Sermon -- Good Friday: The Second Word (April 15, 2022)

THE SECOND WORD — LUKE 23:38-43

     What goes through the mind of a man who is dying?  We can only guess.

     I suppose we would replay the events of our life and try to remember the blessings we enjoyed.  We all want to die believing we had a life that made a difference for good.  But when we are in our last hours, the devil is also there.  He would remind us of things we would rather forget.  He may dig up the past which had been buried in the recesses of our minds.  He would open wounds we thought had healed, only to feel the pain and the shame all over again.  He wants to produce terror.  This does not just happen to criminals; it happens to God’s people, and it is terrifying.

     The criminal who hung on a cross next to Jesus was done playing the games.  Why try to convince himself that he was a good man?  There were probably some parts of his life which he could be proud of.  But what happened in his life so that he made choices which warranted a death sentence?  Was he always violent and angry?  Had he been abused by a relative?  Was he seduced by a conman?  Who knows?  But he knew, and he was done making excuses.  He was getting what he deserved.

     Death was imminent.  The criminal did not beg for Jesus to rescue him from being condemned to a cross.  But he did plead for Jesus to rescue him from being condemned to hell.  His time in this world would soon end.  But he longed for endless time to be filled with peace and joy, not weeping and gnashing of teeth.

     He heard the words of those who mocked Jesus.  He realized that they were all true.  He is the Son of God.  He is the Christ.  He is the Savior.  He establishes a kingdom of mercy, grace, and salvation.  So, the man prays, “Jesus, remember me.”  “Jesus, you are paying for the sins of the world.  Remember me in your redemption.  Jesus, you are dying on behalf of sinners.  Remember this sinner.  Jesus, if you are coming into a kingdom, then you will live again to reign over it.  Remember me in your gracious reign.”

     The Lord Jesus would remember him.  The Lord Jesus is mindful of you, too.  He is your Christ.  He is your Savior.  Just as he dies for you, so he lives and reigns for you.  The kingdom comes to sinners, so you will be with him in Paradise forever.