Message
Luke 23:39-43
From Sinner to Saint
Through out history the last words of people have become notorious. Let me give you a few examples.
Oscar Wilde, who was a 19th century author, looked around his hospital ward and said, “This wallpaper is horrendous, either it goes or I go”.
Just before his death the author James M Barrie said, “I can’t sleep”.
General John Sedgwick was a general in the American civil war. His last words were “They couldn’t hit an elephant at this dist--."
James W Rogers was a criminal condemned to death in 1960 … the method of execution was that he would be shot. When he was asked “Do you have any last requests” he replied “Why yes … a bullet proof vest”.
Last words can be trivial, humorous, ironic and quirky. But they can also be very significant. Let‘s have a look at the Scriptures and read about a person who spoke some very significant last words.
Luke 23:35-43.
“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom”. These are the words spoken by one of the criminals on the cross … and they are words which bring about an unexpected twist to the events at Golgotha. To see how it all works let’s start off by focussing on:-
A Criminal Who Is Condemned.
What sort of man is this criminal? Well let’s build a profile.
Earlier in Luke 23:32 we find out a little about this man. Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with Him to be executed. Jesus was not the only condemned man that day. The walk from Pilate’s prison to Golgotha was made by three men … Jesus and the two criminals. Which means the two criminals had the best chance to see the intense emotion of the crowd as well as the reaction of Jesus towards the hostility of the crowd. It was all so unexpected.
Usually, when there was a crucifixion, the crowds would be small; a few family members at the most. But this crowd is huge, and they are from all walks of life – religious leaders, shop keepers, aristocrats and the poor. The only thing that seems to unite them is their mutual hatred for Jesus.
This situation had a huge impact on the prisoners. In fact, both of these criminals join in with the crowd and both also start having a go at Jesus. We see that this is the case in Matthew 27:38-39, 44.
Two robbers were crucified with Him, one on His right and one of His left. Those who passed by hurled insults at Him shaking their heads … In the same way the robbers who were crucified with Him also heaped insults on Him. (Matthew 27:38-39, 44)
Understand this … the man who later cries out for sympathy from Jesus is the same man who feels quite justified in condemning Jesus.
The crowd is yelling, “If you are the Son of God come down from the cross”. Both criminals join the chorus.
The crowd mocked and heaped insults upon Jesus. Both criminals do the same.
As we look at this criminal don’t be under the impression that, somehow, he is better than the one who did not ask for forgiveness. Our criminal friend is just as guilty and is right in the thick of the action.
So how do we summarise his life?
This criminal made a living taking what was not his. He knows he is guilty because he is condemned to be crucified. Yet he still has the energy to hurl insults at Jesus.
In terms of suitability all this man can offer Jesus is a whole lot of nothing.
Sin. Guilt. Shame.
He has been publically condemned just like Jesus.
He has treated Jesus in exactly the same way as everyone else.
Yet, somewhere along the line, his heart changes. The criminal starts to realise that Jesus is not someone to be insulted and mocked … indeed Jesus is someone to be trusted. That fact transforms this man from a criminal who is condemned into
A Criminal Who Confesses.
We don’t know exactly when this criminal had a change of heart, but we do know that when this man sees all that is happening ... and when he thinks about his situation ... that somewhere along the line a huge transformation starts to take place in the heart of the criminal. So much so that, at some point, instead of mocking and insulting Jesus, the criminal starts defending Jesus.
He is on the cross and he makes his point.
We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.
And that is when he utters these most important words:-
Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.
This criminal has come to the point of realising that Jesus is his only hope, therefore he confesses his need of the protection of Jesus.
Now let’s be honest. If Scripture had not told us the response of Jesus to this request would we have believed it was a true confession?
Isn’t this really a last ditch effort to save himself?
How can he go from insulting Jesus to defending Jesus in such a small space of time … isn’t he just sucking up?
Can someone change so quickly?
These are the sorts of questions which come up when we hear this death-bed confession. They can also be the questions that come up when we hear about other death-bed confessions. But just because they are happening at a death-bed doesn’t make them any less real.
This man knows that he is accountable to God.
This man knows his life has not been as it should be … he is in trouble.
This man also realises that Jesus is the answer.
Here is a man whose eternal life is on a knife’s edge. He is not going anywhere until he is dead. And so he calls out to the only one who can give Him any help … and any hope.
And that fact helps us understand a very significant truth.
Jesus has made coming to Him a very simple matter.
We can come to Him at any time, in any circumstance, after any life-path.
And He will be there for us.
Grace is a free gift. Grace is the ultimate outworking of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. It is for this reason that Jesus is hanging on the cross in the first place.
Jesus once said, I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.
It’s a promise that applies to those who think they have it altogether.
