A Good Friday of hope

It was called the Place of the Skull, a small hill just outside of Jerusalem. Golgotha to some or the Hill of Calvary to others, and there on that hill hung two thieves roped to their cross.  And from their vantage point they could see another man, dragging a cross, some distance away, being whipped as he struggled up the hill trying to reach the top.

There was a great deal of space between their crosses and they knew where his Cross would be planted. Yes, right there between the two of them was a place where this next man would hang.

Yes, two thieves waited for Jesus that Friday, but for one thief, his heart was full of compassion, for he knew this man was innocent, and had the power to do remarkable things. He even knew, by the grace of God, Jesus was going to his Kingdom that day. For that man, that criminal, the seed of hope was taking root.

Jesus made it to the top of the hill of Calvary. Then his executioners crucified his tortured body, stretching out his arms and nailing them to the wood. Then his feet placing a small platform to the cross to support his feet.  They raised him up and mounted him in the middle of the two thieves. Three crosses of shame, raised high on a hill for all to see.

We begin to hear the last words of Jesus, as well as the deathbed conversations of these dying men. From one cross comes insults, another there is hope and from the third lives mercy.

“Save us and yourself”, one thief shouts, but the other, the man on the cross of hope is defending Jesus and says, “Have you no fear”. Words from these two directed to the man in the middle, the man of forgiveness and mercy.

But then in the very quiet of death, the silence is broken with contrition and repentance, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” The man is crying in hope, his final words, his last breath.

And in the Heart of Jesus there is mercy for he finds the strength to respond with calm assurance: “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise”. Hope! There is the hope! There is hope because there is mercy. There is hope because of the Cross and His Resurrection.

No one is denied a share in the victory of that Cross.  No one is beyond the help of the prayer of Christ.  The prayer of mercy, the prayer of hope, the prayer that brought forgiveness to the Good Thief, brings forgiveness to us. The prayer from the one crucified who forgives us of our sins.

It was a Friday like no other. Our Savior was crucified and the gates of heaven and hell were shortly opened. It was a day illustrating Jesus’ mercy to his last breath on earth and then beyond.

Today, is a Good Friday like we have never experienced before. But regardless of where or how we pray today, we must know that it is never too late to turn to Christ.  As long as a heart beats, the invitation of Christ and his mercy still stands.  So long as there is life there is hope.

With a leap of faith, the Good Thief took a step closer to heaven, a step that was born through hope and trust

 And Jesus, mercy personified, with eyes full of promise said: “Truly, I say to you.” The man’s hope was rewarded.  “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.”

This criminal died in the peace of our Lord and entered the promised paradise, the gates of heaven, with Jesus at His side. Isn’t that the way we want to live? Isn’t that the way we want to die? Isn’t that the way we want to live again?

As sinners, we hope for forgiveness and beg for Jesus’ mercy. Every new day brings that hope, another beginning. If we recognize each day as another gift from God, we can live each day with hope in what is to come.  

As we leave the scene on this Hill of Calvary, three crosses remain. To most of the crowd they are still the three crosses of shame, criminals deserving punishment. But what really remains? Yes, three crosses are still there, but we see there is really only one cross of shame, and there is one cross of hope, and there is the Cross of the Glory of Jesus, that Cross of Mercy.

And the Cross of Mercy brings the cross of Hope into his Kingdom.  “Today, you will be with me in Paradise”.  In these days of uncertainty, we don’t know what the future will bring, but we do know we must be prepared. And to be prepared we carry with us the hope of God’s mercy. Oh! There is hope. Amen!