Luke23:39-42
Rebecca Lightfoot
After Jesus’ betrayal,Jesus withstands mental,emotional,& physical beatings that in themselves would at the very least the kill the spirit of any man...let alone bring any man to the brink of death.Yet Jesus is determined to make it ALL THE WAY to The Cross;so He could suffer&die n ways that would fulfill ALL PROPHECY & “FINISH” what needed to be DONE for my sake!The WAY that Jesus suffers & endures is beyond the capacity of anyone! EXCEPT for The ONE that MUST BE The Son of God!THIS does not go without notice by at least one!One of the criminals being crucified beside Jesus!There is something in this man’s heart that enables him to see through all of the “rhetoric” about Jesus.When the criminal on 1 side of Jesus insults/mocks Jesus,the other 1 rebukes him & says to him,”Don’t u fear God...since u r under the same sentence?We r punished justly,for we r getting what our deeds justly deserve.But this man has done nothing wrong.”Then he said to Jesus,”Jesus,remember me when you come into your kingdom.”(Luke23:39-42).This man saw through all of the “rhetoric” that had been building over the three years of Jesus’ ministry,and saw The Way He was enduring extremes of lashings,beatings,spitting,slandering,etc.In the endurance of Jesus was something “otherworldly” that convinced this criminal that none of the “rhetoric” was true,& that this Man Jesus was the Son of God,The Messiah!When Jesus hears this man’s confession of faith in HIM,Jesus turns to this criminal and says,”I tell you THE TRUTH,2day you will b with me n paradise.”(Luke23:43).Over the last 2000 years,the same type of “rhetoric”(&much more) about Jesus has grown,grown,grown....& grown!This begs the question!”What am I missing n my life/heart/mind/spirit...because of accepting any part of the “rhetoric” about Jesus?”We have mountains & mountains of “rhetoric” about Jesus that have been growing&accumulating over 2000 years!We must seek to know THE TRUTH,& then let THE TRUTH peel away all the nasty UNTRUTH that is “rhetoric”!We must seek TRUTH with a fervor that challenges the webs of deceit sewn by “rhetoric” about Jesus;about God;about The Holy Spirit;about God’s Word;about anything that sets itself up against THE TRUTH!(2Cor10:5,”We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ”).If not,we will miss much of what Jesus came,lived,suffered,&died for us to have in this life(John10:10,Jesus says,”I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.),& we may ultimately b like the OTHER CRIMINAL beside Jesus...the one that was NOT with Jesus n paradise the day of his physical death!Dear Lord Jesus!I know there r mountains of “rhetoric” n my heart/mind/life that r keeping me from knowing The Truth fully,and keeping me from much of the “life more abundant” that You suffered&died for me to live.Please guide me through the mountains of “rhetoric”,& help me to level them so that nothing will impede me from seeing and knowing more&more of You!