Midweek Lent – Vicar Abraham Faugstad homily
Text: St. Luke 23:39-43

Dear Fellow Redeemed,

To the world, we Christians have an odd picture and understanding of our Lord on the cross. Why would we have crosses in our Church? Why would we wear it on our neck and put it in our home? The very thing which represents our dear Lord’s death. Even at the time of Christ, the cross symbolized defeat, humiliation, and shameful degradation. It was considered impolite to even mention the cross in polite Roman circles. To soften the severity of the word, many would refer to it as “the unlucky tree.”

The interaction between Jesus and the repentant thief shows us how we should view the unlucky tree. First, it reminds us that through the unlucky tree of the Garden, paradise was lost for all mankind when Adam partook of its fruit. But also through the unlucky tree of the cross, we see that paradise was won for all people through Christ.

     I. Shows us our sin

It may be that, at least initially, both thieves mocked Jesus and ridiculed him as they were led with him to Calvary. They joined in with those who were insulting Jesus: the soldiers, the Pharisees, and the crowd. Mirroring the other taunts, the first thief mocks Him, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” Jesus makes no reply. He doesn’t try to justify himself against these unfounded words. He was silent, fulfilling the words that the prophet Isaiah foretold, “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth” (53:7).

Both thieves mocked Christ, but one repented. As the thief witnessed and heard Jesus’ comforting words to the mourning women on the way to Golgotha, and saw all the pain and slander Jesus bore with patience, and how with meekness he even prayed for his enemies, through all of this the Holy Spirit was working faith in him. And as was the Roman custom, they came to put a sheet of paper above the cross to list all of the reasons for criminal’s sentence. As the thief looked up at his own, he knew he was guilty of them all. But then he looked over at Jesus’ sentence, the inscription with the reasons for his punishment, “The King of the Jews.”

So the penitent thief rebukes the other, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?” As if saying, don’t you realize that only in a few hours you will have to stand before God our maker? Then the thief goes on to this frank and honest confession. “And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.”

The Holy Spirit led him to true repentance, and he does the same with us. As the thief knew the accusations against him were true, so also must we admit that we justly deserve the sentence of hell for our deeds. When our first parents fell into sin, death spread to all men because all sinned (Rom 5:12). We aren’t only sinful by nature, but each day we add to the list of our sins. There is no more room on the paper above our heads for our sins! We often try to belittle our sin and make it seem like it is not that big of a deal. At least we aren’t like so and so! But that would be a mistake because the things we have done, the sins we have committed, are real sins against God. Sin that sent Jesus to the cross. It’s our sin that was taunting Jesus on his way to the cross, it’s our sin which nailed his hands and his feet, it’s our sin which pushed the crown of thorns into his head, it’s our sin. The example of the thief on the cross doesn’t teach us to wait until the end to repent. When we realize our sin, we are to repent of it. 1 John states, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1:8).

     II. The unlucky tree gives us confidence through Christ

But, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” This confession is only possible through faith in Jesus, which is a gift from God. The thief had lived a terrible life. Crucifixion was kept for the worst of criminals. He was likely a murderer and by no means a model citizen. But the Holy Spirit worked faith, so that he recognized his sin and repented. This is the first part of repentance—sorrow over sin. But the thief also demonstrated the second part of repentance, faith in Jesus. He trusted that Jesus could take away his sins. Despite His bloody outward humiliation, the criminal confessed Jesus as his Lord and King, and asked that He would remember him in his Kingdom.

Jesus, in the face of all the taunts and mockery, remained silent. He made no reply to all of the taunts. But to the plea of the repentant thief, a contrite criminal, Jesus answered him without delay. He didn’t hesitate. He did NOT keep silent, but said, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

The first Adam outstretched his hand to the fruit of the forbidden tree and brought death to all people; the Second Adam stretched out His hands on the tree of the cross, paying for all our guilt, that a repentant thief might have the gates of Paradise opened to him. Jesus, with His perfect suffering and death on the cross, opened wide the gate to heaven—the gate to paradise. Jesus uses the same word which described the Garden of Eden— showing the dying man and us today that the beauty of Eden has been restored for us. Jesus had undone all that the first Adam had done. The first Adam had brought death to all through a living tree, but Jesus brought life to all people through the dead tree of the cross. He has earned forgiveness and salvation for all the world. There is now no sin too great to close the gate. Paradise has been opened wide!

Christ’s words to the thief, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise,” are the most comforting words that he could have heard because he knew that he would soon die, the soldiers knew their mortal business, but now he knew God’s plan for him. That day his bitter suffering would be over, and he would be with Jesus in the Kingdom of Glory. Now death for him had lost its sting.

The admission of the criminal into heaven shows that there is no need for any of us to despair over our sins. Christ has wiped our sin-filled slate clear by nailing them to the cross (Col 2:14). Our guilty conscience is cleansed through faith in Christ, who has nailed the handwriting of our guilt to the cross. A wonderful comfort for all time and eternity. Surely, there are trials, struggles, and sorrows all the way of our lives. There may be times when the weight seems too much to bear. But regardless of our burdens, we are assured that heaven is our destination, heaven is our home because of Jesus. The sorrows in this life can’t compare to the glories which are reserved for us there. Even now the same Lord Jesus who prepared Paradise for us, is with us in every need, giving us the strength to do all things through Him through Word and Sacrament.

When our last hour is close at hand, we need not fear. Jesus who has defeated death will be right beside us. To comfort and defend us. As the hymnist writes (ELH 481:5),

But Christ is with me through the strife,
And He will bear me into life,
And open heaven before me

The Lord’s second word from the cross explains why Christians treasure the cross. It’s why we put it in our churches and homes. The cross of Christ is the surest proof for our salvation. On the cross, Jesus paid for the sin of the thief and for the whole world, for me and for you, so that when our last hour is close at hand, we are comforted with these same words, “Today, you will be with me in Paradise.” Amen.

 

(picture from Isenheim Altarpiece by Matthias Grunewald, c. 1510)