“Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals – one on his right, the other on his left.”
“One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him [Jesus]: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus, answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:32-33, 39-43 (NIV)
I know a man who died recently. I didn’t know him well, but I liked him a lot. I kind of know how he died. A close relative recently filled me in on a few details. He was a rough guy, with a secret tender heart. He worked a rough job and hung out with other rough guys. He drank a lot, too much. By the time he died, his liver was shot, but that’s not how he died.
In his prime, he was stocky with neck-length wavy brown hair. He liked to drive on highways at 90 miles per hour. We were out to lunch once, a family thing. He had three beers to my one. Before we left the restaurant, he had gotten the young waitress’s phone number. Once I invited him to come and visit my wife and I when we were living in Thailand. He said, “Do they have beer and girls there?” I said “Yeah.” At another family event, he told me his boss was his best friend, and how they got in fistfights sometimes. They both had tempers. I guess it was just one of those honest rough-and-tumble comraderies. Neither of them pulled any punches.
Once he came to a 90th birthday party for my father-in-law. People were sharing fond memories and fun things about Dad. This man didn’t voice anything, but I noticed him tearing up. My father-in-law was his uncle. Dad told a story to my wife and I how on one occasion, this man came to visit him at the independent living home. The residents thought a street person had wandered in. But it was the nephew, coming to visit Dad and spend a little time with him. As a kid, the nephew could be rough, loud and unpredictable. It was sometimes hard and a bit scary to have him around. I guess Dad was willing to give him a chance, and the young man felt that.
This same close relative shared a story with me. It seems there was an elderly woman in the family who was failing and lived in a nursing home. The young man would visit her. He would bring a snack for her, sit with her, and hold her hand. The close relative told me that nobody knew about this because the compassionate visitor never said anything about it. He was a rough guy with a secret tender heart. Evidently, he didn’t do this for any other reason than that he wanted to. I think in some deep way he related and knew how she felt, and he cared, a deeply feeling soul who couldn’t help himself.
Finally, this relative said that the young man really wanted to be sober. He just couldn’t do it. He was terribly addicted. He had a close friend who began talking with him about Jesus. This friend gave him a Bible. This rough guy died soon after. When he heard, the friend asked this relative, “Did he have his Bible with him?” The close relative told me that this man had responded positively to the gospel. When he died, the doctors determined that he had no alcohol in his system. They said it was evident he hadn’t had a drink in 72 hours. But he had been drinking too heavily to just stop cold turkey. It would have put him at risk for seizures. This man knew this but abruptly stopped drinking anyway.
I have a theory. He had trusted in Jesus. Being who he was, he chose to quit drinking. He kind of thought/prayed, “Jesus, your will be done.” And Jesus took him home to paradise. It’s just a theory, but I think it’s true.
None of us deserve paradise. Jesus paid our penalty so we could have it anyway. Jesus loved this man, and this man believed at the last hour. I’m really looking forward to hanging out with him in “paradise undeserved.”
Thanks for reading,
Bruce
