All by grace

by Pastor Mark Lieschke

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Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom’ (Luke 23:42).

Read Luke 23:32–43

There was no earthly reason for Jesus to remember the thief on the cross next to him. And there’s no earthly reason why Jesus ought to remember us. But he does – not because of what we do or say and avoid doing or saying. He remembers us because of his grace and mercy.

One thief recognised that grace. A spark of faith led him to cry out with his request. But that confession of faith was all he needed to make. He had nothing to present to God as an offering to impress or influence him. He couldn’t make an appeal to Jesus based on his track record. His life was riddled with violations of the law of the land, and he was an offence to God’s moral law. There was nothing within him that would have made a scrap of difference to the fact that he deserved all that was coming his way.

All he could do was cry out for help. ‘Lord, have mercy. Lord, help me. Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ He acknowledged Jesus as the one who could rescue him – and this confession of faith was all that was needed.

We’re no different. We may pride ourselves on our good behaviour; we may be law-abiding citizens; we may be generous in our support of charitable organisations; we may be actively involved in our congregation’s ministry. But those things have never been – and will never be – our ticket to heaven. There’s only one way to heaven: acknowledge our sinfulness and confess Jesus as our Saviour from sin.

There’s no rational explanation for why God deals with latecomers and desperate seekers of his mercy with such kindness. There’s no human justification for Jesus to share his kingdom with criminals. There’s no reason why even those who despise God and reject him are still loved by him.

The only answer – and it’s beyond our comprehension – is that God’s grace and Christ’s love are so great that they defy our efforts to understand them.

Lord Jesus, we stand in awe of your grace. We can’t always understand it. We don’t always appreciate it. We take it for granted. Thank you, Lord, that your grace still surrounds us. ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ Amen.

Mark Lieschke is a retired pastor living on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. He served in parishes in South Australia, New Zealand and New South Wales before being elected as bishop of the LCANZ’s New South Wales District. Mark enjoys spending time with family and friends, travelling, walking on the beach and relaxing.

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