How to Save a Life
I love the Hans Christian Andersen story of the emperor and his new clothes. I love hearing how the rich and powerful king is duped by the smooth-talking tailors from out of town. I love how they talk him into wearing invisible clothes while thinking it is the finest cloth that only the truly discerning can see. I love hearing how the ministers are far too afraid to speak up, and would rather keep the king happy with lies, even if that means allowing him to process through the town in his birthday suit. I love imagining how the crowd can't believe their eyes that their king is parading stark naked in front of them. I love it when the sole voice of an innocent child speaks out the blindingly obvious truth.
The story reminds me of Luke's account of another naked king, this time not one who was duped but one who was dismissed. Against the roar of the crowd, against the blinkered opinion of the educated and against the wishful thinking of the powerful, a sole voice speaks out the blindingly obvious truth: 'Don't you fear God?'
Everyone else witnessing the crucifixion that day seems to be enjoying the chance to gloat. Whether the good, the bad or the ugly, they all think they are better than Jesus. The religious leaders, the Roman soldiers and the dying criminal all measured Jesus against their own personal agendas. And Jesus fell short: he was the wrong kind of messiah for the Jewish authorities; the wrong kind of king for the Romans; and the wrong kind of saviour for a crooked criminal. All of them mock Jesus – except for one man. The thief dying next to Jesus decides to break away from the majority as he realizes he is about to meet God.
We need to take his question seriously: 'Don't you fear God?' It reveals four things the thief realized in the light of his imminent death. Firstly, he believed God existed; secondly, he believed he would meet him when he died; thirdly, he believed Jesus represented God; and fourthly, he believed he would be held to account for his actions in this life. His question set him apart from the crowd: fearing instead of jeering.
What was it about this thief that he came to such a radically different conclusion about Jesus? Most of us, like the religious, the powerful, the crowds and the criminal measure Jesus up against our own standards and find that he falls short: he is just not good enough for us. Some of us, like the thief, measure ourselves up against Jesus and realize that Jesus is far too good for us and we fall short. Perhaps in the face of this we, like the thief on the cross, need to be prepared to acknowledge the possibility of God's existence and his status, and perhaps we need to be prepared to meet him when we die.
Krish Kandiah is Executive Director: Churches in Mission at the Evangelical Alliance, and is married to Miriam.
You can purchase multiple copies of How to Save a Life at 10ofthose.com.
Purchase 50 at £1.75 apiece
Purchase 100 at £1.50 apiece
EAUK.org
