Goodness of Grace

“And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our crimes; but this man has done nothing wrong. And he was saying, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom!’ And he said to him, ‘Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” Luke 23:41-43

Insight

“How did you get here?”

This is what I imagine the angel at heaven’s gate asking when this former thief showed up in heaven. How could this man marked by sin up until his death suddenly be allowed in heaven?

The moment recorded in Luke between Jesus and the thief, as well as Jesus’ promise of Paradise, may make us wrestle with grace. While we do not know the thief’s full story, we may assume that if he was being crucified, he was not living a “good” life. Crucifixion was reserved for the worst of the worst. No doubt the authorities at his crucifixion would say it was fair for him to die on across.

But at his last moment, Jesus offered grace to the thief. Jesus’ act of grace turned the world of good performance on its head. Because as far as we know, this thief lived a life of bad decisions. Yet, in one conversation he was able to go straight from a cross to heaven to be with the Father.

And for some of us,  this doesn’t seem fair. But grace isn’t interested in fairness.

At the cross and in the face of grace, we all stand on a level playing field.

Jesus died for those who were kind just as he did for those who were hateful.

Jesus died for those who were generous just as he did for those who were selfish.

Jesus died for those we view as good people, and he died for those we view as evil.

And grace, well, grace does not have a scale, nor is it partial to people.

Grace welcomes us all.

The goodness of grace is that our sins are forgiven and our relationship with the Father is secure. A person on their best behavior, and a person who spends their life with bad decisions can both have the same welcome into eternity because of grace and a relationship with Jesus. Both a person who has dedicated their life to God for 80 years, and someone who dedicated their life 5 minutes before their last breath can stand before heaven with equal value and celebration.

Our heavenly Father has immeasurable value for each of his children, and for that reason, heaven throws the grandest of celebrations when one of them comes back to the Father. And if we desire to share the heart of the Father and partake in that same love, it means wrestling with how unfair grace is while still extending it just as the Father would.

In my imagination, the angels who greeted the thief on that day celebrated him as they did the other children who entered heaven. Truth is, at the end of the day, how he got there mattered very little compared to him being a child who was once lost but is now found.

The question I have challenged myself with over the last couple of years is: do people leave conversations they have with me about Jesus to go on and wrestle? I don’t want people wrestling with whether they are worthy to be in a relationship with the Father. Instead, I want them to wrestle, then celebrate, the miracle of unfair grace that anyone can have a relationship with the Father.

Reflection

●      When you share about Jesus, do people come face-to-face with an unfair grace?

●      How do you wrestle with the unfairness of grace? How can this wrestling lead you closer to the Father?

Prayer

Father, there is no way to make sense of the unfairness of grace you have for me. Whether I think I am worse off than I thought, or I consider others worse than me, your grace reminds me that we are all able to be welcomed into Paradise with you because of what you did on the cross. Help me to be consumed with sharing about your grace and the invitation you give to be in relationship with you. I praise you for your love, kindness, and grace. I pray this all in your name, Amen.

Port City writer Davy Nance wrote today’s devotional.