Criminals

As Christians, we are very familiar with the Gospel accounts on the crucifixion of our Lord and Christ, Jesus. Part of that story temporarily focuses on two criminals (Luke 23:39-43) that were crucified along side with Jesus.  One criminal on Jesus' left and the other to His right.  Little is said about these two individuals or what their crimes were although some translations refer to these two as thieves.  What we can agree upon is that these two men were guilty of their crimes and were receiving their "just" punishment whereas Jesus, totally innocent of any crime, was nailed on a cross between these two criminals.

So why do you think that the the Gospel of Luke goes into detail about the remaining moments of these two other characters when surely our concern should entirely be on Jesus.  Well, we will find that the focus is still on Jesus once we examine who these two criminals represent and what Jesus offers to them.  You know - the Big Picture!

My interpretation of this scene is that these two criminals are not just two bad guys receiving their justice, but rather, in reality, they were not individuals at all but the collective representation of mankind - all of mankind, from Adam through the end of time.  All of mankind is guilty of sin and the consequence of that sin is death.  Hence, man's sinful nature, and the consequences thereof, were exemplified by the two criminals hanging next to Jesus.

Now, let's look at the individual characters of these two criminals.  As with all in the world, both were guilty of sin and both surely died for their sins.  But before we go there, let's momentarily return to Luke 23:39-42:  Here we find that in the world there are only two kinds of people: those that are unrepentant of their sin and mock God and those that repent and look to Jesus for salvation.  One criminal represents the former group (the lost) and the other criminal represents the latter group (the saved).

We Christians believe that even as sinners we can be rescued from our sins and anticipate life eternal with Jesus because, as we conclude in Luke 23:43, Jesus assures us, the repented, that we will be with Him in Paradise.  Jesus, the One without sin, became our sin and died on the cross so that we would have the promise of salvation.  It took a criminal to show us, the world, that if we repent of our sins and put our faith in Christ Jesus then we will be set free.  Unfortunately, too many in the world elect to follow the other criminal and dismiss the One True God in favor of other worldly gods.

So, does it bother you that you are considered to be a criminal subject to death by crucifixion for your sins?  Actually, the more important question to ask yourself is:

Which criminal are you?

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

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Mission Impossible

At the beginning of each episode of Mission Impossible, secret agent Jim Phelps received a package from his boss which, when activated, played a tape-recorded message that self-destructed after playing once.  The recorded message, which always started as "Your mission Jim, should you decide to accept it ...." described what Jim's mission was, and of course secret agent Jim always accepted his given mission.  Jim and his team always knew what their mission was and were given the tools, techniques and plans to achieve each and every mission.  There was no doubt as to what Jim's mission was.

How great would it be if we could know exactly what our mission is, that is, what the definitive purpose is for our lives.  God does not present us with a tape-recorded message that describes in detail what His plans are for us, or what our purpose is, or exactly how we are to achieve this even though He does provide us with the tools and techniques as written in Scripture and as exemplified through the life of Christ Jesus.  But the question remains - what is His Grand Plan for our individual lives!

It appears to be easier for us to look at other Christians and deduct from their professions, actions, or through their relationships what we assume their God-given purpose is for them.  Preachers are to preach God's Word, Pastors are to pastor the Church; Ministers are to minister to the people needs; Musicians and singers are to lead in Praise and Worship;  Bible intellects are to conduct Bible studies; and so on!  Seems obvious to the most casual observer even though we all know what it means to "assume". 

But what about us, the you's and the me's of this world, where our life's purpose is not so clear or concise as we (again) assume we think others lives are so well defined and spelled out?  How do we know if we are truly following God's plan for us?  Most of us are not in the lime-light; we're not leaders of a church or even a small group; we listen to great ones such as Billy Graham knowing that we were not meant to be a Billy Graham; we try to lead "normal" lives to provide for our families while working and succumbing to all those mundane ideals that society puts on us as tests of our security and successes. Where is God's plan for us in all of that noise and commotion?  Where does our purpose get defined and how do we know if we are succeeding if we don't have a recorded message from God?

The book "Purpose Driven Life" by Pastor Rick Warren is a phenomenal manifesto that goes through great lengths and presents many resources to help the readers to determine what on earth they are here for.  Everyone should read that book often but please realize that this book alone may not be the key that unlocks the mystery of your life for you, and the truth is - we, as individuals, may never unlock that mystery!

The point is that we must trust in God and truly believe that He is working His plan through us even if we do not know or "feel" it. Trust God! 

We all know that one day God will call us home; we just do not know how or when but we believe it will happen.  It's called faith.  Well, the same goes that one day we will fulfill God's purpose in us; we just may not know how or when.  Again, it's called faith.  But also know we are not left without plans or directions.  Just like special agent Jim and his team were given the tools, techniques and plans to achieve each and every mission, we too were given all that we need to fulfill His purpose in us. Within God's Word we are given His Plan for mankind; We were given His Son as our sacrifice so that we are free to pursue God's Plan; and from Jesus we were told exactly what we need to do achieve Gods Plan:

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. (John 13:34)

Therefore, our life's purpose is to love others as God has loved us!

Now we know!  And just like special agent Jim Phelps, we will successfully complete our mission just in time and right on time!



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