Going to a Garden (Luke 23:39-43)

At the beginning, two humans met with God in a garden and there they would have fellowship together in the cool of the day. Sadly, that fellowship was ended by the rebellion of Adam and Eve against God. They would have another type of fellowship after the Lord had revealed to them his grace about a coming deliverer. But how he would deliver rebels remained the question and the answer had not yet been fully revealed. And it did not seem likely that it would be revealed on the day that Jesus was crucified.

Indeed, it looked as if he was a failure in his attempts to provide a recovery. There he was with two rebels, crucified and waiting to die. And then during a conversation he speaks in a manner that connects with the garden that had gone but which in another sense was still there, and in speaking about it tells one of the rebels that he would be in Paradise with him later that day, almost in the cool of the day, we could say. God and rebels together in the garden illustrated by that converted criminal’s experience. So what happened to bring this about?

The desperate question (v. 39)

One of the criminals saw a glimmer of hope. He seems to have known about Jesus and his claims to be the Messiah. Perhaps he had heard of his miracles of power or had been told of his abilities against strong demonic forces. Maybe, since he was a Jew, he knew about the many prophecies concerning the Messiah that are detailed in the Old Testament. Whatever the source of his knowledge, his desperate request was logical. The Christ would have the ability to rescue the powerless.

Yet although his statement had a ring of truth about it, there was something very wrong with it. His question was not done in faith. The rescue that he wanted was only a physical one from the dilemma he was in. His request was about continuing life in this world, and not about preparing for the next world. He did not want a Saviour from sin, especially from his own sin. In fact, despite being a Jew familiar with the religious background of his people, he had no concept of his personal sin and the consequences of them. He had a vague hope, somehow connected to Jesus, but it was connected to who he thought Jesus was and not on who Jesus truly is. We can say that whatever he wanted, he did not want to go to the garden.

The astonishing confession (vv. 40-41)

The other criminal had also been venting aggressively his opinions on Jesus, but suddenly he changed his tone and spoke in a very different manner. Many suggestions have been made about why he had a different outlook, but the one aspect that we can say for certain is that the Holy Spirit had enlightened him about the identity of Jesus and then enabled him to believe in Jesus.

The enlightenment is described in verses 40-41. In his statement we can see several details and we can think about three of them. First, he realised the awesomeness of appearing before God within a short period of time. The sentence that had been passed upon them meant that very soon they would have crossed over into the other world, and in that other world they would meet with the living God. This criminal was aware of what we are told in Hebrews 10:31: ‘It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.’ This fate was inevitable and unavoidable. It was also a meeting the like of which he had never experienced before. Perhaps he had appeared before Pilate or another earthly judge on the previous day when he was sentenced to die. Those judges only had the power of temporal death, but he was about to appear before the One who could sentence him to eternal death, and that prospect made him afraid. If a person is unconverted, he should be afraid; even if he has reached the stage of enlightenment he should be afraid.

The second detail is that he accepted personal responsibility for his actions. There was only one person to blame for the situation he found himself in. Moreover, he accepted that his punishment was just and deserved. He made no attempt to mitigate or excuse his guilt. It is true that he knew he had done wrong, that he admitted that he had done wrong, but he also stated that he deserved to be punished. In an unusual way, he recognised what the Bible teaches when it says that the state can be the administrator of divine justice when it condemns and punishes those who engage in sinful actions. This man had been taught that he was a sinner by the Holy Spirit.

The third detail is that he affirmed the identity of Jesus when he said that ‘this man has done nothing wrong’. Yet the perfection of Jesus was not a threat to him as we can see from what he goes on to say. There was a stark contrast between Jesus and him, yet his awareness of sin included the reality that Jesus was the sinner’s friend. This outlook speaks to how we understand conviction of sin. There can be a conviction of sin that merely focuses on divine rules, but which has no connection to Christ and his grace. Such a conviction used to be described as merely legal and not spiritual. When the Spirit convicts a person of sin, he brings Jesus to the attention of the sinner, which is what Jesus said would happen: ‘And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged’ (John 16:8-11).

