You Remembered Me?

And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

– Luke 23:42

However, there’s a catch! The thief knew something. Thieves know where to look for valuables. They understand that you have to really seek out a hidden treasure. They know that the jewels are in a big black locked safe. They know that the cash is two stories underground at the bank. They know where things of worth are stored. So, even from his cross, he had scoped out the situation, he had cased the joint, and in the right moment, he made his less-than-sinister move.

He asked for the only thing Jesus had left. He asked for his memory. He asked to be remembered. "Jesus, please... Will you remember me?" Surely some scoffed at the pitiful request. The thief did not ask for the nails to be removed, for healing of his hands and feet, and to be given back to his family to restart a moral life. Why ask to be remembered? Because a memory is worth more than anything; memory it is unbound by time or location. Remembering someone is a hidden act of love. The people who remember you are the ones who truly care for you. Think of those people throughout your life who acted on their memory of you; the picked up the phone or come by or sent you a letter in the post for no other reason than the fact that you are you. Of all the people, places, and things to remember; they remembered you.

I suspect the first thing the thief said in Paradise to Jesus came in the form of a gasping question, "You remembered me?" and Jesus replied, "Of course, I remembered you. I remember everyone and everything."