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+
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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
Light's Ways With Daniel 