Remember Me

Luke 23:42-43  Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”  Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

I've been in many worship services which concluded with the hauntingly beautiful Taizé chant "Jesus, Remember Me."  Those famous words, uttered by a dying criminal on a cross near Jesus, have resonated with many over the centuries.  His reclamation in that lonely place is a source of hope and comfort for all of us.  What we rarely consider, however, is what brought him to that moment.

Luke paints a vivid picture for us of the crucifixion scene.  Two criminals were crucified along with Jesus, one on his right and one on his left.  His clothes were divided up like plunder. The leaders sneered at him; the soldiers mocked him.  A sign above him sarcastically declared him King of the Jews. 

And then we are told, "One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him."  The more you consider this fact the more absurd it becomes.  Here is a man -- a criminal -- condemned to die and, in fact, in the agonizing process of dying, and yet in his last hours his instinct is to follow the crowd and insult Jesus.  He is doing just as his own executioners are doing, by insulting Jesus.  This criminal simply doesn't think for himself. 

How many people have sinned their way to the grave by following the crowd?  We all know of someone who could have made the decision -- not to get into that car, not to take that drink, not to take that pill, not to commit that crime -- but instead went along with the crowd and paid for it with their very life.  Why is it so many people would rather die than think for themselves?  This criminal is no different; even in the throes of death all he can do is follow the crowd and mock an innocent man.

This is the marked difference between the two criminals.  The second criminal, in this most important moment of his life, does think for himself.  He turns away from his fellow criminal, turns away from the crowd, and turns toward the truth.  In three short sentences he rebukes the other criminal and in so doing, stands up for Jesus more than anyone else present.  Think of it, he defends Jesus more in this moment than the Apostles themselves managed to do.

“Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

I would venture to say that in most cases, the most important step needed for someone to find salvation is simply to think for themselves.  Once a person decides to turn their back upon a sin, a wrong teaching, a modern idolatry -- whatever it is that is holding them hostage -- they can then turn toward truth and find salvation there.  That is exactly what this criminal did, giving him the wisdom and the courage to say those simple words, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

We don't know what he understood about Jesus' identity or about the kingdom to which he alludes.  Commentators like to argue over that but it's simply not very important.  He knew he needed forgiveness, and he knew that Jesus was the one to give it.  And give it he did. “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

In the midst of Jesus' suffering, I like to think that this incident may have given him a brief, bright moment.  He knew, as he was dying, that in a matter of hours or less all would be justified, and he had brought one last sheep back to the fold with him.  What a beautiful lesson for us: Remember me, Lord Jesus, as you rule today within your Kingdom.