Kind words

Luke 23:35-43 (TNIV) -

35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is God's Messiah, the Chosen One."

36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37 and said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself."

38 There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the jews.

39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!"

40 But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong."

42 Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. "

43 Jesus answered him, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise."

My thoughts -

There's really nothing like a kind word, is there? Yesterday when I was biking home I was cussed at, called a gay slur, threatened, and nearly run over. It's amazing how cruel people can be. And yet there was a kind person who was stopped behind me at a light who had words of support, strength, and encouragement for me. Words like that can carry you a long ways.

In this passage Jesus is being executed. As if that isn't bad enough the crowd is mocking him. As if that isn't bad enough the soldiers are, too. And if even that isn't bad enough the criminals being execute along side of him are mocking him as well. It never ceases to astonish me how cruel some people can be.

And yet there is a voice of support. There is a man who, while in the process of being executed, still musters the courage and strength and compassion to tell the others to leave Jesus alone. He even goes so far as to say that while the others are being executed for their crimes Jesus has done nothing wrong.

Kind words. I'm not sure I'd have been able to offer them in that situation. But those aren't the only kind words offered here. Jesus returns the favor:

"Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise."

We can debate the nature of grace and whether there was any conversion here or if Jesus is making a special exception or whatever until we're blue in the face, but if ever there were a man who "deserves" to be saved it's the man who, while dying, can still find a way to be compassionate in someone else's suffering.