Today in Paradise: Psalm 121; Luke 23: 39-43
A friend told me about an awkward lost and found story that happened when she was in college. She had gone home to visit her family, and visit them. Her mom went out for some supplies at Wal-Mart, to stock up on the essentials. My friend texted her mother as her mother was headed home from Wal-Mart. It went something like this: “Mom, where are you?” The reply, “I’m headed home from the store, I’ll be there in a couple of minutes, don’t worry.” My friend texted, “Mom….” The answer, “What?” My friend texted, “So, did you forget I went to Wal-Mart with you?”
We have all forgotten something or been forgotten before in our lives. No one regardless of age, gender, or any other difference is free from being forgetful from time to time. As we read our second installment of the Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross we see one of the criminals crucified with Christ get right to the heart of this. He says, “Jesus, remember me when you come into you Kingdom.” It’s such a simple request, no frills, no fanciness, none of the extra trappings we tend to add to things: Jesus, remember me. And down through the ages I believe we have all prayed that same request at one time or another.
Now the other criminal also made a lasting impression, but it’s really the bad kind. He mocked Jesus even as they were being crucified, saying, “So, you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us too while you’re at it!” Now, I don’t know the motivation for this. Perhaps he was just that bitter and mean, and thought he was getting away with taunting Jesus. Maybe he hoped the authorities around the cross would appreciate his whole “Hey I’m with you!” thing and spare him. Maybe he just didn’t care at all anymore.
And yet, his attitude has gone down through history as one of the biggest blocks to people believing. Because we struggle with the idea of faith we say the same thing, “Prove it.” Proving it is something we do in courtrooms, in science labs, in socio-political realms. But faith lives in our hopes and dreams. Faith lives in our experience and our hearts. I can’t walk faith through a scientific method because I’m not talking about science. I’m talking about something different. But you know faith when you see it. When friends come to your rescue, sacrifice, give of their time and effort to help you, that looks like faith. When you feel this sense of comfort in your darkest hour and can’t explain it, that looks like faith. When things work out in such an amazing and powerful way that it defies explanation, that, too, looks like faith. It’s in those moments when you pray, “Jesus, remember me,” and somewhat you simply know he does .
The other criminal understood it clearly. He pushed back: “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die?” He understood in this moment that faith was about all he had left, and he had better cling tightly to it. Perhaps we’ve all been there—when it feels like nothing is left in life but our faith. We have something our life so great that we can’t buy our way out, think our way out, plan our way out, or even find a way out. When we are stuck, there’s always one thing that stays with us: our faith.Perhaps the criminal who called out to Jesus to remember him understood that.
That idea goes with our Old Testament, “I look to the mountains—where does my help come from?” And then that bold, power-filled statement: “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” That same Psalm wraps up with a moving reminder: “The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.” I’ve said several times that we should never worry for God will watch over us in this life or unto the next. For the criminal on the cross it was the latter. He was not spared his crucifixion. God did not spare him in this life and bring him down to go on till old age. But God brought him safely unto everlasting life. For when he cried out—“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom,” Jesus responded without compromise or hesitation, “Today you will be with me in paradise.”
We will all have times in our lives where we feel forgotten, ignored, or even like someone is too busy or distracted to care about us. I see it most in relationships that are meant to be close and intimate. There’s never enough time in the day. Children don’t get the time they need with their parents. Spouses have no time with each other to work on their relationship. Our elderly don’t hear from the loved ones who are supposed to look after them when they get to the age they need help. Sometimes we talk about all kinds of ministries and outreaches and programs, but you know what is truly a humbling ministry?
Go visit a nursing home or assisted living. Go and spend time talking to the patients living there. They can’t tithe cause all the money is tied up in paying for their care. They can’t really get out and come to church and volunteer. But how truly are such people the least of these whom Christ called on us to care for. Go and visit the doubter, the skeptic, the hurt and broken with the church. Go and talk to the ones who have lost their faith or walked away in pain and grief. Go show some of the faith in your life to the real challenges, not just the ones you feel comfortable hanging around. If we are to make a difference we have to get away from seeing the ones we remember all the time, and go out to visit, care, and greet the ones begging, “Jesus, remember me.”
If you’ve ever felt forgotten, you know how much it hurts. The criminal who begged to be remembered had lost his way, was probably not a very great person, and likely had not contributed to society as some upstanding citizen. But when he cried out to Jesus, “remember me.” Jesus gave him the greatest answer imaginable: “Today you will be with me in paradise,” the promise to end all promises, the assurance that he was most definitely remembered and indeed loved. No matter who has forgotten you, broken you, left you behind, or simply and selfishly not even cared about you, Jesus remembered you, and Jesus will never, ever forget you.
I have a good friend who forgets everything, and no it’s not my friend who got left at Wal-Mart. Whenever he and I would hang out or go somewhere, I made absolutely sure that we started heading to the door 30 minutes early because we would play “scavenger hunt.” Where are your keys, your wallet, your glasses, your shoes? Everything needed was somewhere else. He never could keep things together. But you know what he never forgot? He always asked how I was doing. He always called and checked on me from time to time. He always made it a point that even though heaven knows where his keys and wallet landed, he never forgot about his friend and family, and to me, that looked like Christ, that looked like faith.
A criminal, condemned, forgotten, and even hated by society called out to Jesus, “Remember me!” And Jesus said to him, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” Regardless of what happens in your life or who forgets about you, Jesus will always, always remember you.