Proper 29C, 2025 (Last Sunday)

Text: Luke 23:27-43

Title: Who is in the Kingdom?

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Imagine that you are king. And that you can decide who lives in your kingdom.  It’s a wonderful kingdom and there are no shortage of people who want to live there.

Who would you want in?  Who would you want out?  How would you decide what sorts of people got in?

Perhaps you’d choose the strong people, those who are fit for military service and could build up your army. You’d choose the strong, and keep out the weak, those with major medical issues.

Perhaps you’d choose the rich people, those who could contribute to the wealth and the economy of your kingdom. You’d choose the rich and keep out the poor, those who would be burden and drain on the kingdom.

Perhaps you’d choose the skilled workers, those who could help to maintain your kingdom’s infrastructure, those who knew something about agriculture or industry.

Perhaps you’d choose the wisest, the smartest, most intelligent that you could find, that would teach at your kingdom’s schools and universities, and you might leave out those who aren’t quite so bright.

Perhaps you’d choose the beautiful and leave out the ugly.  Perhaps you’d choose your friends and relatives.  Perhaps you would have compassion on the poor and the oppressed, those coming from difficult circumstances.

There’s lots of ways that you could choose.

But there are probably some people whom you would definitely leave out- the criminals and those who might be dangerous to others, and the dead or dying who can’t contribute anything at all.

But strangely enough, those are exactly the kinds of people that Jesus wants in His kingdom.

Jesus is a king.  You know this well.  He’s not usual sort of king.  His crown is thorns and His throne is the cross.  He wears no royal robes.  He dies poor and alone.

But we know that Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world.  He didn’t come to set up an earthly kingdom with a capital city and an army and a treasury, a place that you can point to on the map and say, “There it is!”

Jesus’ kingdom comes in a hidden way, within you.  It’s a strange sort of kingdom where the first are last and the last are first, a kingdom for the weak and the poor and the lowly.

And the prime example of this is the criminal on Jesus’ right hand.

You’ve heard this story many times before and it runs the risk of becoming too familiar. 

Here is Jesus, hanging, dying on the cross.  He’s between two criminals.  We don’t know who they are or what they’ve done, but it’s bad enough to warrant the worst possible punishment available- crucifixion.

They are meant to be an example- don’t be like these people.  Don’t let your life turn out this way, or this will happen to you, too.  There was no one more despicable that a crucified criminal.  In Deuteronomy it even says, “Cursed be everyone who is hung upon a tree.”

Although these two men were under the same sentence, they could not have been more different.

The one, it said, “railed at Jesus.”  The Greek word here is “Blasphemed.”  This is the worst possible way that you can talk to someone.  It’s worse than just insulting them.  It’s worse than just disrespecting them.  This is full force, the most foul, four-letter words that you can think of.

He is angry at Jesus because it doesn’t seem like Jesus is doing anything.  If He truly is the Christ, the Messiah, the coming King, He would be able to at least rescue Himself.  And while He’s at it, He could surely rescue him.

How many times have you thought this way about Jesus?  “Come on, Jesus!”  “Do something!”  “I’m dying, my loved one is dying.  Do something.”  “I’ve got no money.  Do something!”  “My wife is leaving me, do something!”  “My kids have abandoned me.  Do something!”  “If you are the Christ…”

And that is the same way that Satan talked to Jesus.  “If you are the Son of God… tell these stones to become bread, throw yourself off the temple. Prove it Jesus.  Show me your power.”

And that’s how we pray, too, isn’t it?  “Prove yourself to me, Jesus.”  And we put what we want first.  And what we think is good and right and best first.  And we rail at Jesus.

But listen to the other criminal. What does he say?  He says three things.

First, he admits his guilt. He says to the other, “We’re getting what we deserve.”

That’s rare to hear, isn’t it? Most of the time we protest our innocence to the end.  Or we claim that we are being treated unfairly.  Imagine saying that you deserve to be crucified.  That nailing you to the cross is just.  Wow. 

That’s what confession truly is. Not, “I made some mistakes, but I’m only human,” or “I’ve got a few flaws I need to work on.”  But confession is this, “I am guilty, and I deserve death.”

So that’s statement number 1- admitting who you are.

Statement number 2- “This man has done nothing wrong.”  This criminal confesses the perfection, the holiness of Jesus.  That’s pretty rare, too.  We don’t like to admit that other people are better than us, and certainly not that they’re perfect.  Usually we try to drag other people down with us.  But he says of Jesus, “He has done nothing wrong.”

And finally, statement number 3, “Jesus, remember me when you come into Your kingdom.”

He calls Him Jesus.  No one else in this story calls Him Jesus.  They use His titles in insulting ways. “Chosen one.”  “Christ.”  “King of the Jews.”  But no one calls Jesus by name on the cross except this criminal. 

Remember where that name came from. In Luke 2 we read “he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.”

The name Jesus was spoken first by the angel, and last by this dying criminal. This criminal takes hold of Jesus by name and won’t let Him go. 

You remember what Jesus means, don’t you?  “The Lord saves.” 

And then he continues, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 

This man believes that the man dying next to him truly is a king, and that he’s coming into his kingdom.

That takes faith.  When everyone else was insulting and ridiculing Jesus, this man still has faith. Even when Jesus is dying on the cross, and he’s in excruciating pain, this man has faith.

And what does Jesus say to this man, this criminal, who has just confessed His sin, who has just acknowledged who Jesus is, who has just cried out to Him for salvation?

Jesus says, “You’re in.  I want you in my kingdom.  You are just the sort of person that I need.”

Jesus chooses this man for His kingdom.  Not the rich, not the powerful, not the smart, not the beautiful, but this dying criminal, this man who was so bad that the Romans chose to make an example out of him.  This is the sort of person that Jesus wants in His kingdom.

And there is the hope for you.  Jesus chooses you for His kingdom.  Not based on anything that you’ve done.  But purely by His grace.

You say with this criminal, “I deserve nothing but punishment.”

You say with this criminal, “This man has done nothing wrong.”

You say with this criminal, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

And Jesus says to you, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

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