This Day Thou Shalt be with Me in Paradise

Taken from the Psychic Life of Jesus by Rev G Maurice Elliott

What did Jesus mean when he said to the robber “This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise”? We must put these words in their right setting before we can even begin to understand his meaning.

Arrested in the garden after the supper, Jesus was led away to Annas the ex-primate, then to Caiaphas, then to Pilate. He was surrounded by soldiers. That was bad enough.

But to be in the presence of scribes, Pharisees and priests was far worse, for these reverend-looking men blindfolded him, attacked him, spat upon him, hit him, and then shrieked out “Prophesy who hit you”.

Jesus had just predicted that coming events would vindicate the power of his purpose and the purpose of his power.

So in mockery of his claim to be a prophet, they tried to make him play a kind of blind-man’s bluff. Is it not unbelievable that reverend-looking men of the Church of God could do such a thin?

It is only unbelievable to those who are unacquainted with the utterly despicable way in which modern prophets, psychics, those who could predict, have been treated by reverend-looking men of the Church of Jesus.

Pilate, the heathen (not a religious Churchman!) said “I find no crime in him”, and passed him on to Herod.

The reported fame of Jesus as a miracle-worker interested Herod, who thought he might witness a miracle. But Jesus refused even to attempt to perform a ‘sign’, or to answer a single question. “He answered him nothing.”

Whether Jesus could or could not have performed ‘signs and wonders’ under such anti-psychic conditions, he most certainly would not. He would never use his psychic gifts for display, self-aggrandisement, or to force belief.

Herod was very annoyed and disappointed and sent him back to Pilate, who now hoped to appease the hatred of the Jews by a compromise. But the Jews would not have Barabbas! Pilate’s heart sank.

A page-boy’s appearance on the scene made matters worse. He brought a letter from Pilate’s wife. The spirit world had managed to ‘get through’ to her during her hours of sleep and she hastened to tell her husband. Pilate was a Roman and Romans attached great importance to dreams.

The letter must have worried him dreadfully. He dared not now condemn Jesus, so he “washed his hands’ of the whole affair and told the Jews that they must ‘see to it’.

The Jews then predicted (not knowingly) the utter destruction of themselves and their city : “Let his blood be upon our heads and on our children!”

Forty years later the prediction was fulfilled. The Romans crucified so many of them that ‘space was wanting for the crosses and crosses for the bodies.’

Jesus was then led to Calvary, where they crucified him between two robbers. There was a society of women in Jerusalem whose mission of mercy it was to provide narcotics for criminals when suffering the tortures of crucifixion. A cup of stupefying potions was thus put to the lips of Jesus. But he would not drink it. His work was not yet finished. He had something more to say. And he refused to have his brain stupefied in order to lessen his pain.

As he hung on the cross, the priests and Pharisees shouted with the rabble “Ha! You were to destroy the temple and build it in three days! Come down, then, from the cross and save yourself!” And the high priests made fun of him to themselves and the scribes. “He saved others,’ they said, ‘but he cannot save himself. Let him come down from the cross and we will believe him.’

Jesus heard what they said. It did not anger him; it saddened him. And he prayed that they might be forgiven, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.’

The two robbers heard this ‘sublime’ prayer. One of them mocked him, saying “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other answering, rebuked him and said, “We are suffering justly; we are getting what we deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.’

It was full of the recognition of the wrong in himself and the right in Jesus. And he turned to Jesus and said “Remember me when you come in your kingdom.”

“This day you shalt be with me in Paradise,” said Jesus. What did he mean?

Well, he did not mean that this ‘converted’ robber would ascend with him to the highest heaven. Nor did he mean that the robber would descent with him into hell.

Two of the Church’s creeds affirm that after the crucifixion Jesus “descended into hell’. So, according to these creeds, if the robber was with Jesus he must have been in hell.

But this ‘hell clause’ is not found in all the ancient copies of the Apostle’s Creed and is nowhere found in the great Nicene Creed. In any case, the word ‘hell’ in the creeds does not mean ‘the abode of sinners’. Then why are we not Church-members told so? That is not for me to say.

There is no real foundation for the belief that the words ‘he descended into hell’ are based on I Peter 3 : 19, “Christ being put to death…went and preached unto the spirits in prison, which were aforetime disobedient…in the days of Noah.”

Indeed in his ”New Translation’, Dr Moffat tells us that it was Enoch and not Jesus, who preached to the spirits in prison. Do the members of the orthodox Churches know this? I wonder!

No one knows what 1 Peter 3 : 19 means. The clause in the creeds, ‘he descended into tell’, merely means that Jesus went to ‘the place of departed spirits’.

Bearing that in mind, we ask “What did the word ‘paradise’ convey to the robber?” When Jesus used it, both he and the robber were suffering physical and mental tortures. The pain of crucifixion is aptly described by our word ‘excruciating’, which is derived directly from the Latin verb ‘to crucify’.

The word “Paradise’ conveyed to the dying robber ‘rest under the cool shadows of trees beside still and refreshing waters’ – the Jewish conception. And Jesus meant that it should.

He knew that this picture of Paradise would be a fitting representation of the rest and peace of those heavenly hospitals into which all who have suffered great physical pain and mental anguish pass at ‘death’.

He knew that the presence of the spiritual attendants – the doctors and nurses – and very likely, the presence of loved-ones, would be to this newly-born soul as the soothing shade of trees beside still waters. And he knew that his own presence would itself be paradise to him.

I see no reason why we should not give to these words of Jesus a perfectly natural meaning.

We know today what he knew then, that there are heavenly hospitals as well as earthly. And that while neither shock nor pain can affect the soul of a man they can and do affect his spirit, which needs to be nursed back into quiet repose and calm collectedness.

I think Jesus would have been in hospital with the man for two reasons (1) he had promised to be (2) he himself needed ‘treatment’. He would not have needed to remain there for any length of time; indeed, he was back again and at work on the third day. But I think he must have needed some ‘treatment’ after the scourging and the nails, the excruciating suffering and mental anguish.

It neither helps men nor honours Jesus to regard him as in an entirely different category from all other human beings. He was human and suffered real physical pain and mental anguish. He might perhaps have used his psychic power had he so wished, and come down from the cross. He might have caused the nails to thrust themselves into the heads of his torturers. But he not so wish.

I know there are those who believe that Jesus experienced no physical suffering on the cross. They think that the power of his spirit would have made him immune from physical pain. I agree that, very likely the power of his spirit could have rendered his body immune from pain. But I do not think he would have allowed it to do so.

If it be true that he was ‘tempted in every respect like ourselves’, he must been quite human.

The “Elder Brother’ could therefore understand and really help the younger brothers. But if he was never ‘tested and tried’ by physical pain, there was something lacking in character-making experience. Jesus could easily have avoided the cross by avoiding Jerusalem, but he would not.

And it may be that he could have avoided the excruciating pain of crucifixion by exercising his great psychic power, but I do not think he would. Throughout his life he resolutely refused to use that power for selfish ends.

I have therefore sought to interpret the story in what seems to me to be a perfectly natural way – a way which accords with what psychic science has taught us and with what we know the character and purpose of Jesus.