April 8:  Believing His Salvation.

HIS QUALIFICATION.
"Truly to you I say today with Me you will be in paradise."--Luke 23:43*


A preacher was accompanying a celebrity on a trip to the Middle East.  On arrival, the security was tight as the bodyguards surrounded the luminary.  At one point the preacher had fallen behind and tried to rejoin the group.  He explained to the guards that he was part of the group, but to no avail.  Then, from a distance, the celebrity noticed that the preacher was missing and turned around, announcing in a loud voice, "He is with me!"  Immediately the tight circle of security parted, and the preacher was able to walk in, just because he was with him.

The shocking response of Jesus to the thief on the cross applies to each one of us.  The above rendition of Scripture reflects the original Greek word order.  Let's notice four elements in our text: "today," "you will be," "paradise," and "with Me."  In this devotional, we will look at the second and fourth elements, while tomorrow we will address the first and third.  You will be.  The assurance Jesus gives to the evildoer is in the second person singular and in the future tense, and it is a sure promise.  It's not you might be, but you will be.  This man was totally undeserving, yet there was a future for him.  His presence with Jesus in His kingdom was not a possibility but a reality.  This is the radical difference that separates the biblical gospel  from a pseudo gospel.  The false gospel offers the possibility of salvation; but the real gospel gives the assurance.  Yet this man does not qualify!  Why would he be there?  That's where the other element comes in. With Me.  In Greek, the weight of the content is in the middle of the sentence, and "with Me" is in that spot, at the very center.  Jesus was saying to him, "You will be in Paradise because you are with Me.  I am the One who qualifies!  And you get in with Me!"  If you know yourself unqualified for heaven, cling to this promise of Jesus to the thief on the cross.  I like to imagine myself one day walking the streets of gold, and other people objecting to me being there.  "What are you doing here?" they will wonder.  Well...I can't wait for Jesus to turn around and in a sweet but thunderous voice announce, "She is with Me!"

My Response:___________________________________________________________
* J.D. Douglas, The New Greek-English Interlinear New Testament, 4th rev. ed. (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 1993).

April 7:  Believing His Salvation.

HIS INHERITANCE.
"Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!"--Luke 23:42

Have you ever seen a person suddenly become a millionaire?  It is hard to explain the emotions that instant wealth brings to a person.  I watched on TV as a woman won one million dollars and I witnessed the instantaneous flamboyant celebration that followed.  Can you imagine the thoughts and feelings of a person who goes from poor to rich in a matter of seconds?  But something even greater happened to the thief on the cross.

Just when we thought that the story of the prodigal son was only a parable (Luke 15:11-32), we find a real-life prodigal, an undeserving evildoer, who will request his share of the inheritance.  He is being crucified next to Jesus, and Luke records his shocking request: May I have part of the inheritance?  In other words: "Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!" (Luke 23:42).  On what basis should Jesus remember him in His kingdom, and give him an inheritance?  First of all, the criminal calls Christ by His name: Jesus.  He did not call Him "Rabbi" or "Lord" like most people did during His ministry.  He called Him "Jesus," a name that recalls "Yahweh saves" (see Matthew 1:21).  The second part of the request is, "remember me."  In the Jewish Scripture this type of request was usually addressed to Yahweh.  When the Lord remembered somebody, it was about acting on behalf of them within the framework of His covenant.  (see Judges 16:28; 1 Samuel 1:11).  This is about Jesus acting on his behalf.  Thirdly, the sentence "when You come in Your kingdom," shows that this criminal had come to believe that the Crucifixion was not the end of Jesus; there was His kingdom beyond the cross.  The charge against Jesus placed on the cross was a fulfillment of prophecy.  But would Jesus even hear this prodigal son's shocking request for an inheritance?  Jesus answered: "Truly to you I say today with Me you will be in paradise" (Luke 23:43, Greek-English Interlinear NT).  On the spot, Jesus assured him of a heavenly inheritance, which at that moment He was securing for him.  We can live with the same assurance of eternal life, which is our inheritance in Christ! (Hebrews 9:15).

My Response:____________________________________________________________

April 6:  Believing His Salvation.

HIS REQUEST.
Jesus was saying, "Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing."--Luke 23:34

Most people recognize the name of Nelson Mandela, who was president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999 and received numerous honors, including the Nobel Prize.  The world was stunned when, having been imprisoned for twenty-seven years for his objections to apartheid, he emerged from his cell with words of reconciliation and forgiveness instead of revenge.  Almost three decades of captivity and torture did not alter Mandela's focus on healing and peace.

