Seven Last Words of Jesus Part 2: Paradise for the Good Thief

The seven last words series continue. The second part deals with the words Jesus said to Dismas, the good thief, when he asked Jesus to remember him. It comes from Luke 23:43 which reads, “Amen, I say to you, you will be with me in paradise.”

Luke’s passion gave us a different Jesus than that of the other gospels. St. Luke gives us a calm Jesus. As he hung on the cross, Dismas was hanging to the right of him. Dismas humbly ask Jesus to remember him. Jesus promised that he will be with him in paradise.

There is a song that plays around Holy Week called, “Jesus, remember me” When I first heard the song, I thought it was a broken record. Then, I realized that repetition is a good thing at times. Every time I hear this song, it reminds us of what our true destination in life is and that is heaven.

Today, we tend to think of paradise as a place where we escape the demands of the world to rest and relax on the beach. Often, it is a getaway while enjoying a fruity drink, soaking our toes in the sand, and taking in the breathtaking sunrises and sunsets. Paradise is often referred to as a king’s garden. How fitting for the verse. Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews as the words hung above him had much more meaning in all of the passion accounts.

“Paradise” was named after the Garden of Eden, which in Greek and Latin was styled a “paradisio”. In Persian, it is referred to as “perdes” a walled-in cultured land, and Adam was from the outset placed “in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it”. Since Adam, man was in charge to cultivate and maintain paradise.

What some don’t realize is that Christs goes into limbo after he died on Good Friday before he goes into heaven as we profess in the creed every Sunday. Why? He went there to redeem the righteous.

Christ redeemed all of us to share in the king’s garden because he wants us to find rest in him.

Strive today to be with Christ in paradise.

Missed part one? Read it here