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 23:42-43)
What Jesus promised the repentant thief is wonderful in several
particulars.
First, the thief, recognizing that Jesus was the King, the
promised Messiah, asked to be remembered when Jesus assumed the throne of that
kingdom. He could hardly have expected that it would be soon since the King was
on a cross! But he must have believed also in the resurrection. Jesus honored
the man’s repentance and faith and made him a promise he did not expect: “Today,
you shall be with me in paradise.” This very day!
Paradise is a Persian word that means “a walled garden, a
place of pleasure.” The word occurs three times in the New Testament, where it
always refers to heaven. (Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 12:4; Revelation 2:7). The
word is also used eleven times in the Greek version of the Old Testament, where
it refers to the Garden of Eden.
I’ve seen some lovely gardens in my life, from London,
England, to Hanover, Germany, to Baguio City, Philippines. In all their
well-tended beauty, they are but faint hints of what God’s Garden is like. Our
cursed ground bears thorns and thistles and weeds. Insects destroy our
loveliest blossoms. But in “The Garden of God” all is unblemished beauty.
Heaven is a place of pleasure, greater than any we can imagine
here. Some writers on heaven have diminished the richness of heavenly pleasures
by imposing our limited earthly experiences on the heavenly. If we are to use
our imagination, as one popular writer urges, why can’t we imagine that God
will so transform and elevate our sense of pleasure to a spiritual level we have
never before experienced?
As king, David indulged in earthly pleasures—to his sorrow
and disgrace. But the contemplative shepherd David knew that, “in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures
forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11) Alister McGrath points out that to see God
is the greatest hope of every godly person:
“To speak of heaven is to affirm that the human longing to
see God will one day be fulfilled—that we shall finally be able to gaze upon .
. . the most wondrous sight anyone can hope to behold.” (A Short History of
Heaven, Alister McGrath)
Yet the greatest part of the promise Jesus made to the thief
was this: “you will be with Me!” Ponder that thought! In the parable of the
Rich Man and Lazarus, “The
poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side” (a place
of comfort). But Jesus, dying on a cross, promises this thief His own glorious
presence as they both pass into paradise!
In this life, at home in the body yet absent from the Lord, “we
walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:6-7). But when God calls us
home, surely the greatest joy will His presence:
“Yes, we
are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with
the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:8)
If you have received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior,
you have Jesus’s promise, “You will be with Me in paradise.” There is a home
for us.
“And if I
go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself,
that where I am you may be also.” (John 14:3)
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