The Word of God, who had created the world, had become flesh and had come to His own in order to redeem them (John 1:1-14).  Now, hanging between two criminals, He was being crucified by those whom He had come to save (Luke 23:33-37).  The persistence of Jesus in His redemptive mission, in the midst of such dire circumstances, stands in contrast to the mockery, torture, and humiliation that His opponents are exerting on Him.  Practicing what He had taught His followers--to pray for the ones who mistreat us (Luke 6:28), Jesus turned to God with a request: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34).  That Jesus would call God "Father" as He was being crucified, portrays the intimate relationship that Jesus maintained with His Father until the very end.  Jesus appealed to their ignorance, as He was becoming a guilt offering on their behalf (see Leviticus 5:17-19; Isaiah 53:10).  Jesus had a burden for the eternal salvation of His adversaries, not for His own suffering.  And He interceded not only for those who eagerly persecuted and killed Him, but also down the centuries for you and me, offering forgiveness for our sins.  Ellen White explains: "That prayer of Christ for His enemies embraced the world.  It took in every sinner that had lived or should live, from the beginning of the world to the end of time.  Upon all rests the guilt of crucifying the Son of God.  To all, forgiveness is freely offered, 'Whosoever will' may have peace with God, and inherit eternal life." *  And that, my friend, is the extremely good news of the gospel!

My Response:_______________________________________________________
* Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press, 1940), 736.

April 5:  Believing His Salvation.

HIS HUMANITY.
Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, "I am thirsty."--John 19:28


Twenty years ago, I was part of a group of ministers led by Dr. Kiemeney, who designed "CrossWords," a weekend evangelistic series for young adults.  The series was repeated in more than one geographical area, and it invigorated young adult ministers in the local churches involved.  I still remember the large banners announcing the event.  The series was based on the seven sayings of Jesus on the cross.  The tagline for CrossWords was: "A dying man's last words are revealing."

As He hung on the cross, Jesus knew that all Scripture was being fulfilled.  Aside from the spiritual burden that He was carrying, which we can't fully understand, Jesus also felt physical pain.  His dry mouth needing relief, He said: "I am thirsty" (John 19:28).  Someone gave Him vinegar with a sponge.  Even this very detail is fulfillment of prophecy, as recorded by the psalmist: "For my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink" (Psalm 69:21).  John reports that the sponge was attached to a branch of hyssop, which I believe is a significant detail because at the time of the Exodus, the Israelites dipped twigs of hyssop in the blood of the Passover lamb to mark the lintels and doorposts of their houses (see Exodus 12:22).  Jesus is now dying as the fulfillment of the Passover Lamb. At the time of the writing of John's Gospel, some early Christians became entangled in Gnosticism, which was a heretical teaching that Jesus was only a spirit without a real human body, and that He was human only in appearance and therefore couldn't experience physical suffering on the cross.  John's report that Jesus was thirsty highlights that He was fully human, as well as fully God.  We can trust Jesus to be compassionate with us because He became human.  The author of Hebrews emphasizes that Jesus fully understands us: "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.  Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:15, 16).

My Response:______________________________________________________

April 4:  Believing His Salvation.

HIS INNOCENCE.
Pilate said to them, "Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him."--John 19:6

The gospel is not about fairness but grace.  The One who was not guilty was condemned to die, and all of us who are guilty have been gifted with eternal life.  My friend Steve Trapero, who is a talented graphic designer, created for me a large poster entitled The Great Exchange.  On one side of it, one can see two hands bringing a gift-wrapped box that has a skull on it, symbolizing death.  On the other side, there are two nail-pierced hands bringing the gift of life: Romans 6:23 is written on that box.  The poster portrays the exchange.

The apostle Paul often discusses the fact that Jesus, being innocent, was condemned as guilty, and that the guilty ones are considered righteous in His name.  Such is the case in 2 Corinthians 5:21: "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."  The four Gospels also allude to this paradox in the way the authors narrate the events surrounding the death of Jesus.  For example, one of the thieves on the cross clearly states that they are guilty but Jesus is innocent: "We indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong" (Luke 23:41).  The Righteous One was condemned.  Another such striking contrast is made when Pilate, according to their custom to release a prisoner at Passover, offers to release Jesus, but the crowd chooses Barabas instead.  Barabas was a murderer and a rebel (see Luke 23:19; Mark 15:7).  And what I find extremely insightful is that Barabas means "son of Abba" or "son of the father."  This "son of the father" was guilty and should have been condemned, and yet he was released.  But the "Son of the Father," Jesus , who was innocent, was crucified instead.  Three times Pilate clearly stated that he found no guilt in Jesus (John 18:38; 19:4, 6), yet Jesus died in the place of the guilty.  If you know yourself guilty of condemnation, accept the paradox of the gospel and be set free.  We have His eternal life, because He died our death.  Thank you, Jesus!

