And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:42,43 ESV)
Second Chances and Hope
He was not merely a thief. He was a thief whose crime had been heinous enough to deserve crucifixion. The Romans, while not necessarily a cheerful, cuddly lot, were at least generally fair, at least in reference to Roman law.
No crowd was gathered to protest the justice going on to the right of Jesus’ cross. This thief was a man who likely deserved what he was getting. Folk were not crucified just for burglary. In Roman times, though, a thief who murdered while he stole, or destroyed more than he stole, or was cruel and vicious while thieving was not lightly punished. So this thief was dying, gruesomely.
But he was about to get a second chance. His future was about to be lifted from darkness to light. From pain and agony to paradise. All it took was a relationship with Jesus Christ. All it took was the thief’s belief. All it took was the transfer that results from belief. Jesus, next door to this man… was now dying on that thief’s behalf.
The thief’s second chance would not be realized on this earth… but rather in that land of second chances, that paradise because it IS a land of second chances, heaven.
This thief was living his second chance even as his body was dying. He had utterly and completely failed in his first try… but Jesus loves to give second chances. And so Jesus is already welcoming Him into paradise. The thief will not need a third chance.
And neither will we. Because of Jesus Christ’s part in life’s equation, our second chances are ALL offered and guaranteed. Our sins, no matter how bad our thievery, are traded on the scale of the cross for Christ’s sinless perfection.
The thief did not have the opportunity to fail again… to slip back into unrighteous behavior. He slipped gracefully into heaven almost immediately after his conversion. But that does not matter. Because the forgiveness of the thief, the second chance of the thief, was absolutely sure… NOT because of the new life of the thief… but because of the life, death, and life of Jesus, the thief’s savior.
Jesus Christ’s life, death, and life ARE our second chance, just like the thief dying next to Jesus Christ.
We look ahead to paradise, too. Surely.
Take the hope God grants us.