"... Today, you shall be with me in paradise."
Luke 23:43
These words of Jesus are among the very last spoken before he died.
They were spoken to one of two thieves -- crucified at the same time.
What had prompted these words?
"Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom."
Growing up I learned that preachers understood these words differently.
Some preachers pointed to these words to prove that people did not need to be baptized. The preachers that I heard said that this man's situation was clearly different from our own and could not be used to teach that.
Today we see that our baptism is nowhere in sight at Golgotha.
There Jesus gave his blood to cover our sins.
What do we see from these words, to this man
who was changed as he saw Jesus dying?
Does Jesus' response indicate a readiness to save anyone who surrenders their claims of self-sufficiency?
Further, do Jesus' words show it is not too late for anyone to surrender to him?
It is clear that this man could offer Jesus nothing in return.
Can we see from Jesus' words that it is not too late for any of us?
How much of my life will be left when I finally surrender to him?
Will I?
A question echoes thru the years --
"Is anything too hard for Jehovah?"