The Last Words of Jesus: Today, you will be with me

I grew up in a large family, where I was number 5 out of 6;  the youngest was my little sister, a pretty, quiet little blonde who went through a several-year period of frailty and illness, which she eventually outgrew.  Interestingly, due to her physical condition, she lived with a persistent, irrational fear that our parents were going to die and leave our family without anyone to care for us.  She would cling to our mother, day after day, worrying about mom dying and leaving her; she was beside herself!  Fortunately, everyone stayed healthy, and she grew up to become strong and outgoing and lived a confident and happy life.   

           

I've often thought about her concern for our parents' premature deaths.  What was going on with her?  Why was she so afraid?  And, to be sure, don't many of us live with some nagging fears in the back of our minds that someone might die prematurely?

 

One of the greatest gifts that God has given us through Jesus, in addition to the gift of salvation through the Gospel message, is the conviction that when we die, God will take care of us!  This is a gift that literally 'keeps on giving,' as all of us face the possibility of death every day of our lives, even when we don't think about it!

 

Here is one of the passages in the Bible upon which this conviction is based:  The scene is focused on Jesus hanging on the cross hours before his death.  People are mocking Jesus and taunting him, as is another thief hanging on an adjacent cross.  He says to Jesus, "Are You not the Christ?  Save Yourself and us!"  In response, a different thief, hanging on another cross, says to him, "Do you not even fear God since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?   "And we indeed justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong."  And he was saying, "Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!"  Here is Jesus' response to the thief who asked  him for help, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise."  Luke 23:39-43

           

That is one of the clearest passages in the Bible which speaks  of the Christian belief in life after death, "Today, you shall be with me."  Jesus, nearing his own death, not only comforts another facing his own mortality, he offers us all lasting words, solace, and hope as we consider our own deaths! 

           

We are aware that we shall die at some point in the future, as will everyone!  Because of the unknown concerning death, there is an almost unlimited fear and discomfort with this truth, and  literally hundreds of differing religious and philosophical notions that deal with the question of "what happens when I die?"  But this one passage, spoken  by The One whom we believe to be the Son of God, with power, answers clearly, without any details, "Today, you shall be with me in Paradise."  \

           

The unnamed 'thief on the cross' could face his own death without fear simply because he had expressed his faith in Jesus!  He didn't have all the details, to be sure, but Jesus said he would never be alone.  Too, Jesus' words communicated no delays or complicated timelines: he would be in paradise "today."  And finally, the word paradise conveys an image of a place of peace, rest, and joy.  For those with faith in Jesus, life after death will be an eternal gift from God, based on God's love expressed through Jesus on the cross.  We do not have to 'earn' this gift; we merely receive it by faith, as did the thief on the cross.

               

Won't you receive Jesus' offer of eternal life today?  Trust in him, and live forever!

 

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