The Second Word

“This day you will be with me in Paradise.”

Luke 23:43

This week our reflection on the Second Word is written by Ken Chuang.

Jesus is hung on the cross between two criminals. The first criminal mocks Jesus “Aren’t you the Messiah?  Save yourself and us!” The other says “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die, but this man has done nothing wrong … Jesus remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” To which Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

What does this say about Jesus that even as he has been forsaken by his Father and is being crucified, in that very moment, he is still doing God’s work. Putting his own suffering aside, and forgiving the faithful criminal and offering him his salvation. Jesus is loving and merciful and constantly sacrificing for the good of others — the ultimate sacrifice of life. He is able to endure this because of his ultimate faith. What can we endure if we had such strong faith?

Salvation through faith and not deeds. The faithful criminal is the perfect example of this. We don’t know what heinous crime he has committed, but he puts himself at the mercy of Jesus and repents and through that faith is saved even as he is about to die. How awesome is it that this criminal can look past his current predicament and shame to the coming glory. Compare this to the first criminal who like the other is suffering, but all he cares about is saving himself through whatever means possible. Heck, he may even say he believes in Jesus for the sole purpose of saving himself without any care for right or wrong, regret or remorse … caring only about himself. Look at the Jewish leaders of that time with all their good deeds — they were unable to earn salvation because they lacked belief and faith. How different are they really from the first criminal?

Now, imagine how much more rewarding our lives can be if we are faithful each and every step of the way. How many times in our lives do we think we are doing good deeds, but if not done with the right heart, it is meaningless. Are we doing to please ourselves, others, or God? Only one can lead us to true faith and salvation. The posture we take with our actions and deeds belies our true belief.

Lastly, I’m reminded of Pastor Ken’s message on “Transfiguration Sandwich” … God with us, God above us, God for us. Our almighty Father is multidimensional. God with us: he is a loving God that answers our prayers. God for us: he is a merciful God forgiving our sins and offering us salvation. God above us: he is an almighty and enforcing God — the only one that will judge us and knows our true intentions. A God that we should all fear. All are important to our faith and ultimately leads to our salvation from this present evil age.