Pray to Him for succor, for His peace, for bread,

For mercy for their sick, sinning, or dead;

All men do, Christian and unbelieving.

Men go to God when He is sore bestead,

Find Him poor and scorned, without shelter or bread,

Whelmed under weight of the wicked, the weak, the dead;

Christians stand by God in His hour of grieving

• Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Isn’t there something very offensive about all this - something in the justice of God that, with a single act of confession at the end of a depraved and degenerate life, allows a criminal into the presence of God? Is that fair? Is that justice? Isn’t that cheap grace? It sets an awful precedent, doesn’t it? And it didn’t take long for people to figure that out. One of the first infamous characters to use the "deathbed escape "clause was the Emperor Constantine, the Roman Emperor who first declared Christianity to be the official religion of the Roman Empire. Actually, his decision had less to do with personal beliefs than with politics. Christianity had spread throughout the empire. It was a major force to be reckoned with. And so, to help unify an empire that seemed to be falling apart at the seams, he called upon this new religion to try to glue it back together. But Constantine would not allow himself to be baptized until he was on his deathbed. Taking the criminal as his example, he reasoned that he could do as he liked, then make a last-minute confession, and be saved anyway.

Isn’t it right that we regard with skepticism the confessions of criminals who, after a life of crime, suddenly "get saved?" It doesn’t seem fair - we go to church, we do all the work, we keep our noses clean - we don’t get to have any of the fun, and they get the reward!

What weak and human eyes we have! What immature and selfish hearts! How gross and full of sin! And how far from the mystery of God’s love!

And what a magnificent offense of Jesus’ part. Those who stand below the cross see themselves as the keepers of the law, the keepers of justice. The scriptures say, "cursed is he who is hung on a tree." Jesus stands with those who are accursed - not with the religious, not with the good, godly folk! Paul says He emptied Himself of all form of godliness to become a man, and being found in human form, He humbled Himself yet more, taking the form of a servant, becoming obedient even unto death - even death on a cross." And elsewhere, he says, "He was made a curse for us." Jesus stood - or rather hung- with those who were cursed. He stood over against the religious, the good, pious, moral folk of the day. He was an outsider, a "marginale," one who lived on the edges of society.

I think of a local gentleman of the street know who I’ll call "Jim." He doesn’t have a home, he usually smells bad, and when you talk to him you immediately become aware that he doesn’t have all of his faculties. There doesn’t seem to be a lot we can do for him. I’ve tried to get him into a shelter, they’re all downtown in bad places - he doesn’t want to be there. No one would ever hire him. All he ever wants is a few dollars for food, and maybe to but some batteries for his radio. There’s noting very lovable about him - actually, he’s a pain to have around - especially when he comes calling at the house and disrupts the little bit of time I have with my family. It’s really difficult for me to deal with Jim. It’s difficult for me mostly because when I look at him I see the offense of the cross. The scriptures are very clear here. It says that as I look into Jim’s face, there I see the face of my Savior. I admit I have trouble seeing Jesus’ face there. It offends me. But my Lord stands with Jim. And if I do not stand with Jim, I find myself in the position of standing against my Lord.

It’s easy to stand by Jesus, you see, when He’s doing us some good. It’s not so hard when it’s profitable, when we think we’re getting something out of it: blessings from above, a good, moral society, family values - whatever we’re looking to get from Him.

But who stands with Him in His pain? Who stands with Him when He becomes an offense? When He declares that He is a homeless beggar? Or when He sits on death row? Or when He hangs on a cross with blood and sweat pouring down? Who is with Him then? That’s the question that separates the Christians from the pagans.

"The thief said: ‘Remember me when you come into Your kingdom.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Truly, I tell you, today you shall be with me in paradise." Bonhoeffer ends his poem: