On Sunday we are looking at the 4th word Jesus says, before he dies, where he says, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise”. Luke 23:43.
This is truly a beautiful statement and promise Jesus gives to a thief that hangs next to him.
What I find interesting is that both thieves mock Jesus. Both thieves seem to disbelieve in Jesus. Both thieves seem to think Jesus is a joke. But then both thieves have the same experience with Jesus. They both hear his words, they both see how he is nailed to the cross, they both see the look on his face as people mock him. And yet one thief continues to hurl abuse at Jesus, where the other has a change of heart.
And this change of heart prompts him to hear, “Today you will be with me in paradise”. On Sunday I want to look at this phrase, and what led the one thief to the place where he could hear that phrase. Because if there is something I think we all need, it’s to be with Jesus. This is the promise the thief receives, because of how his heart changed. So we will look at how that happens, and how it might happen in us as well.
{ Andrew Mills } 