In all the passages in the four gospels, there are two that
really stand out as testaments to Christ's humanity. The first
one is obviously the prayer from the cross, "My God, my God, why
hast thou forsaken me?" What inspiration this offers to the
suffering. Here hangs Christ, at the hour of fulfillment. At his
most admirable moment...while He is in total conformity to God's
will. And He feels abandoned. If any person out there hasn't
felt abandoned by God, it's because they never felt in company
with God.
The other event isn't quite as obvious, and is only reported in
Luke. It's the small exchange between Christ and the good thief.
Where the first one relates to man's relationship with God, this
one relates to man's relationship with man.
It's easy to see the connection to Christ's parable of the
"Prodigal Son". The thief asks Christ to remember him when He
comes into His kingdom. Christ tells hime that "on this day, you
will be with me in paradise."
When the thief utters his acceptance of guilt and pleads for
mercy, Christ breaks all precedence. At the thief's last hour,
he becomes one of the few men we know for certain is in heaven.
But looking at it from a more personal level, it's about more
than just mercy. It's about companionship.
I'll never forget my childhood school days. Sadly, I spent much
of it sitting outside the principal's office anticipating a
punishment. The list of my offenses is long, and I won't begin
to mention them. Most of the time, I was waiting out in that
hallway alone. But every now and then, there was someone to
share my state of dread.
In short, misery loves company. No one wants to go through
something alone...and Christ was no exception. His punishment
was different from the thief's because Christ hadn't actually
committed a crime. But when the thief asked to be remembered, it
was more than a petition. It was "We're in this together...even
though I deserve it and you don't." So it's no wonder that
Christ promised to take him the whole way, even after death.
While we're going through pain and suffering in life, it helps
to remember that we're sharing something with Christ. Offer your
pain to Him as sign of your commitment. "I'm here for you...be
there with me at the hour of death." Remember that every one
shares Christ's joy and gladness. But suffering connects us to
Christ at His hour of fulfillment in a deep, personal way. And
the second person of the Trinity still finds satisfaction from
this personal connection
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