THE CURRENT REIGN OF JESUS -- Tomorrow:
(1 Corinthians 15:25)
"And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom" (Luke 23:42).
The penitent thief was convinced Jesus really was a King. With remarkable faith, he asked to be remembered favorably when Jesus took the reins of His kingdom. He did not ask if Jesus really was a king, like Pilate did (John 18:37). He did not ask the Savior if He wanted to be a king, or why they had a sign over His head that said He was a king. His words revealed faith -- faith that had come to him, and was most remarkable.
Shortly before his petition, this very thief had joined his partner in crime, and the enemies of Christ who strutted their pride before the son of God and chided Him saying, "He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God." The Scriptures say, "The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth." (Matt 27:44).
As the day wore on, one thief bellowed out, "If Thou be Christ, save thyself and us." The other thief did not join him this time. Instead, it is written, "But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss" (Luke 23:39-41).
Something happened to this thief. His heart of stone seemed to be removed from him. His tone changed, as well as his words. He took the side of the Savior now, and refused to join in the malicious taunts of those who spit out words like an asp spews out poison. God had given the man repentance like He would later do to the Gentiles (Acts 11:18)! The man was also tasting of the grace of God, which enables men to believe (Acts 18:27). Like Lydia, his heart had been opened (Acts 16:14).
What had God used to work in this thief both to will and to do of His own good pleasure (Phil 2:13)? Had the thief been exposed to the words of Christ? Had he witnessed some of His mighty miracles? Perhaps he had seen and heard the Lord Jesus, but his petition suggests something else. He did not ask Jesus to work a miraculous deliverance for him. He did not recall some comforting word that He heard Jesus speak. Instead, he asked to be remembered when Jesus came into his kingdom.
Perhaps the sign over Jesus' head was used of God to break through the crust of sin that had covered the thief's heart. The sign read, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews." The sign, we are apprised, was written in "Greek, Latin, and Hebrew" (Lk 23:38). When Jesus was being tried, the soldier's mocked Him by bowing their knee before Him and crying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" (Matt 27:29). They also mocked Him at the cross shouting, "If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself" (Lk 23:37). Suddenly, the thief's understanding broke through all of that mockery, and he perceived Jesus as a king -- one who had not yet come into His appointed kingdom. He cried out to be remembered -- for Jesus to recall him when He would be in a position to execute His will upon His enemies, instead of submitting to them as He did upon the cross. He seemed to sense the Lord was laying His life down, and would shortly be enthroned.
Christ's answer dispels much of the confusion on this subject. "Today shalt thou be with Me in paradise" (v 43). Words have little meaning if that answer is not directly related to the thief's question! Jesus took the reins of the kingdom that very day! He would leave the arena of warfare, dominated by the devil himself, to take hold of His own kingdom. It would be one of salvation in which He would bring many sons to glory, leading them through the very camp of the wicked one to the place of eternal rest.
Some Christians, because they believe death inducts one into an elongated period of unconsciousness and inactivity, choose to repunctuate the Lord's answer. They do not accept the fact that Jesus would take the thief to paradise with Him on that very day. Thus they read our Lord's answer, "Verily I say unto thee to day, Thou shalt thou be with me in paradise." Thus, the word "today" is thought to refer to when Jesus spoke this word, not when the thief would be with Him. This is a foolish wresting of Scripture that is only attempted in order that a false teaching may be maintained. It will not, however, hold water. The thief was going to die that day. Christ's word to him was in that context. It was not a reference to the general resurrection of the dead.
The fact of the matter is that Jesus took the kingdom that day. When He committed His spirit to the Father (Lk 23:46), laying down His life (John 10:17), He passed into a realm where His authority was not questioned. He would seize the keys of death and hell, triumph gloriously over death, and even minister to spirits while His body remained in the grave (1 Pet 3:19; 4:6). It may have appeared as though the kings of the earth and the people had stopped Jesus from living. But it would become apparent they could not stop Him from rising from the dead, showing His disciples many infallible proofs, and ascending into heaven. Jesus reigned in His death, voluntarily laying down His life. When He entered into paradise -- the porch, as it were, of His Kingdom -- He carried a trophy of triumph with Him: the penitent thief.
PRAYER POINT: Father, I know that if I was reconciled by Jesus death, much more I will be saved by His triumphant life. In His name, I give thanks for a Savior who is also Sovereign, the one and only Potentate, devoted to the ordained work of bringing many sons to glory.