"The Way of Faith and The Creed and the Second Word from the Cross: Truly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in paradise." Midweek of Lent1 March 16, 2011 Luke 23:43
The way of repentance leads to the way of faith. The Ten Commandments shatter any notion of our walking the way of God as if we were able to do it naturally. That’s why we need to learn to pray. The way we will learn to pray is by praying the Catechism. In praying the Catechism we see we need to be led into the way of repentance and then into the way of faith. The way of repentance leads us into hearing God with the ears of faith with His word to us, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Hearing these words we then respond in faith: “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your Kingdom.” The words of our Lord are words that can only be believed by those who hear their Lord with faith: “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in paradise.” But how is it that the thief on the cross had faith? How was it that he heard the words of the Lord with the ears of faith? How was it that a man who was justly being punished for being a criminal and who had not long before railed at Jesus was now looking at Jesus as if he were one of us? It’s becaue that’s what our Lord does, He creates faith. The thief on the cross is ready evidence for us that something has gone horribly wrong. We know from the Ten Commandments that we are lost in ourselves. We long for a way out, a way of salvation. Call it Paradise or heaven or whatever, we know that we were created for something more than this. We know that God called us to an existence that is free from pain and sorrow and sin and death. We always say to look to Christ on the cross. Tonight look to two men on the cross. Notice how similar the two of them are. They are both dying. They are both helpless. And yet one is God and the other knows he deserves to be there. Nevertheless, he holds out hope. He holds out hope in the one who is next to him. That’s what Adam and Eve were hoping for after they feel into sin. The tree of life had been in the midst of the Garden but they partook of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The thief on the cross also partook of what God had commanded him not to, as have we all. But when we look at him we see that he was looking to the one next to him, also hanging on a cross. This now is the new tree of life, the tree of the cross. Paradise is restored. “Today you will be with Me in paradise.” The tree of death has become the tree of life. But what is going on here? Why is Jesus welcoming this man into Paradise? What had that man done to make Jesus welcome him into His eternal Kingdom? The answer is nothing. He hadn’t done a thing. He had done, in fact, just the opposite. But Jesus is the one who had said, “Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” He laid down his life for his friend hanging beside Him on the cross, a criminal. We are His friends, as well. Not because we have befriended Him, but because He has befriended us. Jesus had said, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you.” True, the thief did indeed specifically ask. But the gift had already been given. Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. The second word from the cross flows from the first one. The welcoming into Paradise is because of the forgiveness of sins, to everyone. From those who delivered Him over, to those who nailed Him to the cross, to those who hung there beside Him. The gift was being delivered out, in Jesus suffering and dying for the sins of the world. That’s why He could welcome this man into Paradise, He was carrying out the giving out of the gift, which was forgiveness. The man next to Jesus turned to look to Him but what was really happening was that Jesus had already had His eyes on the man. Jesus had seen him from the beginning. He knew He would die for that man that would be hanging next to Him. We also turn and look to Him who has had His sight set on us from the beginning. He knew He would be suffering and dying for us, even though we don’t deserve it any more than that guy who was hanging next to Him. Where does it occur that this man is welcomed into Paradise? It happens at the cross. Jesus was at the lowest point. As God He could have hopped down off of there but He chose not to. He chose instead to welcome this man into heaven. He chose instead to stay on that cross and suffer and die for him. He chose to stay there where the man was to show that none can fall so far that they are beyond the reach of God's love. After all, Jesus had said that the last shall be first and the first last. This first and foremost begins with Christ Himself, He who is first became last so that we may become first. Jesus saving the criminal on the cross presents a fascinating backdrop for us to understand what the Creed is all about. Creeds are for confessing. We can probably assume that the man didn’t know any of the creeds of the faith of the Old Testament. We know that there are many today who do not know or believe in the creeds of Christianity. The Creed sets