The simple request (v. 42)

The conviction of sin in this man’s case was short as far as time was concerned and clear concerning what he should do about it. He was led to speak to Jesus about the needs of his soul. He spoke to him simply, humbly, personally, and expectantly.

The simplicity of his request is seen in his words. He had a request to make, and he made it. He did not imagine that Jesus would not listen to him or that the heinousness of his sin would make him unwelcome. We could say that while he had no reason to ask Pilate for mercy, he had every reason to ask Jesus. And we can see that the criminal knew that he could.

The humble nature of his request is seen in his use of the word ‘remember’. He does not make any assertive demands, insisting that he have a high place in the kingdom. All he wants is to be a resident of the kingdom under the care of the King. He knows that the King takes care of all his people and it will be enough for him to be remembered. In making this petition, he recognises both the love and the faithfulness of Jesus.

The personal nature of the request is seen in his mentioning of himself. His response is a reminder to us that each person has to apply for their own salvation. It is not a request that can be made by someone else. Other people can pray for us, but they cannot trust on our behalf. There has to be personal dealings with the Lord in which we trust in him personally.

The expectant aspect of his request is revealed in his confidence that Jesus was about to be crowned, that soon he would enter his kingdom. It is as if the criminal recognised that Jesus was outside the door of the palace, waiting to be ushered in for the crowning ceremony. We know that he was, although several steps had yet to be taken by him. The criminal was aware that the kingdom of Jesus existed, that he was the Messiah about to reign.

The wonderful promise (v. 43)

The criminal received an incredible answer from Jesus: ‘Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.’ Perhaps Jesus was saying to him, ‘My crowning day is not for a few weeks, at my ascension, but until then you will be in Paradise. And today, when you reach it, I will be there to greet you.’ Later that day, the spirit of Jesus would be in the hands of his Father and would be found in Paradise. But he would be there before the criminal arrived and would give him a special place when he did.

Think about what was going to be this pardoned criminal’s experience. When he died, his soul would be made perfect in holiness. His journey to Paradise would be quick and he would be conveyed there by angels. There to welcome him would be the Saviour. We do not know how spirits communicate with one another in heaven. However it is done, we know that it takes place, and this man and Jesus would have fellowship together. A short time later he would join with heaven as they celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Forty days later he would witness the entrance of Jesus into heaven and his exaltation to God’s right hand.

Jesus, we know, used different pictures to explain aspects of the life of heaven. He spoke of it as the Father’s House where his children would be at home, he said that it would be like a marriage feast, and here he says it will be like a garden. The kind of garden he has in mind is the large gardens that we see around palaces and castles. Such reference points to the beauty, peace and orderliness of heaven. In the Song of Solomon, the King takes his Beloved into his garden and together they speak about what they see. Something similar but greater will take place in the heavenly world.

We can see from the way that the Saviour speaks that he wants his people to have strong assurance of their destiny with him. He highlights for the criminal the fact that he is guaranteed a place in heaven. Perhaps he stressed that aspect because he was aware that within a few hours the criminal would not have ongoing encouragement from Jesus because he had died. Although he had died, his words could echo within the mind of the criminal and he thus could say to anyone who queried his hope that Jesus had assured him of his place in heaven. We have greater insight into this assurance when we focus on the words that Jesus used in blessing this man. The fact is that if we are Christians we are travelling to a garden that cannot be defiled.

Just one more thing to say about this incident. At Calvary, the two criminals were beside Jesus, one on his right and the other on his left. That scenario will yet be re-enacted on the Great Day when one of the criminals will be on his right hand and the other on his left. The penitent thief who asked to be remembered when Christ comes into his kingdom will be on Christ’s right hand on the Great Day and he will hear the invitation, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world’ (Matt. 25:34). Surely that invitation to enter the kingdom will be answer to the prayer of the penitent criminal to be remembered when that great day comes. He said to Jesus, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ Jesus will yet say to him, ‘inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’ No doubt the thought will be on his mind, ‘I asked for a place in this kingdom when I was on the cross and here it is spreading before my eyes for ever and ever.’