Remember Me

Text: Luke 23:27-43

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Everyone wants to be remembered in some way. It used to be that businesspeople would try to generate business and sales by distributing business cards with their name, address, and phone number on them. Times are a little different now. Today, they’re all digital. I had someone ask me if they could give me a card, so I held out my hand and they looked surprised and said, “oh no, I don’t actually have a card. Just pull out your phone and I’ll airdrop it into your contacts.” Ok then. I feel like a dinosaur still handing out my printed business cards, but however it works, we all want to be remembered. We take pictures of our children as they grow up so that we’ll remember them at all their different ages. We feel good when the organization we donate money to puts up a plaque stating that it was our money that made this wing of a building, or that particular program, possible.

When we’re gone, family members want to remember us by purchasing a headstone or marker for our gravesite. And even then, we make sure people remember our wishes by drawing up a will or last testament for our descendants. This morning in our Gospel various people remembered Jesus at the time of his crucifixion and had all sorts of different things to say about Him. But their remembrance of Jesus isn’t what’s going to be important in the end. Nor will ours. The question that matters at Jesus’ second coming, is

WILL HE REMEMBER YOU?

Jesus’ earthly life and ministry was so powerful that even at the time of His crucifixion His enemies remembered him. They remembered the things He had done. They remembered the things that others were saying about Him. And whether they had faith or not, their words pointed to who Jesus was. Even their mocking was actually revealing the truth about Jesus. “The rulers scoffed at Him, saying, ‘He saved others; let Him save Himself, if He is the Christ of God, His Chosen One.’” The very people who we’re so desperately waiting for the Messiah use words that point to His true identity. Not to praise Him, but to mock Him.

And then the soldiers, who don’t know the Scriptures or the promises that are being fulfilled in Jesus, point to the true nature of who Jesus is. “[They] also mocked Him, coming up and offering Him sour wine and saying, ‘If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.’” They remember what they’ve heard others say, but it just hasn’t sunk in for them quite yet. You may recall that for at least one of them, that doubt will be gone by the time Jesus takes His last breath as we later hear the centurion say, “Truly this man was the Son of God.” What none of them can understand is that if Jesus does as they call Him to do and He saves Himself, then He would be putting aside the mission of saving the entire world, including them.

And Pilate places the inscription on the cross over Jesus’ head that read, “This is the King of the Jews.” Meant to be sarcastic, it one of the truest thing that could be said about Jesus. Although a better truth, even than that, might have been a sign that read, “This is the Savior of the World.”

Even one of the criminals who was facing the same sentence as Jesus remembers Him by mocking Him. Perhaps he’s hopeful that Jesus is who some people say He is and that He has the power to save Himself, and them, but his request comes off as not entirely genuine. “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” And the other criminal calls him out on it. “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” That criminal remembered, and knew, who Jesus was. And in knowing Jesus, he knew what to ask of Him in those last moments of their lives. “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” What a bold and brazen thing to ask. Especially of someone who was dying right beside him for His supposed crimes. And especially for a man who had every right to be exactly where he was.

But that question is no more bold for the thief to ask than it is for you and me to ask. Because in our sin we would have the very same sentence. Death. If not for the fact that Jesus took it on for us, in our place, that’s exactly where we would be. Every lie. Every unchecked word. Every hateful thought. Each one would be enough to put us in the place of those criminals on their crosses. Except that Jesus was willing to take every one of those sins upon Himself. And because His thoughts were of you when He suffered and died, those sins are no longer counted against you.

The great and learned scientist and renowned astronomer Copernicus was also a devout Christian. His tombstone has this inscription, which he composed: “Not the grace of a Paul do I ask for nor for the pardon once shown unto Peter; only the forgiveness bestowed upon the thief on the cross do I petition.”

What a beautiful epitaph! When the scenes of this earth fade from our mortal vision, may our eyes be fixed on Christ as our only hope and comfort. May our lips whisper the heartfelt petition, “Lord, remember me and take me into your kingdom.” And if that’s your prayer, you too will receive the same precious response. “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Because the One who says those words is the One who will always remember you. You are always on His mind. And He suffered and died for the forgiveness of the whole world. It’s evident in His response to the thief who asks to be remembered, but also in His response to all the other mockers. What does he say of all that? “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

And what comes with that forgiveness is the promise that you too will be with Him in Paradise. That word Paradise is only used three times in the Scriptures. It’s a beautiful word that gives us the perfect depiction of heaven. It comes from the Persian language and was originally used to designate the walled, private, lavish garden where the Persian king would stroll with his closest friends. What a promise that is that every believer will enjoy the renewed Garden of Eden, more lavish than anything we’ve ever seen. And that in that place God Himself will stroll with His closest friends. You and me, and everyone who has faith in the work Christ accomplished on the cross.

Jesus came to be the ruler that was prophesied about, but that wasn’t the ruler the people were expecting. Those who mocked Him called Him the King of Kings, The Chosen One, the Christ, but they didn’t know that that’s exactly who He was. Because it didn’t look like any ruler they had ever known. An earthly ruler gathers taxes from the people; the heavenly Ruler gives his Son to the people. An earthly ruler demands; the heavenly Ruler offers. God spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all. An earthly ruler fills his coffers with the coins of the people; the heavenly Ruler sends his Son that people might have treasures in heaven.

That’s exactly where your treasure lies. And when the Son of God, the King of Kings, the Chosen One, the Christ, returns on the Last Day to bring the faithful home, that’s exactly what you’ll receive. Because the one who you remember is the one who will always remember you. You are constantly on His mind and He will never forget you.

We all want to be remembered for the things that we’ve done, or for the people that we are. And that’s alright as long as the things that we’ve done and the people that we are points people to Jesus. Because what’s more important than people remembering us is that Jesus remembers us. Which is what He was doing on that cross. As He was suffering and dying, He was remembering you. His thoughts were about you. You were on His mind. And He was bearing your every sin so that when His Father looks down on you, He doesn’t see your sin, but rather He sees you through the blood of His Son, who suffered and died so that you would be free. Thanks be to God! In his grace and mercy, Jesus has remembered you! Let that be your constant prayer. That Jesus would remember you. It’s one of the shortest and simplest hymns of prayer that we have in our hymnal. Jesus, Remember me. Let’s sing it together. It’s hymn number 767. The choir will sing it one time through and then we’ll all join them and sing it two more times.

Jesus, remember me, when You come into Your kingdom.

Jesus, remember me, when You come into Your kingdom.

Amen.

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.