Eddie
Money, a famous American rock singer, produced a song in 1977 titled
“Two
Tickets to Paradise”.
He wrote it in an attempt to sway his then girlfriend to take off
with him on a vacation and to get away from all the negativity
surrounding their relationship, as the girl's mom didn't want Eddie
around. The song gained popularity in the late 70's and has been a
classic ever since. Many continue to resonate with the ideas and
emotions behind these words.
Got
a surprise especially for you
Something
that both of us have always wanted to do
We've
waited so long, waited so long
We've
waited so long, waited so long
I'm
gonna take you on a trip so far from here
I've
got two tickets in my pocket, now baby, we're gonna disappear
We've
waited so long, waited so long
We've
waited so long, waited so long
I've
got two tickets to paradise
Won't
you pack your bags, we'll leave tonight
I've
got two tickets to paradise
Why
do many of us relate to this song? There are plenty of times when I
think, “Man, let's just get out of here. Let's go someplace far
away. Let's start over. Two tickets to paradise sounds really good
right about now.”
There
are no doubt many times in a day for some, or in a week for others,
or in a month or in a year, where perhaps all of us identify with
this song. 1) We want to leave our current circumstances. 2) We to
go to some unidentified relaxing, beautiful, and carefree place we
call “paradise”. In fact, Webster's Dictionary defines paradise
as “a very beautiful, pleasant or peaceful place that seems to be
perfect”. We relate to this song because we want to leave, and we
want to 3) be with someone we love and that loves us. Hence, TWO
tickets to paradise. And 4) we want to leave right now, let's leave
tonight.
Notice
the words, we
have waited so long
(implies the building up of negativity) for this
trip so far from here, let's leave tonight, let's disappear.
Boom...all problems solved. Just you and me in paradise.
Let's
look at paradise. The first paradise. This same Webster's
dictionary also defines “Paradise” as Eden,
referring to the Garden of Eden. In looking at the first 3 chapters
of the book of Genesis from the Bible, we can see humankind's
beginning in their original created state. Two times in Genesis
chapter 2, we read that God mad man and placed him in the garden that
God made.
Now
the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he
put the man he had formed.
The
Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that
were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the
garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil.” (Gen.
2:8-9)
Also,
The
Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it
and take care of it.
And
the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree
in the garden;
but
you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for
when you eat from it you will certainly die.” (Gen
2:15-17)
Everything
was really really good for the man. Except, he was alone, and that
was not good. Thus, God formed from Adam, his wife Eve. Then
everything was VERY GOOD!! (-;
I
wonder if this is why we have this longing to be in a place with lush
trees and vegetation, good food, clean clear waters. Most of us
would picture some sort of Caribbean beach that would be similar to
this description. Being in the garden (paradise) with the one you
love AND with a great relationship with God. There are tasks to do,
but they are fulfilling as opposed to negative, tedious, boring,
unfulfilling.
Moving
ahead to Chapter 3, something terrible happens. The first couple,
they fall. They disobey God and plummet all of humankind and
creation into a fallen and lost state. Now, their work becomes
complicated, relationships are broken and though paradise becomes a
distant memory, it remains a longing of the human heart. It is
described this way...The
Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed
them.
And
the Lord God said, The man has now become like one of us, knowing
good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take
also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”
So
the Lord God
banished
him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been
taken.
After
he drove
the man out, he placed
on
the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword
flashing back and forth to
guard
the way to the tree of life. (Gen.
3:21-24)
Notice
three things? Because of Adam and Eve's sin, God banished
them,
He drove
them out
of the garden, and He placed
a guard
so as to prevent them in their fallen state to eat from the tree or
life.
Let's
fast forward to another time “paradise” is mentioned. Jesus, the
Son of God, is dying on a cross. His hands and feet nailed to a
wooden structure on a hilltop outside of Jerusalem and left there to
die. Many were around him jeering and mocking him. He was crucified
between two thieves. An interesting exchange takes place between the
three men.
Two
other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed.
When
they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there,
along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left.
