remember me, said the criminal

Such a beautiful picture of the gospel here:

One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!”

But the other rebuked him, saying, “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.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:39-43)

While others are mocking, or mourning, or merely observing... one makes a simple request to the Man crucified beside him. The criminal confesses a number of truths...

That he himself is worthy of judgment. (He fears God.)

That this Jesus is not worthy of judgment, but is righteous.

That Jesus will come into a Kingdom.

And so he asks to be remembered.

And he is given a word of promise from the King dying beside him -- that very day the criminal would stand in Paradise with his new King.

The criminal has done nothing worthy of salvation. He receives the promise of life and honor -- things which the Pharisees and scribes have been working for all their lives -- he receives it as a dying gift.

He could not be baptized, join a church, or tithe. He could not even reach out his hand to be healed. All he could do was ask, so why not?

And what a promise to receive: “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

So why not ask?

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