Paradise

Today, Easter Sunday, is arguably the most meaningful day of the year for those who know Christ, or have even heard of Him. It's the day that Jesus carried out His promise and prophecy, proving to be the Son of God, raising from the dead three days after having become the Savior of all of our sins. Yeah, that's a pretty significant day.

But, while the story of Easter is crucially important, there is one aspect of the story that just won't leave my mind this year. You see, Jesus wasn't alone on the cross. He was surrounded by those on the ground that had condemned Him, by His family that mourned His coming death, and by the disciple which he loved-His best friend John. While the only perfect and sinless man to ever live suffered brutal beatings and scourging, many onlookers bore witness to His historically tragic, and eternity altering death. But the witnesses of Christ's death were not only on the ground but on each side of him, two criminals on crosses as well.

One of the men hanging beside Jesus spat blasphemy, daring Him to save Himself and the criminals beside Him to prove His deity. Luke 23:40 says that the other man rebuked this demand, saying to him, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong."

What happened next to me is beautiful and humbling, truly proving Jesus' identity and loving kindness. The man who clearly understood that he was being punished for a crime he had committed and was wrong, and that Jesus was exactly who He had always claimed to be said to Him, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom." Such a simple sentence and such a pleadingly bold request. And Jesus, so near to death, said to this man, this believer who was so clearly a sinful person, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in paradise."

These were Jesus' last words to another human on this Earth before he died and arose. His words welcomed a man who had committed a heinous enough crime to deserve hanging on a cross, into the kingdom of Heaven. How great is this love He has that He would do such a thing?

This part of the story of Jesus' death speaks volumes to me in the simplicity and significance of it. Those around us will doubt our faith, our intentions, our God. They may mock us and try us, tempting and testing the very foundation of our beliefs. But no matter how dirty, lowly, awful, or wrong our life has been- Jesus is standing there, arms wide open, waiting for us to come to terms with who He truly is. He really just wants us to identify His sacrifice and accept His love, death, and resurrection. He just asks us to believe. That is the only demand that the actual, physical, Son of God demands of us. It often isn't the criminals or lost people in our lives that cause us to stumble in our walk, but sometimes it is those closest to us that put a seed of doubt in our faith. Sometimes the most pious seeming people are those worthy of the greatest condemnation, guilty of hypocrisy. No matter the case, we are on equal grounds in the eyes of The One who holds our eternity in His hands. We are all the same to Him, and we are all worth the sacrifice He made. He loves us all THAT much.

This speaks to me so loudly, allowing the sound of my failures and pain to fade into the background and focus on the words that really matter, the promise of a Savior that is open to all who are willing, "...you will be with Me in paradise."

Paradise. Can you imagine? No false idols or Greek gods have promised a thing so great, because no such created thing has ever lived on this Earth as we do, and died in the place of all those who are deserving of death, which is every being who has ever lived. That is truly the gift of a Savior.

Happy Easter

:)