Today you will be with me in paradise

 

Genesis one and two tell us how it all began.  It was paradise.  Summed up by the beautiful word ‘Shalom’.  Paradise was a place – a garden – and all was right with self, all was right with relationships with others, all was right with land – and most importantly – all was right with God who dwelt with his people.  Paradise… 

 

The last two chapters of revelation tell us how the story ends.  It will be paradise!  Summed up by the beautiful word ‘shalom’.  Paradise will be a place – a city – or perhaps a series of gardens. And there – all will be right with self, all will be right with our relationships with others, all will be right with land – and most importantly – all will be right with God who will dwell with his people.  Paradise…

 

If we got rid of the rest of the bible – you have a transition.   A transition from a garden to a city (lots of gardens).   The calling of Adam and Eve – to take the paradise of a garden and cover the entire earth in partnership with God.  Paradise. 

 

But the rest of the bible is needed.  Because of Sin. 

 

We failed to join in with God and rather than enlarge paradise – we instead marred its beauty.  Forgiveness is needed.  And we fall on our knees in praise as we once again hear last night’s first word from the cross ‘father forgive for they do not know what they are doing’. But what does that mean? 

 

I remember the story of a boy in Kent who had been ill and in hospital most of his 16 years – and when interviewed by a bishop and asked whether it was unfair of God – he replied ‘unfair – God has the whole of eternity to make it up to me’!  Beautiful.   Hope.   Tomorrow, in the future – we will be in paradise. 

 

Someday, one day, we will be with Jesus.   That is the great hope of the Easter faith.   One day the kingdom of God will shine fully and brightly – and we will be in paradise. 

 

I do not know about you – but paradise is always a thing of tomorrow – when the kids are all at school – paradise – but in the meantime – I will struggle on…   When I have got through my money problems – paradise – but in the meantime – I will scrape by…  When I am fit and well it will be paradise but in the meantime – I will struggle on…  When I get married, have kids, lose weight, have the next gadget – paradise but in the meantime…

 

Having had a chat with the Trinity ‘father forgive’ – Jesus now speaks to a criminal – a terrorist.  And the criminal said to Jesus ‘remember me when you come into your kingdom.’  The man was surely thinking of tomorrow.  For there today, brutally tortured, howling mob, mocked before the world – surely the kingdom Jesus promised was in the future…

 

But… ‘TODAY, you will be with me in paradise’.  TODAY! 

 

You might expect Jesus to say – sometime in the future – when God has done all his work – paradise restored – you will be with me in my promised kingdom.   Tomorrow… in the future…. But no… ‘TODAY, you will be with me in paradise!’

 

This day – here hanging on the cross – today – paradise.

 

I have said many a time that this is good news because Jesus knows they will die today and thus on their way to what ever the afterlife looks like…

 

But I believe God wants to remind us this evening, that if Jesus was walking alongside us as we roam the Dorset countryside, or sat next to us at our desks at work or hanging out as we wait to pick up kids from school… and if we asked, ‘Lord remember me when you come into your kingdom’, Jesus would reply the same - ‘Today you will be with me in paradise’.  

 

Because when Jesus talks about paradise he is not talking about a place – he is talking about a relationship.   A relationship that the terrorist and the son of God entered that very day. Paradise.

 

How curious of Jesus to link ‘paradise’ with the horror of Calvary hill.  Yet, paradise – is whenever, wherever you are with Jesus.   Now to be sure – we expect that relationship to grow, become more beautiful, especially when in the next life and our human frustrations and moral limitations disappear – but the relationship begins now – today – paradise.  The criminal did not begin to be in paradise when he may have died probably in the next few days – but when he recognised the one next to him as the Lord and master of his life.  Paradise. 

 

This brief dialogue reveals the promise of God that even in the worst situations we can know Jesus with us.  Our God is not distant but intimate.  It is possible to be with Jesus right here, right now.  What situation could we go through that’s worse than hanging on a cross?  Every situation – every broken part of our lives – every deep longing – Jesus is there… bringing paradise. 

 

So, lets pay attention to those dark places – to our struggles and our fears.   Let us notice Jesus with us – hanging from the cross – saying ‘today you will be with me in paradise’. 

 

Paradise not one day… someday… but now!

 

It says in the bible wherever two or three are gathered God is with them.  We often use that for worship service, or prayer meetings, or house groups… but here we have 3 people hanging on crosses – and Jesus is with them.  Paradise. 

 

So where are you this evening?  How are you feeling?  May you know Jesus with you saying ‘today, you will be with me in paradise’.  Here and now. Paradise.  And may we take that paradise and be who we were made to be – and join God once again in covering the earth with paradise… 

 

Today – you will be with me – in paradise!