground, we must accept or reject Him. Without Christ we are in an equally grave situation as the first man. We are not lovable rogues who can sneak in the backdoor of the Kingdom unnoticed. We are blatant rebels, deserving of hell. It’s not a question of whether or not you’re guilty of punishable sin against a holy God, you are - as am I, daily! The question is, what are you saying with the breaths He has given you? From life’s first gasp, the countdown to your last begins and only God knows the date. You may have millions of respirations left, you may have very few, but they will end. Your lungs will cease to operate - and then…?
For those safe in Christ, rejoice in His death and resurrection this Easter. It’s scandalous that we should be saved from hell let alone become children of God!
For those yet undecided, don’t make things worse for yourself by living in denial. The evidence against you is overwhelming and you can’t wipe off the stain of sin yourself. The consequences of rejecting Christ are clear in scripture.
But there is hope for deluded rebels who repent! No matter how badly you’ve messed up, the path to salvation is immediate and was paved before the foundations of the world. In a heartbeat, your status can switch from wretched to righteous.
You cannot earn it.
You cannot win it.
You cannot manufacture it.
It is a gift freely given to the humbled sinner. Like Aslan breathing life into the cursed, helpless statues of his friends, Christ breathes new life into our hearts of stone, awakening us to eternal life with Him, life in all its fullness.
Admit your offence.
Humble yourself.
Seek the Father’s forgiveness,
and today you can know peace and breathe in deeply the sweet aroma of paradise to come, with Jesus your Redeemer, Co-heir and King.
Passages to read: Luke 22:39-43
A thought to remember: Jesus brings rebels to paradise.
A question to ask: Will you use your breath to reject or accept Jesus today?
A song to sing: I Will Glory In My Redeemer