My Response:__________________________________________________________

April 3:  Believing His Salvation.

HIS SUFFICIENCY.
The Lord turned and looked at Peter.  And Peter remembered the word of the Lord..."you will deny me three times."--Luke 22:61

A couple of decades ago I used to belong to a vocal group called Opus 7, which was founded by a friend of mine, Dr. Ariel Quintana.  One of the songs we sang and recorded kept repeating a phrase that is more than appropriate for today's topic: "His arms are long enough to save you...His heart is big enough to love you...His grace is more than sufficient."  Is it really?  Is His sacrifice sufficient for the worst of the worst among us?  Murderers?  Terrorists?  Betrayers?

The juxtaposition of Peter and Judas has always caught my attention.  The betrayals of Peter and Judas are narrated back-to-back, as in one breath (see Matthew 26:67-27:10; Luke 22:47-62).  And yet, the end of each of their earthly stories is so different: Judas would hang himself, while Peter would become a powerful preacher of the gospel.  When Judas saw that Jesus had been condemned, he felt remorse, returned the thirty pieces of silver, and exclaimed: "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood" (Matthew 27:4).  Peter, when he remembered Jesus' prophecy about his own betrayal, "wept bitterly" (Matthew 26:75; Luke 22:62).  Jesus extended grace to both of them, calling Judas "friend" (Matthew 26:50) and dealing tenderly with Peter (Luke 22:31-34, 61).  Both Peter and Judas betrayed Jesus and both felt remorse; however, there was a huge difference between the two and where each of them ended up.  The main difference between the two was that Peter chose to believe that God's grace was enough, and that Jesus' blood was sufficient to cover his sin; as far as we know, Judas did not.  Do we believe that Jesus' sacrifice was sufficient for our sin?  Yes, that sin that you are thinking about!  Yes!  His arms are long enough to reach us, and His blood is more than sufficient to cover us.  Jesus has supplied more than a sufficient ransom for each human being, because the provision of forgiveness precedes repentance and draws the sinner to ask for what is already offered freely.  Place your trust in His sufficiency and not in your insufficiency. When we accept His sacrifice, we know how our story ends.

My Response:___________________________________________________________

April 2:  Believing His Salvation.

HIS WASHING.
"If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me."--John 13:8


I was touched by a video clip as a sermon illustration about grace.  Two young children start playing in the mud; at first, they have just a few stains on them, but eventually become covered with mud.  At that moment, the camera captures their frowning father coming towards them.  The children freeze, knowing that they are in trouble.  But the father with a hose in hand, starts washing the children with water.  They all have a great time, and the children end up clean.

Washing guest's feet was the task of the servants, and it was done before the meal, as visitors came in from walking the dusty roads.  At the last gathering of Jesus and His disciples, no one had performed that task.  When the meal was on its way, Jesus got up to wash the disciples' feet.  The timing of His action emphasizes the importance of what Jesus was about to teach them.  When Jesus got to Peter, the disciple was more than embarrassed: "He came to Simon Peter.  He said to Him, 'Lord, do You wash my feet?" (John 13:6).  In the original Greek, the words You and my are next to each other, highlighting the paradox.  Jesus responded: "What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter" (verse 7).  In this explanation, Jesus revealed that He was not performing the function of a servant, but that this was an enacted parable of salvation.  There was a profound significance that they would only understand after His death and resurrection.  He was truly submitting Himself as the Servant, in order for them to be cleansed from their sins.  Peter objected: "Never shall You wash my feet" (verse 8).  This is when Jesus confirms that this is a symbol of something deeper: "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me" (verse 8).  He was the only One who could wash him clean.  Peter then said: "Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head" (verse 9).  Both of Peter's responses are still used by people now, claiming that neither what Jesus did for us is unnecessary, or that what He did is not enough.  But Jesus has washed our sins away at the cross; and that was both necessary and sufficient!

My Response:________________________________________________________

April 1:  Believing His Salvation.

HIS SIGNAL.
"This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins."--Matthew 26:28

I was working at a church when I received an unexpected request.  A synagogue was inviting their Christian neighbors to help serve in their Passover celebration.  Soon I learned that several members of my church went every year to perform these duties and decided to join them.  It was a memorable experience for me.  I discovered that the festivities, when seen through Christian eyes, were truly pointing to the Lamb of God, who was sacrificed for our redemption.

