A Pattern of Grace
Scripture: “Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed his name.” (Malachi 3.16)
MAIN POINT: Throughout Scripture, God consistently seeks, remembers, and saves those the world forgets.
The criminal’s prayer—”Remember me”—echoes a theme woven throughout Scripture. In Malachi, God keeps “a book of remembrance” for those who fear Him. These aren’t the powerful or prominent, but those who “feared the LORD and esteemed his name.” God remembers the forgotten.
This is the pattern we see in Luke’s Gospel. Jesus seeks out the Samaritan leper, the Roman centurion, the despised tax collector. He declares, “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). From His first sermon to His final words on the cross, Jesus demonstrates that God’s mercy extends to the margins.
The religious establishment in Jesus’ day had forgotten this. They built walls to keep people out. They created systems that excluded the “unworthy.” But Jesus tears down those walls. He welcomes precisely those whom others reject. The criminal on the cross is not an exception to Jesus’ ministry—he’s the perfect example of it.
Reflection: God’s book of remembrance includes those the world’s books have forgotten. Who are the forgotten in your community whom Jesus is calling you to remember? How does knowing God remembers you change how you see yourself?
Prayer: Faithful God, You remember those the world forgets. Thank You for writing my name in Your book of remembrance. Help me to seek out those on the margins, as Jesus did. In His Name, Amen.
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