Deathbed conversations

Context

It seems backward to go back now that we have enjoyed the day of Jesus’ resurrection, but I think we can draw a few more points from the time leading up to it. I plan to outline three takeaways and show how they should impact or inform how we live.

1. God’s plans are ultimately for our good.

2. Jesus was the only choice for reconciliation.

3. Deathbed conversations and repentance matter as much as any other opportunity.

We know from the last two weeks that Jesus came to Jerusalem with a purpose. Not only did He know what was about to happen, but He also foretold it. We saw that the people celebrated as if they were about to get the king they had been hoping for, and then we saw that they were pretty let down. It often happens that way. We often think things should go a certain way and forget that God has the best plans for us. Now, let’s dive into the text.

Read Luke 23:32-43

I wanted to include John 19:17 because it offers more information for us. It says, “and he went out, bearing his cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha.” After the punishment inflicted upon Jesus, He still carried his cross. I know I could do better about following through on what God would have me do. Yet, I experience mercy and grace because of what Christ did on the cross. The place where it all happened was named in that verse from John also, Golgotha. The Latin translation means Calvary; in English, it is known as the skull or the place of the skull. A precise location is debated, but I believe it is enough for us to see that it happened on a hill outside Jerusalem.

‌‌ Here, Christ took on the punishment for all our sins. I know most of us like to weigh our sins against one another or to think that God couldn’t possibly love someone like me, but Jesus demonstrated that God loved us. He was shamed, spit on, beaten to death, and went to the cross, ALL so we didn’t have to. All the while, He pleaded on our behalf, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do!” The same people that were let down that they didn’t get a king to sweep all their enemies and bring Israel to a new glory had no clue just how good God’s plans were when Jesus gave up His life. Because of this, I live as if I was bought at a price. HE PAID IT ALL!

Therefore, I no longer live for myself but for others. I serve God and others gladly. The old me lived only for self and would be comparable to the thief who would have chosen to spit in God’s face. Instead, I have become like the other criminal.

Look at the company Jesus kept even in death! The two Others WERE CRIMINALS. We can all recount times when Jesus chose to stoop down to meet the needs of individuals, and with the cross, we see him doing it for all of humanity. Yet, He didn’t choose to do anything at that moment. Jesus knew the plan and stuck to it. They were all in the midst of pain and sorrow, but Jesus did not heal or let down anyone. 35 And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” I woulldn’t glance over this, Jesus could have done anything. Yet He allowed this to go on knowing that it was necessary for Him as the Chosen one to die in this way so that He could defeat death. It is good to know that sometimes we endure, knowing we have hope for eternal things. And, we are not alone in our suffering.

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How does this inform our Theology?

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The thief on the cross was not baptized, didn’t say the sinner’s prayer; he didn’t sow into any ministries or darken the doors of a church, not once. When I picture these men, I imagine them stripped of everything. It made me think that God stripped them of everything in this world. 2ndCorinthians 1:8-9 says, “8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that made us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.”

Explain this verse.

This event became an opportunity to lead someone and everyone to salvation at the same time. However, It wasn’t with words here; His mercy and grace called someone into repentance. 39 “One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” The work of Jesus on the cross opened the eyes of someone who was lost.

My eyes were opened the last time my father visited me in jail. I could see that he was indeed done. Before this, I had always thought they were my family, and they would forgive me. When my father looked at me and said, we can’t keep doing this. It motivated me to change. I went to a faith-based treatment center and became like fertile ground. Desperation is a gift, and it provides the perfect time to share the gospel. Let’s leave from here and look for desperate people, the sick, those whom Jesus came for. Each criminal chooses while on their deathbed. One of them was promised by their repentance and faith: "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” It hits pretty hard knowing that we have so many expectations for those who come to the church, but Jesus didn’t. There is opportunity in desperation.