2 Samuel 5:1-3/ Colossians 1:12-20/ Luke 23:35-43
One of the most anxious days of last week was probably last Friday, the 22nd of November.
In the midst of other top news like the massive relief efforts that are going on in the Philippines in the aftermath of the Typhoon Haiyan, last Friday had a particular top news in Singapore.
And that top news was the release of the PSLE (Primary School Leaving Examinations) results. It was an anxious day for students, parents and also for the teachers.
PSLE results, like the other crucial exam results, is a big thing in Singapore.
The PSLE results would determine which secondary school a student would be going to and probably the direction in life that the student would be heading towards.
And as the usual cycle goes for those who had done well there will be cheers.
But for those who did not do well, there could be tears and fears.
Of course, the limelight will be on those who scored “As” and “A-stars”.
They have done themselves proud, their parents proud, their schools proud.
They will be asked to share the secrets of their success, and maybe how they had gone against the odds to emerge the top.
We congratulate those students who had studied hard and done well, and we must affirm them for their diligence and toil. Indeed, they sweat for their success.
Yet, the PSLE results day is also like Judgment Day for some, and we don’t get to hear about them.
They are the ones who didn’t do well enough (comparatively) and maybe, at the bottom of the heap, are those who failed and, face the prospect of having to repeat the PSLE.
I can’t help feeling sorry for them, that at such a tender age of 12 years old, they already had the sour taste of disappointment and the bitter taste of failure.
We won’t get to see them or hear about them, and they also don’t want to be seen or heard.
Yes, the failures of the education system and the failures of society are not for public viewing and it would be better that they are not mentioned at all.
But in the gospel, three people are put up as failures for public viewing. They were actually put up for execution.
Two of them were criminals, and certainly their crimes were serious enough to warrant the death penalty of crucifixion.
Their lives had been a big failure. Their failure turned them into a life of crime and now they are paying for their failure on the cross.
It is said that failure is the mother of success, in that failure can spur a person to reverse the failure and make it a stepping stone for success.
But for the two criminals nailed to the cross and waiting for their final breath, there is no more chance of reversal. Their failure in life had led them to a dead end.
Between these two criminals was Jesus, also nailed to the cross and waiting for the final moment.
But why was Jesus crucified between the two criminals? He preached the Good News of the kingdom of God, healed the sick and worked miracles. He didn’t commit any crime!
However, He was rejected by the chief priests and elders and they conspired against Him and finally had Him nailed to the cross.
Though He had done nothing wrong, as one of the criminals would testify, His ending seemed to be one sad broken failure.
The inscription on His cross read: This is the King of the Jews. But was meant to mock Him and deride Him.
It’s one thing to be a failure, but quite another to have to die for having done nothing wrong and to be made fun of in that slow painful death.
His friends stayed at a distance, watching His execution, probably thinking silently: He had been our hope, but now …
The leaders jeered at Him and taunted Him: He saved others, let Him now save Himself.
The soldiers mocked Him: If you are the King, save yourself.
Even one of the criminals abused Him: If you are the Christ, save yourself and save us.
But, in the midst of all this jeering and taunting and mockery, only one person saw the reality.
The other criminal, often called the good thief, who defended the innocence of Jesus made this remarkable statement: Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.
But was an absurd statement, because Jesus, like him was in a hopeless situation.
Yet, somehow, the good thief and only the good thief, saw the truth and the reality: That Jesus was King and that He was the Savior.
So, despite the massive failure of his life, the good thief passed the final exam when Jesus told him: Indeed, I promise you, today you will be with me in paradise.
It was a totally absurd conversation to the people who were there, but one condemned sinner received salvation from the King who is the Saviour.
We may know the story of the lion and the mouse but nonetheless we can hear it again with a slightly different perspective.
The lion, the king of the jungle, just had his meal and was dozing off.
Then a mouse came along, the smallest creature in the jungle, a scavenger, considered the scum of the jungle.
The mouse crept up to the lion’s half-eaten meal and hoped to have a bite of the remains.
The lion woke up and with his powerful paw caught the mouse and he roared: How dare you steal my food!
The mouse pleaded: Please let me go, please let me go, and I promise to help you whenever you need me.
The lion was amused that a tiny mouse can ever help him, so he let the mouse go.
Then one day the lion fell into a net trap laid by hunters. He couldn’t free himself from the net and he roared and roared in distress.
The mouse heard the lion’s roar of distress and ran over. With its sharp tiny teeth, it nibbled at the ropes of the net until the lion was able to break free.
The lion turned to the mouse and said: Small as you are, you were able to help me, the King of the jungle.
From then on, the mighty lion shared his meals with the tiny mouse.
On the cross, Jesus was King and Saviour, but the people saw Him as a hopeless failure.
Only the good thief, despite all his failures, saw Jesus as who He really is.
So, if we had experienced sour disappointments and bitter failures in life and we feel like a tiny mouse scuttling around for survival, then Jesus has a mission for us.
Like the mouse who nibbled at the net to set the mighty lion free, we need to nibble at the tears and fears of our disappointments and failures so that we can be free to proclaim Jesus as our King and Saviour.
Whatever difficult situations we face in life, there is only one answer, and the good thief has given us that saving answer: Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.
That answer proclaims Jesus as our King and Saviour.