Jesus
said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are
doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
The people stood watching, and
the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let
him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”
The
soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar
37
and
said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”
One of the criminals who hung
there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save
yourself and us!”
But
the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said,
“since you are under the same sentence?
We
are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But
this man has done nothing wrong.”
There
are many interesting and important things to explore in this passage.
The one criminal wants Jesus to get him out of this situation of
being crucified. I find that this is the prayer of most. “Jesus,
just get me out of this!!!!” No allegiance to Jesus, no submission
to Jesus, just a selfish cry for intervention. The other criminal
recognizes himself as a fallen man and justly punished. He
recognizes that he will very soon stand before God and give an
account for his life. He recognizes that Jesus is an innocent man.
He recognizes that Jesus is the King. And he recognizes his need for
a relationship with Jesus. He asks to be remembered in Jesus'
kingdom. Jesus reply is to assure the man he would be with Jesus
today in Paradise. Very interesting word choice--”paradise”.
The
Greek word is
paradeisos.
It is translated paradise in the New Testament. In the Greek
version of the Old Testament it is translated “garden”,
“orchard”, “paradise”, and “Garden of Eden”. I have
always thought that Jesus use of the word paradise was just a variant
of heaven or perhaps a reference to some happy holding place prior to
heaven. I know there can be a lot of theological discussion on all
of this, but I simply want to pull out one point.
For
the first time since the episode in the Garden of Eden where God
banished and drove out the representatives of humankind from the
Garden, God, in the person of Jesus, is now removing the angelic
guard to the Tree of Life. He is inviting all who would recognize
themselves for who they truly are and recognize Jesus for who He
truly is to come back to the place where everything is VERY GOOD.
Come back to the place where relationships can be healed, where
relationships with God can be made right, where work can be once
again fulfilling. For the first time in human history the banishment
and the being driven out of the Garden (paradise) is reversed!!!!
There
is a reason we all identify with Eddie Money at various times in our
lives. We are born with a longing in our hearts for paradise, where
relationships with others and with God are VERY GOOD.
Eddie wanted to leave his circumstances, he wanted to go far away with the
one he loves and who loves him. He wanted to go that night. Well,
on that Cross, and today, right now, Jesus is offering two tickets to
paradise. He is offering you a way out of the circumstances of sin
in your life. He is offering for you to go a long way from your
current life and to be with someone you can love and who loves
you—Jesus. And you can go right now. Jesus bought me one of those
tickets and I am on that journey with Him even now. Two tickets to
Paradise? One for you and one for Jesus. Actually, there are plenty
of tickets, as much as any who would want to go to paradise.
The
Apostle Paul caught a glimpse of this paradise—this place where all
is VERY GOOD. 2 Cor. 13:3
And
I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I
do not know, but God knows—4
was
caught up to
paradise
and heard inexpressible things,
... You
can do more than catch a glimpse.
John
records in the Book of Revelation chapter 2 verse 7 that Whoever
has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the
one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree
of life,
which is in the paradise
of God.
The
big concern in the Garden of Eden is that Human Kind in their fallen
state would reach out and eat from the Tree of Life and live forever
in lostness and darkness and brokenness. But now through the Life,
Death, Resurrection, Ascension and soon Return of Jesus, you and I
can eat from the Tree of Life in the Garden of God, not as fallen
creatures, but as renewed and restored men and women. Not with
broken relationships and negativity being built up all around us, but
with healing, health and meaning marking our lives. Not with guilt
and lostness, but with freedom and wholeness.
What does our future hold?
PARADISE….Then the
angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal,
flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb
down
the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river
stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its
fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of
the nations.
No
longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb
will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.
They
will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
There
will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the
light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they
will reign for ever and ever. (Rev. 22:1-5)
Jesus
has a surprise especially for you
Something
that you have always wanted to do
You've
waited so long...
He's
gonna
take you on a trip so far from where you are now
He's
got
two tickets to paradise
Won't
you leave your baggage, you can leave right now
He has got two
tickets to paradise...It is essential you take one and join HIM…
By
Michael Gohn
