Thoughts on Jesus and the Two Criminals

Posted on by Daniel

Thoughts on Jesus and the Two Criminals   

When Jesus was crucified, there were two others crucified at the same time and place, one on either side of him. (Luke 23:32-43) In this passage we are told that one of them derided Jesus, challenging him to save himself and them. The other, recognizing who and what Jesus is, and who and what he himself was, asks Jesus, and I am going to frame this in a way you may not have heard, he asks Jesus for wholeness. Jesus assures him that he, the man who has experienced the broken, dark, lonely existence of humanness, will experience the wholeness that can only come from spiritual communion with the Divine.

Now, what is equally important in this passage, and I am only focusing on the two who were crucified with Jesus, is that Jesus did not respond to the other man who derided him, the other man being crucified and who joined with the crowd and insulted him. The arrogance that led this man to criminal activity stayed with him as he suffered a torturous execution for his crimes. He remains part of the herd, unable to honestly reflect upon his life or recognize the opportunity for reconciliation that was there beside him. He lacks humility. I am digging myself into a dangerous hole, which, if you do not already see it, will soon be evident.

In every moment of our lives, there is a continuous desire emanating from the Divine calling us to recognize and respond to It, who is Love, who is Life, Whole, Undivided, and Eternal. All it asks is that we turn to It, allow It to Love us, and then be that Love in this world of chaos, pain, danger, war, addiction, poverty, hunger, disease, destitution, and death.

I pray every day for peace on this planet, that war between those who call upon the name of God will cease. But the Prince of Peace never promised that all of these evils on this planet would end, he promised that we will have inner peace and be able to not return to the herd. Yet, in my desire for peace on earth, I look at the actions of others and judge them. This is not the example of the Teacher.

In one of his many parables, he gave another example of how to act when confronted with those who destroy relationships or the abundance of this beautiful planet. The prodigal squandered everything that he could get. All the time that he was away ‘doing his thing’ the loving parent watched for any sign that their child was turning back towards home. At the moment when the child confesses to their disrespect, wastefulness, and near destruction of their life, the parent does not acknowledge the break, only the return. The loving parent does not punish but lavishes all their best upon their child.

War, disease, hate, hunger, thirst, pain, poverty, greed, power-grabbing, crime, death, all these things are not likely to go from this world in our time. What can change is my attitude towards these things and the people behind them. What I can do is follow the example set by the Teacher and turn from the problem to a solution, turn from the judgment of ‘others’, and live by maintaining an attitude and the actions of Love. In a sense, it is a matter of where we call home, who we consider our siblings, and what the Source of Life is.

In the first letter to the Corinthians[1], we hear, “Love never fails., … when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. [For the first time, we will know Truth.]

13 And now [today, in this moment, or as Richard Rohr says, the naked now] these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” There is no mention of judgment. I think Paul got this one right.

Now to the hole I dug, the serious error I created. I judged the man hanging there with Jesus, the one deriding him. I judged him as being arrogant, who he associated with, and I questioned his honesty and his lack of humility. I did not see him with eyes of compassion or hope that he have a last-minute change of heart.[2] I did not see the continuing desire for love emanating from the heart of Jesus to everyone and everything around him, including the one who derided him, including me.

Daniel+

***

My providence has given you food to strengthen you while you are pilgrim travelers in this life. And I have so weakened your enemies that no one but you yourself can harm you. ~St. Catherine of Siena, The Dialogue[3]

Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God. ~Course in Miracles[4]

[1] 1Corinthians 13:8a,10, 12-13 NIV

[2] We are wired for executive thought and need it, but mine is overdeveloped and overused, way beyond my need for safety and well-being. I am usually protecting my ideas or perspectives, which are ideas set about someone or something else.

[3] https://digital.giveusthisday.org/Digital  Accessed 10.17.23

[4] https://acim.org/acim/preface/what-it-says/en/s/43 Accessed 10.17.23

Letting Go

Posted on by Daniel

Letting go can be hard. But hanging on when indications are telling us it is time for change creates stress that may lead to anxiousness or depression. There can be fear associated with letting go, perhaps fear of the unknown.

Scripture tells us that we “live, move, and have our being” in the Divine. Believing this can be difficult when we look at the world around us. This is where cultivating faith comes in. But where do we find faith if we don’t feel like we have any or what we have doesn’t feel strong?

There is the spiritual concept of the Seed. The Seed can be understood as that part of our being that is the Divine within. Relationship with the Divine is invitational and is continually being offered to us. To develop the relationship requires a response from us. This can be compared with the sprouting of the seed and the subsequent growth of our awareness of the Divine. Once aware, how can we get to know God?

The spiritual way of living that is the basis of 12 Step recovery offers a way to develop this relationship. Early in the Steps we encounter Step Three, which is, “Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.” This can be scary, but many of us found ourselves at a place in our lives where our way was not working. Considering the “bottom” we had hit, the seeming uncertainty of trusting God looked better than the certain internal hell we found ourselves in. The decision made in Step Three puts us at a gate. If we walk through and work Steps Four through Nine, we will find that we are in a conscious relationship with the Divine. We will no longer have the same fear of letting go because we will know the faithfulness of the Divine. Continuing with Steps Ten, Eleven and Twelve, we build upon this foundation while improving our relationship with God and the world around us.

In whatever way one comes to be in relationship with the Divine, eventually, through experience, many realize that there is more to life than can be explained scientifically. These experiences are personal and subjective. Time and time again, often in small group settings, we hear people share their experiences of sensing and knowing that God is working in their lives. To borrow from the Big Book, they say that “God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.” If you are struggling with any area of your life, I believe that you, too, can experience the power of the Divine in you life. Is it time to let go and let God?

I thank God for the water lilies on the lake. Nature is such a wise and wonderful teacher. When we are aware of Divine Love within and around us, we appreciate the present moment and trust that this experience is producing the seeds for a beautiful tomorrow. I pray that reading this is one such moment for you. Daniel+

[The Big Book is the book Alcoholics Anonymous. The Twelve Steps are the steps used in recovery from addiction first described in the book Alcoholics Anonymous and adopted by other 12 Step groups.]