Jesus and His disciples were discussing how to prepare for the Passover (Matthew 26:17-19).  This was a memorial of redemption established when God delivered Israel out of slavery in Egypt.  The symbolic meal is explained in detail: "Go and take for yourselves lamb according to your families, and slay the Passover lamb.  You shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning.  For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to smite you" (Exodus 12:21-23).  The blood on the doorposts would be the signal to pass over that house.  In subsequent years, as the Passover was celebrated, they were to recite the story, called the Haggadah, which contained many symbols, including bread and cups.  While eating, Jesus took bread and modified the Haggadah.  Instead of saying, "This is the bread of affliction," He said, "Take, eat; this is My body" (Matthew 26:26), and He took the cup and said, "This is My blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins" (verse 28).  Jesus is our Passover Lamb, who was sacrificed for our redemption (see 1 Corinthians 5:7).  Unfortunately, many people live in fear of the judgment.  Whenever we become anxious about this topic, we should revisit the Passover story and ask God to remind us that we are covered by Jesus' blood!

My Response:_______________________________________________________

March 31:  Following His Guidance.

HIS RECLAMATION.
"Go!  For I will send you far away to the Gentiles."--Acts 22:21

I like the term reclamation.  It means to recover something that was considered waste in order to put it to a good use.  Many of us, having made wrong choices or taken the wrong path, have gone through times of spiritual reclamation.  God doesn't abandon us, even when we make wild decisions and take crazy detours.  Furthermore, God can turn our mistakes into purpose and use our brokenness for His glory.  And all of this is possible because, on the cross, Jesus paid for our transgressions and iniquities, and, in addition, he purchased the right to bless us with healing and peace (see Isaiah 53:5).

The Bible does not skip over the dark times of the heroes of faith.  On the contrary, it gives detailed accounts of their failures, which is one of the pointers to the inspired truthfulness of the Bible, written not  to boost the egos of men, but to highlight the power of God's love and grace.  The conversion of the apostle Paul (previously Saul) is narrated three times in the book of Acts (Acts 9; 22; 26).  In Acts 22 and 26, Luke records Paul's own words and testimony.  What is amazing to me is that Paul never sugarcoats his own story.  He doesn't hide his detours or his bloodthirsty religious practices.  When he speaks in front of the Jews in Jerusalem, he really tells it like it was: "I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and putting both men and women into prisons....And when the blood of...Stephen was being shed, I also was standing by approving, and watching out for the coats of those who were slaying him" (Acts 22:4, 20).  Paul could have lived the rest of his life in seclusion and shame due to the atrocious things he had done.  But God had reclaimed his life, providing a new purpose for him, and his previous life became part of his testimony about God's grace in his life.  He now had a calling: to preach Jesus to the Gentiles! (verse 21).  The gospel teaches us that the blood of Jesus paid for our sins and shame in full.  Through His sacrifice, He provided salvation and a new life for us that has purpose and meaning.  No need to hide!  Go and tell of God's amazing grace and guidance in your life!

My Response:____________________________________________________

March 30:  Following His Guidance.

HIS FOREKNOWLEDGE.
"From now on I am telling you before it comes to pass, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am He."--John 13:19

When it comes to guidance in a particularly difficult process, we look for the most knowledgeable and well-informed guides.  For example, as my parents went through cancer treatments, we looked for experts in their specific fields: doctors who could give accurate diagnoses and prognoses.  Even though no human being is omniscient, an informed forecast of the possible outcome and progress of the disease was of the utmost importance.

God has complete foreknowledge of the future.  Furthermore, He has communicated to us the great events of redemption history ahead of time.  In this way, God has revealed His sovereignty, and His pre knowledge throughout the ages.  This principle is explained in Isaiah 48:3-6.  These verses make plain God's pattern of revealing major redemptive events before they happened, so that when He acted, His people would recognize that it was He who had acted.  Jesus spoke in similar terms, and His foreknowledge was another proof of His divine identity and of His submission to a prior plan.  Before these events happened, He spoke of His own sacrifice and the one who would betray Him (see John 13:18, 19).  The purpose of this foretelling revelation was to help His disciples to believe in Him as the great "I am" (Greek ego eimi; verse 19), as they surveyed the events in retrospect.  Barclay explains: "Jesus knew what was happening.  He knew the cost and he was ready to pay it.  He did not want the disciples to think that He was caught up in a blind web of circumstances from which He could not escape.  He was not going to be killed; He was choosing to die.  At the moment they did not, and could not, see that, but He wanted to be sure that a day would come when they would look back and remember and understand." *  We can definitely entrust our circumstances, and our future, to the One who, with complete foreknowledge, chose to die for us.  He knows our past, present, and future.  He knows what is to come hereafter and has already revealed that He is coming back for us!  Hallelujah!

My Response:______________________________________________________
* William Barclay, The Gospel of John, vol.2 (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1975), 143.