Good News on a Bad Friday

"And he said, 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.'"

-Luke 23:42 ESV

A few times over the past couple of months I have run into delays and the need to take a new route on the way to various places that I've needed to go. It can be frustrating, especially when you leave with plenty of time, only to find yourself arriving late or missing meetings completely due to roads being closed, unexpected traffic, and the installation of new traffic lights on all four sides at a major intersection during rush hour (yes, that happened . . . who comes up with this stuff?).

However, more than once, I later found out there was a major wreck on the road that I was on either 30 minutes before or after I had been right there. Suddenly, the delay was completely reframed in my mind. The event that I thought was terrible instantly elicited gratitude. "Thank you, God, for protecting me through that delay."

Sometimes we get glimpses of God's providence. We see how a setback actually helped us in various ways. In human history, there is a setback that seems to rise above all others: the death of Jesus Christ. When hope glimmers at the celebration of the birth of our Savior, Jesus, hope seemingly dies when he is killed.

When hope glimmers at the celebration of the birth of our Savior, Jesus, hope seemingly dies when he is killed.

Jesus was hanging in agony. He did nothing wrong. Being God, he lived with sinless perfection. Though he was tempted, he never sinned once. And yet, his life didn't look successful. He didn't exercise worldly power. He gained crowds and lost them (see John 6:66). Even some of his closest followers denied him (e.g., Peter).

On his last week, he resisted the effort to turn a place of worship away from prayer, and into a profane act of greed and selfishness. Jesus said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be a house of prayer,' but you have made it a den of robbers" (Luke 19:46). He called out the hypocritical leaders. He taught in the temple. He washed his disciples feet. He celebrated Passover and instituted the Lord's Supper.

Yet one of his twelve betrayed him for money (Judas). He was seized at night like a dangerous criminal. Then, he was falsely accused, beaten, mocked, and he found himself on a cross in between two criminals.

While all three hung there, being painfully crucified, one of the criminals on Jesus's side mocked him saying, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!" (Luke 23:39). Surprisingly, the other criminal heard it and defended Jesus: "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong" (Luke 23:40-41).

The criminal, who came to Jesus's defense, then turned his attention to Jesus. He said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom" (Luke 23:42; emphasis mine).

"Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." - Luke 23:42

When faced with his own sin and when faced with his own death, he found himself more afraid of God than death. Remember what he said to the other criminal: "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong" (Luke 23:40-41; emphasis mine).

Why did he fear God? Because he knew he deserved to be judged with condemnation according to what he had done in his life. Perhaps, he was thinking about how God would respond to him after he died. Maybe he considered how Jesus himself would respond to him after death for his bad decisions. Whatever it was, his heart recognized God as righteous and himself as unrighteous.

Just imagine for a second: you made a bad decision, and you are being punished with the death penalty for it. Someone is there with you who has been falsely accused. That person is God. You consider your life, death, and perhaps, your life after death. How do you respond? Does your hardened heart mock in disbelief (like the first criminal)? Or, on the other hand, does your heart soften, repent, and believe (like the second criminal)?

Jesus responds with grace in the middle of all of the chaos going on. He says, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43). Jesus had clarity about what happens after death (paradise, thankfully!). Jesus had composure in the moment. Jesus extended grace towards this criminal who could do nothing for him and his kingdom.

Jesus responds with grace in the middle of all of the chaos going on.

What?! Why does the criminal deserve grace? He hasn't been baptized. He hasn't done any good works (unless you consider his rebuke of the other criminal a good work). He hasn't led anyone to Christ. He hasn't accomplished big things for Jesus. He hasn't prayed a prayer. He hasn't read through the Bible in his devotional times. He hasn't read a Christian book. He hasn't written anything. There is so much he hasn't done. Why can he come into paradise with Jesus?

It's a simple answer: he can come into paradise with Jesus because of Jesus. That's what grace is all about. And that's the same reason that you and I can come into paradise to be with Jesus. We are sinful. We deserve condemnation. We depend on the grace of Jesus. We need the work of Jesus so we can be with the person of Jesus in paradise.

He can come into paradise with Jesus because of Jesus.

If that challenges you, like it does me, then maybe we should consider if we think we are earning our way into his kingdom in some way? Maybe we should consider our pride which looks down on criminals who are saved without having done anything for him?

We will not get into heaven because of the accomplishments that we have for the King and his kingdom. Consider Jesus's response to powerful workers for him who didn't actually know him:

21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' 23 And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'

-Matthew 7:21-23 ESV

All appeared to be hopeless with the death of our Savior. Yet, it was part of God's plan. Of course, we know what happens on Sunday as well, but here, even on Friday, there is a glimmer of hope showing up while the Savior is painfully gasping for air. There is a glimmer of hope while he is being wrongfully crucified. There is a glimmer of hope while his closest followers betray him and deny him.

Jesus does not look like a success here. We have the benefit of the rest of the story of Scripture to see how the story ends. We also have the benefit of all that the Spirit has done over the past 2,000 years to advance the kingdom of Jesus. Yet, there is no bigger success than Jesus.

And we need the success of Jesus, just like that criminal did. Even if you are not a criminal, you need the work of Jesus. Maybe you've been a pretty good person. However, when we look at the Ten Commandments; when we look at our heart motivations (even when we do good things!); when we look at our secret thoughts; then, it becomes evident how far we fall short of God.

Good Friday is a bad Friday, if you look at it through the lens of the Savior King being murdered. However, it's a very good Friday if you look at it through the lens of what he has accomplished for those of us who believe. Like the criminal, we can't earn our way into the kingdom. We need Jesus's grace. We need his death.

That's good news on a bad Friday. As the criminal said: Jesus, remember us when you come into your kingdom. Listen to Jesus saying this to you today: "[Y]ou will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43).