Tuesday, April 3, 2018

"Another Day in Paradise"


            We just had the first day of Spring—and as the weather begins to warm up, my mind turns to flip flops, barbecues, beaches, and Buffet songs—specifically “Cheeseburger in Paradise.”  When you think of “paradise,” what comes to mind?  For some people, it’s someplace like Hawaii, where it’s warm and sunny all the time.  For others, you might imagine the old homeplace, with all your family gathered around.  But what did Jesus have in mind when He used the word?  When Jesus hung on the cross, he was mocked and taunted by the whole crowd, including one of the thieves crucified alongside Him.  Then, Jesus looked at the other thief who believed and said something remarkable: “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise (Luke 23:42).”  When Jesus said this, what did He mean?

            The Greek word Paradeisō comes from a more ancient Persian word meaning enclosure, garden, park.[i] This word, which has many language roots, comes from one word meaning “around” and another meaning “to build a wall.”[ii]  Often, the word refers to the Garden of Eden, hinting that when God expelled Adam and Eve from paradise, there was a wall to keep them out.  You may remember the famous Masaccio painting, “Expulsion from Paradise,” where Adam and Eve are driven from the garden by an angel.  It shows him covering his face, while she covers her breasts with one hand and pubic area with the other.  This, of course, reminds me of that old question of which body part you’d cover if you were skinny dipping and somebody stole your clothes.  But what it really does, is point out who’s truly guilty (the shame-faced man with exposed genitals), and who has to pay the price (the woman who hides in humiliation).  History has too often blamed women, forgetting that the fall was because Adam communicated poorly with his wife.  At any rate, both were cast out of paradise, and today humanity waits to be restored.

            In his books, Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained, Theologian and author John Milton wrote about this humanity’s loss of innocence, and regaining God’s glory through Christ.  In Revelation 2:7, Jesus says, “To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.”  Then, Revelation 21:1-22:4 talks about a new heaven and earth, and paradise restored. 

When is this paradise restored?  It’s not something we have to wait for.  It’s not “another day in paradise.”  Jesus promised the thief on the cross, “THIS DAY you will be with me in paradise.”  What was lost in the garden is restored at the cross.  Jesus’ atoning death set everything right.  Paradise can be gained today. 

First, this means that today is the day of decision—not another day, but today.  The thief on the cross had no time to lose, and the truth is you don’t know how much time you have left either.  So if you haven’t done so yet, now is the time to make a decision for Christ.

Second, it means that if you do decide for the Lord, today is the day your salvation experience begins.  You might have a long or a short life left, but you can look back on today as a spiritual birthday—when the old self died and a new person was reborn.

Third, it means that when you die, you can be assured that immediately, you will be in paradise with God.  2 Corinthians 5:8 says that to be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord.  Like the thief on the cross, you won’t have to wait—but will immediately see Jesus.

This reminds me of the story of the man who died and went to heaven.  As St. Peter gave a tour of paradise, he saw this and that kind of Christian all mingled together, singing songs of worship.  Then he saw a wall, and from the other side of the wall he heard other voices raised in worship.  “Who’s that in there?” the man asked Peter.  The saint replied, “Oh, that’s the (fill in your denomination)…they think they’re the only ones here!”

            For just a moment, I want to return to the original meaning of the word paradise, and the idea that it’s surrounded by a wall.  Revelation 21 talks about bejeweled walls, twelve pearly gates, and a yellow brick road running in and out.  Verses 24-26 say, “The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.”  This means that even though this paradise is surrounded by a wall, the gates are for letting people in, not keeping people out.  That’s what God wants—not an exclusive heaven for the select few, but an open invitation for the whole world. 

            Of course, one problem with paradise is that many Christians make their religion all about excluding the ones we judge as “sinners,” rather than including everybody.  We build our own walled enclosure, keeping the world out and ourselves in, thinking that makes us holy.  But it doesn’t make us holy—it makes us jerks.  Instead, we need to be like God, and open the gates to paradise for anybody who strolls through.

            Another problem with paradise is that many Christians spend too much time thinking about “another day in paradise,” as if “the sweet by and by” is something we have to wait for.  But Jesus said, “this day.”  If we wait for another day, then we fail to bring God and humanity together every day on the street.  Phil Collins’ song, Another Day in Paradise, talks about this problem.

She calls out to the man on the street
'Sir, can you help me?
It's cold and I've nowhere to sleep,
Is there somewhere you can tell me?'
He walks on, doesn't look back
He pretends he can't hear her
Starts to whistle as he crosses the street
Seems embarrassed to be there
Oh think twice, it's another day for you and me in paradise
Oh think twice, 'cause it's just another day for you,
You and me in paradise, think about it
She calls out to the man on the street
He can see she's been crying
She's got blisters on the soles of her feet
She can't walk but she's trying
Oh Lord, is there nothing more anybody can do
Oh Lord, there must be something you can say
You can tell from the lines on her face
You can see that she's been there
Probably been moved on from every place
Cause she didn't fit in there
Oh think twice, 'cause another day for you and me in paradise
Oh think twice, it's just another day for you,
You and me in paradise, just think about it, think about it[iii]

            When Jesus told the thief on the cross, “Today you will be with me in paradise,” He was effectively saying, “I see your need, and I’m going to take care of you today.”  We need to do the same thing, when we see those in need around us.  Don’t wait, and don’t keep them out of your walled enclosure.  Be like Jesus—open your gates to let them in, and do it today.



[iii] Collins, Phil.  “Another Day in Paradise.”  Album: “…But Seriously.”  1989.

at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)