Proper 34 – Christ the King (Nov 25)

The Thief on the Cross

'Then [the thief on the cross] said, "Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom."' Luke 23:42

The thief on the cross

The Bible doesn't tell us the name of the penitent thief, who was crucified next to Jesus. So it was necessary to invent one, and out of the Greek word for ‘dying', the name Dismas was formed. He was undoubtedly a bad and vicious character, but legend has been busy smartening him up. Some legends make him a sort of Robin Hood, robbing the rich to give to the poor. Another says he was one of a band of robbers who attacked the Holy Family on their way from Bethlehem to Egypt. Young Dismas was so impressed by baby Jesus, however, that he set them free, saying to the baby, ‘If ever there comes a time when you can have mercy on me, remember that I had mercy on you today.' But in spite of the legends, he was a brigand and he knew it, and he fully deserved the painful punishment of crucifixion.

To recognize a king

Was there irony in the words he said, ‘Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom'? Or did he really recognize some-thing regal in the demeanour of the man on the next gibbet? Jesus's disciples had lost hope; they all deserted him and fled. But this villain believed, or at least partly believed, hoped against hope, that Jesus, after he died, would be resurrected and establish his kingdom on earth. Maybe the thief would be included in the resurrection event, he thought. Maybe he'd be granted some minor official position in the new government. It may have been a rather feeble faith, but it was better than no faith at all. He recognized that Jesus is a king, even though his crown is a crown of thorns.

'Today in paradise'

Jesus was and is indeed a king, but it was not a place in an earthly kingdom that he offered to Dismas. ‘Truly I tell you,' said Jesus, ‘today you will be with me in Paradise.' That was an astonishing promise to make to a wicked man. First because it was Paradise that was offered, and second because it was offered today. ‘Paradise' is a Persian word meaning a walled garden. When a Persian king wanted to confer a special honour on one of his subjects, he gave him the title, ‘Companion of the Garden'. This entitled him to walk in the king's private garden with him for intimate conversation. ‘Paradise' was the word the Greek translation of the Old Testament chose to use for the Garden of Eden in Genesis. Originally the Jews thought that people who'd died would pass dreary years in a vast, drab waiting-room called Sheol, until the time came for their resurrection to earth. But a few writers suggested that at the end we return, as at the beginning, to a garden of delights, only this one's in heaven. St Paul and the Book of Revelation use the word ‘paradise' in this way. Jesus promised the penitent thief that he could be a Companion of the Garden with the Saviour, spending eternity in delightful conversation with his Redeemer. He didn't have to wait till some far-off judgement day, either. The promise was for the very day on which he died, ‘today'.

Penitence

Instant heaven, immediate redemption, paradise today! If eternity's timeless, there can be no hanging about. It's an amazing promise to make to anyone. Even to a good man. But this was made to a villain. Oh, I'm sure he had some redeeming features and saving graces, every sinner does. But it wasn't because of those that he was saved. It was because he was penitent. He admitted that he was no good, rotten to the core. But he still hoped that Jesus might do something with him. Jesus can do something with each of us, in spite of our failings and our shame. Not by making excuses for us, but by accepting our penitence and forgiving us. The promise to the penitent thief was a promise to each of us that, if we repent, on our dying day, ‘Today, you shall be with me in Paradise.' That's why some people call the robber ‘Saint Dismas'.

All-age worship

Find a copy of a great master's paintings of ‘the Earthly Paradise' (Jacopo Bassano or Jan Brueghel the Elder (www.doriapamphilj. it); Wenzel Peter (www. vaticanart. com)) . List things we should do for the environment, and for other people, to help God's kingdom come on earth. Write a letter to a local newspaper about just one of the issues. Don't worry if they don't print it, the thought you put into writing it is what matters.

Suggested hymns

According to thy gracious word; Christ triumphant, ever reigning; For all the saints, who from their labours rest; To God be the glory, great things he hath done.