Going Deeper Living in the Paradise

In another wonderful sermon this past Sunday, Matthew recounted for us that powerful image of Jesus on the Cross. As our Lord heard the thief denounce the doubting thief, and ask Jesus to remember him when He came into His Kingdom, the Lord assures him that this day, the thief would be with Jesus. Notice the timing of all of this. Jesus had not yet risen, that is Easter, this was what we call Good Friday. This was the blackest of days, the day it seemed like all that is evil and all that is wrong triumphed. Yet, on that day, the thief was promised Paradise - not in a few days or in the future, but the Greek clearly translates the response as being today. Is it possible the Kingdom has come? Yes. Recall when Jesus was being accused of casting out demons through the power of Satan? In Luke 11:20, Jesus tells His accusers that "but if it is by the finger of God that I cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you."

The response by Jesus points us to a new reality - one that has not existed on earth since the days of the cherubim with the flaming sword guarding the entrance to Eden. At that time, due to the Fall, we, all of humanity, became alienated from our Creator. That separation was not going to be healed without a death and a starting over - indeed the history of the Israelites showed that in our version of the salvation drama, there was no salvation merely drama. The thief displayed faith, and that faith was not simply an attitude or an intellectual acknowledging Jesus is the Christ, but the faith of the thief was his realizing that something remarkable was happening with the crucifixion of this man who was the Son of God - that is the death to self and yes to Jesus the Christ.

Yes to the tearing of the curtain and the restoration of the primal relationship. Yes to the realization that the Kingdom had begun, and God was opening wide to all those who say yes in faith to join Him in His mission of reconciling the world to Himself. Yes to the truth that we have no role in the salvation drama developing, that no amount of good works would ever be sufficient to gain entry, nor that any amount of good works after the emergence of this new Kingdom would be enough to maintain our place within this drama as salvation is a freely given gift and not the result of a mutual contract with any quid pro quo - the thief could do neither.

So, for us who remain in the meantime, what are we to do? Let us consider coming to an understanding that we have been called to join in His mission of reconciling the world to Himself, and part of that may very well be living out Micah 6:8, living missionally as led as He extends out His Kingdom until it is fully realized with the return of the Son.