forth the faith. It states what the Bible teaches and Christians don’t just say it they confess it. They publicly profess that this is what they believe and hold to. They make an oath that they will hold to that faith even if it means their death. So what about that guy on the cross who probably couldn’t even tell you the most basic things about the faith? Jesus saved him. He welcomed him into Paradise. Does this mean we don’t need the creeds? Does it mean we don’t have to confess them in order to be saved? No, what it means is that even though he didn’t know the creeds of the faith he confessed the faith of the creeds because God had granted him faith. When you confess the Creed you confess all of Scripture. You believe everything that God has given in His Holy Word. You may not understand it all. You may not know it all. You may have some issues with some of it. But you confess it. That’s the way of faith. It’s what God gives you. It’s what you’re able to confess because you’re looking to Jesus just as that criminal on the cross did. When you look to Christ and in Him is your hope and your life and your salvation you confess the faith in its entirety. That’s exactly what it was for that criminal, that’s how great the grace and love and mercy and power of God are. This is the mystery of a love that searched out and found such an unlikely soul as the thief on the cross. It is the same love that found us, and if we don’t think that we are equally unlikely candidates for salvation, we do not understand the meaning of grace. Seeing the man on the cross, the criminal who, as far as we know, had no regard for God until the last moments of his life, would first and foremost help us see the immense grace of God and give us comfort that we cannot sin so greatly as to be beyond the grace of God. But it should also help us see that we understand that we who are recipients solely of the grace of God have the opportunity and even the call from God to pray for those who have no regard for Him. To pray for those who live their lives not seeking the Kingdom of God but a paradise of their own making. We have the life God has given us here on earth to reach out to them. To talk to them. To share the Good News of Christ with them. To make known to them what Christ has accomplished on the cross. Forgiveness. The invitation to Paradise. The promise of Paradise. The saving of the criminal on Calvary shows that there is grace to go around. It doesn’t run out. It’s not like if Jesus lets him in then there’s less room for others. God desires that all be saved. Jesus died on the cross for everyone. Rather than recoil that Christ would do such a thing as let a guy like that in “at the last minute,” we should rejoice that He did. It’s like the older brother of the Prodigal Son who was angry that his father restored the younger brother after all that he had done. The father appealed to the older brother, Rejoice with us! When the older brother staked his claim that he deserved better than the younger brother the father corrected him: No, Son, all that is mine is yours! That’s what we have in Christ—all of God’s blessings! Don’t worry, there’s plenty to go around. And the more we see that we are undeserving as the thief on the cross was the more we will see to rejoice in all whom Christ welcomes into Paradise. If it grates on us that this is allowed to happen then we need to step back and look at things from God’s perspective. When in the parable of the Laborers of the Vineyard Jesus said that the owner went out and found people ready to work they were happy, We’re getting work and we’re going to get paid! But when at the end of the day the owner went out and found some who had been standing around all day and he told them to go work, the first ones were not happy when those who had only put in an hour’s work were paid just as much as they were. They were looking at it from their own perspective, not the owner’s—It’s my money, don’t I have the right to do with it what I want? Aren’t I allowed to be generous to those who don’t deserve it? But the real problem here is not that the owner was being unfair. The real problem is what Jesus is bringing out in the parable, that we have a hard time with grace. We recoil at mercy. Oh, we’re fine with Jesus saving us. But we bristle at Jesus saving those we don’t deem worthy. But He does it because He’s merciful. Mercy is by definition giving what someone doesn’t deserve. And our problem is that we don’t see that that’s us. Don’t see that criminal on the cross next to Jesus, see yourself. And then you will see mercy. You will see Christ for who He is, forgiving you for you know not what you do. And you will hear His words with the ears of faith: Truly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in paradise. Amen. SDG -- Pastor Paul L. Willweber Prince of Peace Lutheran Church [LCMS] 6801 Easton Ct., San Diego, California 92120 619.583.1436 princeofpeacesd.net three-taverns.net It is the spirit and genius of Lutheranism to be liberal in everything except where the marks of the Church are concerned. 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