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“A Cross, A Prayer, A Paradise”
The Second Word of Jesus from the Cross
The Gospel of Salvation
Luke 23:43 – “I tell you this: today you shall be in paradise with me.”
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1. Introduction – The Word That Opens Heaven
My dear brothers and sisters,
On the Cross, our Lord Jesus Christ spoke seven words before He died.
Each word reveals the heart of God and the mission of Christ.
The second word from the Cross is spoken to a dying criminal:
“I tell you this: today you shall be in paradise with me.”
(Luke 23:43)
This is not just a sentence.
It is the Gospel of Salvation.
At Calvary we see three crosses:
• One Savior
• Two criminals
• Three different hearts
One criminal rejects Jesus.
The other turns to Jesus.
One dies without hope.
The other dies with salvation.
And through this moment, Jesus reveals something powerful:
No life is too late for salvation.
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2. The Scene at Calvary
Let us imagine the scene.
Jesus is nailed to the Cross.
His body is wounded.
His blood is flowing.
On both sides of Him are two criminals.
They were condemned for serious crimes.
They were guilty before the law.
Yet on that day, something extraordinary happens.
One criminal mocks Jesus.
“Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
But the other criminal speaks with humility:
“We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve.
But this man has done nothing wrong.”
Then he turns to Jesus and says:
“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
(Luke 23:42)
And Jesus answers:
“Today you shall be in paradise with me.”
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3. The Gospel in One Sentence
In that one sentence, Jesus reveals the whole Gospel.
This is the Gospel of Salvation.
The criminal had:
• No good works left to do
• No time to repair his past
• No opportunity to serve others
• No chance to live a new life
Yet he was saved.
Why?
Because salvation is not earned.
Salvation is received.
Salvation is the gift of God’s mercy.
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4. Two Criminals – Two Responses to Jesus
At Calvary we see two kinds of people.
The First Criminal – The Mocking Heart
The first criminal says:
“Save yourself and us.”
He sees Jesus as a miracle worker, not as a Savior.
He wants:
• Escape from suffering
• Freedom from punishment
• Immediate relief
But he does not want repentance.
Many people today respond to God like this.
They pray only when they need something:
• “God, solve my problems.”
• “God, remove my suffering.”
• “God, give me success.”
But they never say:
“Lord, forgive me.”
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The Second Criminal – The Repentant Heart
The second criminal does three important things.
1. He admits his sin
He says:
“We deserve this punishment.”
Salvation begins when a person says:
“Lord, I am a sinner.”
Pride blocks salvation.
Humility opens heaven.
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2. He recognizes Jesus
He says:
“This man has done nothing wrong.”
While others mocked Jesus,
the criminal saw His innocence.
Sometimes those who suffer the most
understand Jesus the best.
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3. He trusts Jesus
He says:
“Jesus, remember me.”
He does not ask:
• “Take me down from the cross.”
He asks for something greater:
“Remember me.”
This is faith.
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5. The Last Prayer of a Thief
This man is often called the Good Thief.
But he was not always good.
He lived as a criminal.
He hurt people.
He broke the law.
But on the Cross, something changed.
He offered perhaps his first real prayer.
“It was the first prayer he prayed in his life — and also his last prayer.”
A dying man prayed to a dying man.
Yet that dying man was the Saviour of the world.
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6. The Power of One Moment of Repentance
The thief prayed only one prayer.
He knocked once.
He asked once.
He sought once.
And Jesus opened heaven.
This shows something very important:
God’s mercy is greater than human sin.
Even at the last moment,
the door of salvation is open.
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7. The Meaning of “Today”
Jesus says:
“Today you shall be in paradise with me.”
Notice the word today.
Not tomorrow.
Not someday.
Today.
Salvation is immediate.
When a sinner truly repents,
God does not delay forgiveness.
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8. The Meaning of “Paradise”
The word Paradise reminds us of the Garden of Eden.
In Eden humanity lost communion with God.
Because of sin, the door of paradise was closed.
But at Calvary something happens.
The Cross becomes the key that opens paradise again.
Through Jesus, humanity returns to the presence of God.
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9. “With Me” – The Heart of Salvation
Jesus did not only promise paradise.
He promised something greater:
“You shall be with me.”
Salvation is not just a place.
Salvation is being with Christ.
Heaven is not heaven because of golden streets.
Heaven is heaven because Jesus is there.
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10. The Church as a Place of Salvation
My dear brothers and sisters,
The Cross still speaks today.
And the Church continues the mission of Christ.
The Church is like a hospital for sinners.
People come with:
• wounds of sin
• broken relationships
• guilt and shame
• spiritual sickness
And through:
• the Word of God
• prayer
• repentance
• and the sacraments
God brings healing and salvation.
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11. Three Powerful Lessons from the Good Thief
Lesson 1 – It is never too late to turn to God
As long as there is breath,
there is hope.
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Lesson 2 – Salvation comes through humility
The thief did not defend himself.
He admitted his guilt.
Humility opens the door to grace.
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Lesson 3 – Faith in Jesus saves
He simply trusted Jesus.
And Jesus saved him.
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12. Self Examination
Let us ask ourselves some serious questions:
• Which criminal am I like?
• Do I mock God with my life?
• Or do I turn to Him with repentance?
• Do I recognize my sins?
• Do I trust in the mercy of Jesus?
Each one of us stands spiritually between the two thieves.
The decision is ours.
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13. The Call of the Hour
The Cross is calling us today.
Jesus is still saying:
“Come to me.”
No matter:
• how far we have fallen
• how many mistakes we have made
• how broken our lives are
The mercy of God is greater.
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14. Conclusion – The Door of Heaven Is Open
At Calvary, we see a beautiful truth.
One thief rejected Jesus.
One thief accepted Jesus.
Entered paradise.
He had no time to change his past.
But he trusted the Saviour.
And Jesus welcomed him.
This tells us something powerful:
The Cross is the door of salvation.
Whoever comes to Jesus with faith and repentance
will never be rejected.
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15. Prayer
Let us pray.
Loving and merciful Father,
We thank You for the salvation revealed through Your Son, Jesus Christ, on the Cross.
When the thief turned to Him with repentance,
Jesus opened the doors of paradise.
Lord, we too are sinners in need of mercy.
Give us humble hearts that recognise our sins.
Give us faith that trusts in Your forgiveness.
Help us to turn to Jesus every day of our lives.
And when our final hour comes,
may we hear those beautiful words:
“Today you shall be with me in paradise.”
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
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Contact details:
Dr. ADDANKI RAJU.
addankiraju.blogspot.com
addankiraju9@gmail.com
Mobile, WhatsApp: +91 98481 43047
X: Dr. ADDANKI RAJU@addankiraju
Facebook: Addanki Raju
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A Gentle Invitation to Share
If this message has brought you even a small measure of joy, light, encouragement, or spiritual nourishment, I humbly invite you to share this spiritual food with others.
Someone you know may be waiting for a word of hope.
Someone may be silently searching for meaning.
Someone may be thirsty for God.
By sharing this message, you become a simple yet powerful instrument in God’s hands. This small act of sharing becomes a beautiful act of evangelisation — a quiet mission of love you carry out in your daily life.
Let the Word that touched your heart reach another heart.
May the Lord use you to spread His light.
May His Word bear abundant fruit.
God bless you abundantly.
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