The Man on the Cross beside Christ's
Once an ex- elite bureaucrat of the Japanese Government got ill and hospitalized, because he was old.
It was found to be a fatal illness. So, he returned to his home from a hospital to spend his last days with his family. Then, a nursing woman was dispatched from the hospital to take care of him. She took care of him so well. Moreover, she helped his family in various ways.
As she was a Christian, the old man asked her to read the Bible for him. He thought that the reason why she behaved so brightly and kindly was she had faith. So, he wanted to learn Christianity.
The old man gradually came to understand the teaching of God. But one day he said to her, "I should have learnt Christianity before. Now I am old, so that it may be too late for me to be accepted by Heaven. I have no time to learn Christianity enough, since I feel my death is not so far."
Then the woman said, "You don't have to worry. The Bible says that one of criminals who was crucified with Christ Jesus was promised by Christ that he would enter Heaven with Him, because the criminal expressed his faith on his cross. So, only such a small time on the cross is enough for a man to be promised to be accepted in Heaven. You have enough time."
With this help, the old man spent his last days on the earth peacefully and faithfully.
This story also tells that in Japan, an inherently Buddhist country, even elite bureaucrats with good educational backgrounds and cultural experiences, usually do not read the Bible or think about Christianity in their career lives.
So, the man on the cross beside Christ's must be the luckiest man in the history, since he was with Christ Jesus so near till his death.
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Luk 6:24 But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.