It’s a promise that applies to those who know they don’t.
It’s as if Jesus constantly has a starter’s gun in His hand—He is constantly at the ready to give us a fresh start and set us off on the race again.
This criminal may not have a fully thought out theology, and he does not have very good credentials, but that doesn’t matter.
He has hope.
He knows that he has not gong beyond the grasp of God.
He is aware that, when Jesus is involved, there is never a person who is “too sinful”.
And so he asks, Jesus, remember me.
This question brings us to our third point where we are confronted by
Our Christ Who Gives Comfort.
I don’t know if you have seen it up to this point but there is a stark contrast between the approach of the criminal and the approach of the disciples.
So far the disciples have been acting as if the end of the world has come. They have basically lost all hope that anything good can come out of what is happening to Jesus and, as a result, have left Him isolated to face it by Himself. Later in the day when Jesus dies the disciples will hopeless grieve.
The end has come.
There is no more.
All that they had dreamed of was lost.
As far as the disciples are concerned there is nothing beyond the moment.
But that is not how the criminal sees it.
As this criminal looks to Christ he knows that death will not be the end, instead it will lead to a glorious new beginning.
On the road to Golgotha this man was condemned as a criminal—he would be crucified and considered as the scum of the earth.
As he hung on the cross, and was transformed by the grace of Jesus, this criminal still knew that he had shortcomings … his life had been a miserable mess.
He leaves behind nothing except a legacy of shame, guilt, and embarrassment to his family.
Yet, in the blink of an eye it was all going to change. Jesus makes that clear.
Today you will be with Me in Paradise.
You will see God face-to-face.
You will be washed and renewed.
You will have a front-row seat at My heavenly home-coming.
No longer will you be defined by your actions. No longer will you be treated as a criminal. You will be treated as a precious child of God.
What a great comfort!
Paradise has been promised to a man who deserved to be placed in the pits of hell … and Jesus is the reason it is all possible.
The criminal sees what the disciples have totally missed. The crucifixion is not the end of the story, rather it is an essential component of our eternal salvation. There is more to come … so much more. And that is where this passage hits us because it is calling us to be
A Christian Who Contemplates.
How do we respond to a passage like this? What this passage makes us realise is that our entrance into God’s family is not based on our performance. That applies whether our performance has been bad, or exceptional.
There is nothing that you have done which will make Jesus love you any less.
This criminal is not disqualified on the basis of his life up to this point.
Jesus looks past the life of crime and hurt which has been created.
Jesus is not interested in the bad moral choices which have directed his thinking to this point.
Jesus doesn’t care about the religious life which is lacking, and the fact that this man has not been saying his prayers and reading his Bible.
Jesus does not point out how he has broken so many of the commandments.
None of it comes into the grace equation. Which means that there is no-one here who is beyond the reach of Jesus and His forgiving love. It can be said of you as much as it can be said of this criminal, You will be in paradise. All you need to do is be willing to humble yourself before the Lord.
But that is not all. This passage also reminds us that
There is nothing that you can do which will make Jesus love you any more than He already does.
Stop and think about this criminal for a moment. He is nailed to a cross. He isn’t going anywhere.
He’s got this great testimony … “Jesus changed me while we hung on a cross”.
He has had a close up view of all the events since leaving Pilate’s prison.
He has more trust at this point than the disciples.
This criminal could be so useful to Jesus and the ministry of Jesus. But he is stuck … and soon His life will come to an end.
You could almost say it was a waste. Why save someone who isn’t going to be any real use to you anyway?
But that is just the whole point.
Jesus doesn’t save us because we are useful.
Jesus doesn’t have extra love for us because we work in His kingdom.
It’s not our performance as a believer which gets us into the good books with Jesus. Our salvation relies totally on the fact that Jesus has picked us up out of hell and carried us to heaven.
Which means that, no matter what we live like after we are converted, we can still move on in hope.
We will sin … some big ones.
We will bring shame and guilt onto the name of Jesus.
We will doubt … wondering if Jesus is really there.
We will make mistakes … staggering along in the Christian race like drunks after a night at the pub.
We will do it all … and more. But Jesus will still be gracious and He will not love us any less.
To make it as simple as possible let me summarise it this way.
It is grace alone that turns certified sinners into glorified saints, therefore our past, present, and future performances do not come into the “grace-equation”.
Salvation is simple. The devil has blinded the eyes of men and women into thinking that it is hard to be saved. But clearly that is not true.
That is a message which can give each one of us real hope in the saving work of Jesus.
It is also a message we can easily take to those who are looking for hope and who don’t yet realise that Jesus is the answer.
My friends … until our dying breath it is never too late to come to Jesus. That is a truth guaranteed by the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Prayer
