It struck me the other day how remarkable it was of the thief crucified with Jesus to say to Him, "LORD, remember me when you come into your kingdom." In doing so he demonstrated great faith which perceived more than what he could naturally see. Over the head of Jesus was a sign inscribed by the hand of Pontius Pilate with the accusation brought against Him: "JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS." (Matthew 27:37; John 19:19)
Never had a king been so ill-treated by His own people, being accused as an evildoer by envious men with His subjects shouting to the Roman ruler as one man, "Crucify Him!" He hung battered from blows and brutal scourging, covered in gore, barely recognisable as a man. The thief who lived his life in violation of God's law and initially reviled Jesus had his eyes suddenly opened to the reality Jesus was indeed the Christ, the Son of God and Son of David who would have an everlasting kingdom.
In desperation the dying man cried out to the One who willingly laid down His life on Calvary never having sinned, "LORD, remember me when you come into your kingdom." He looked beyond the nails which held the dying Man on the cross with eyes of faith which knew Jesus was going to live beyond the cross. He knew Jesus had a kingdom and He would somehow live to sit on the throne. The criminal knew Jesus would be able to remember him in the future and begged him to do so. Luke 23:43 says, "And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." Instead of trotting out the man's faults, which were many and deserving of death, Jesus responded to the man's humble request in faith with the promise of eternal life.
In the original language the word translated "assuredly" here is "amen," a word which means the same in Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and English. It is a common practice to conclude our prayers to God with "amen" in agreement with God to hear, but how wonderful it is for God to graciously respond with "Amen!" to our requests! Those who come to Jesus Christ with faith in Him He rejoices to receive. Do we have faith as this condemned criminal to pray what seems on face value to be impossible yet believing God is able and will keep His word? Jesus has promised to give eternal life to all who repent of sin and trust in Him. The words He spoke in Matthew 11:28-30 can be fulfilled today in your life by our risen LORD and Saviour Jesus Christ if we will meet His conditions: "Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
Never had a king been so ill-treated by His own people, being accused as an evildoer by envious men with His subjects shouting to the Roman ruler as one man, "Crucify Him!" He hung battered from blows and brutal scourging, covered in gore, barely recognisable as a man. The thief who lived his life in violation of God's law and initially reviled Jesus had his eyes suddenly opened to the reality Jesus was indeed the Christ, the Son of God and Son of David who would have an everlasting kingdom.
In desperation the dying man cried out to the One who willingly laid down His life on Calvary never having sinned, "LORD, remember me when you come into your kingdom." He looked beyond the nails which held the dying Man on the cross with eyes of faith which knew Jesus was going to live beyond the cross. He knew Jesus had a kingdom and He would somehow live to sit on the throne. The criminal knew Jesus would be able to remember him in the future and begged him to do so. Luke 23:43 says, "And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." Instead of trotting out the man's faults, which were many and deserving of death, Jesus responded to the man's humble request in faith with the promise of eternal life.
In the original language the word translated "assuredly" here is "amen," a word which means the same in Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and English. It is a common practice to conclude our prayers to God with "amen" in agreement with God to hear, but how wonderful it is for God to graciously respond with "Amen!" to our requests! Those who come to Jesus Christ with faith in Him He rejoices to receive. Do we have faith as this condemned criminal to pray what seems on face value to be impossible yet believing God is able and will keep His word? Jesus has promised to give eternal life to all who repent of sin and trust in Him. The words He spoke in Matthew 11:28-30 can be fulfilled today in your life by our risen LORD and Saviour Jesus Christ if we will meet His conditions: "Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
No comments:
Post a Comment
To uphold the integrity of this site, no comments with links for advertising will be posted. No ads here! :)