The Thief on the Cross

May 9

Judges 15-16

Psalm 57:7-11

Proverbs 13:7-8

Luke 23

The Thief on the Cross

“But the other answered, and rebuking him said, ‘Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for what we have done; but this man has done nothing wrong.’ And he was saying, ‘Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!’ And He said to him, ‘Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.’” Luke 23:40-43 LSB

The Romans were cruel when it came to punishing criminals. There were many forms of execution including beheading, strangulation, being killed by a wild animal like a lion, being thrown from a tall elevation, or being crucified. All of these forms of execution were brutal and produced a slow death except beheading. Modern pictures of Jesus on the cross do not portray an accurate interpretation of the excruciating pain of crucifixion. The thief on the cross next to Jesus suffered the same fate. As he hung on the cross gasping for breath he witnessed the mocking crowds as they repeated the claims about Jesus being the Son of God and saving others. Then, instead of responding back with insults, Jesus asked God to forgive them because they didn’t know what they were doing. The thief experienced the earthquake and the darkness that enveloped the land for three hours. As he hung on the cross he had plenty of time to think, to contemplate and to believe. When the other thief mocked Jesus along with the crowds, he rebuked him asking, “Do you not fear God?” He said that they were getting what they deserved but Jesus was innocent. Then, turning to Jesus, he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into Your kingdom!” In those few words, he acknowledged his own sinfulness, he expressed faith that Jesus was indeed the Messiah and he begged for mercy. Jesus responded with compassion telling him, “Today you shall be with Me in paradise.”

So how does the thief on the cross fit into our theology? The thief wasn’t baptized, he never took communion, he didn’t repeat a specific prayer or know about the ABC’s of salvation, and yet he walked into heaven that day alongside Jesus. The only thing he did was believe that Jesus was who He said He was. He didn’t even know and believe that Jesus raised Himself from the dead. Jesus knows the thoughts and intentions of the heart. He knew that this thief on the cross next to Him truly believed and based on that, Jesus granted him eternal life. The thief on the cross gives us hope that our loved one who didn’t know Jesus somehow came to faith as they were facing death. I don’t think the faith of the thief on the cross was a random event. It was part of the plan all along. Jesus knew about this criminal who would hang next to Him and would come to faith in his final moments. Jesus wanted to dispel any notion that our works contribute to our salvation in any way. In His grace and mercy, He made sure that this incident was included in Scripture to give hope and peace to grieving hearts. Faith in Jesus cannot be reduced to a formula. Jesus knows our hearts and He deals with each of us based on His sovereign omniscience. Until we take our final breath