The Thief's Encounter
The Thief's Encounter
MARK 14:25-32
25 And it was the third hour when they crucified him. 26 And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” 27 And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. 29 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31 So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.
LUKE 23:32-43
32 Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. 33 And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. 35 And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” 36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine 37 and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”
39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
25 And it was the third hour when they crucified him. 26 And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” 27 And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. 29 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31 So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.
LUKE 23:32-43
32 Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. 33 And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. 35 And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” 36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine 37 and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”
39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
The fourth person we meet beneath the cross of Jesus is on a cross next to Jesus. The thief who dies next to the Savior teaches us what it means to be truly converted, or changed, by Jesus Christ.
Humility before Jesus
Mark 14:32 provides a very important detail for understanding this story: both criminals crucified next to Jesus began the afternoon cursing and reviling him. The thief is guilty of serious crimes, but when he pays, he doesn’t humbly confess his sins. He’s defiant. He demands to be rescued: ‘This is unfair! I did nothing wrong! I don’t deserve this! Jesus, do something about this!’ Suffering always reveals what’s in the heart, and suffering draws out of this man’s heart pride, bitterness, and self-justification.
What does suffering draw from the heart of Jesus? Perfect love and trust: “Father, forgive them; they do not know what they do.”
As the moments pass, Jesus’s words go to work on the thief. Suddenly, in a jarring moment of clarity, he sees himself truly for the first time in his life. Yes, he’s been condemned by Rome, but soon he’ll stand trial in God’s court. In Jesus, he sees what true righteousness before God looks like, and he sees how ugly, proud, and base his own heart is. Immediately, he drops all demands, all blame-shifting, all protests. Instead of saying, “Life is so unfair,” he says, “I’m getting exactly what I deserve. God is going to send me to hell, and he’s absolutely right.”
Whether you are a criminal or not, conversion always begins with a new humility before Jesus. The Spirit reveals your true self in light of Jesus’ perfect innocence. You experience a new awareness of your sin, a new sense of unworthiness before God, you wake up from your delusion of righteousness; you stop making demands.
What does suffering draw from the heart of Jesus? Perfect love and trust: “Father, forgive them; they do not know what they do.”
As the moments pass, Jesus’s words go to work on the thief. Suddenly, in a jarring moment of clarity, he sees himself truly for the first time in his life. Yes, he’s been condemned by Rome, but soon he’ll stand trial in God’s court. In Jesus, he sees what true righteousness before God looks like, and he sees how ugly, proud, and base his own heart is. Immediately, he drops all demands, all blame-shifting, all protests. Instead of saying, “Life is so unfair,” he says, “I’m getting exactly what I deserve. God is going to send me to hell, and he’s absolutely right.”
Whether you are a criminal or not, conversion always begins with a new humility before Jesus. The Spirit reveals your true self in light of Jesus’ perfect innocence. You experience a new awareness of your sin, a new sense of unworthiness before God, you wake up from your delusion of righteousness; you stop making demands.
Reliance on Jesus
When the thief says, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom,” it tells us that he’s come to believe at least three things about Jesus.
First, he believes Jesus is God’s King. Jesus’s enemies designed the cross to expose him as a false king: the robes and crown of thorns, the sign over his head, his position between two criminals, the jeers: “if you’re the King, come down and save yourself!” But as the thief observes the dignity and grace of Jesus, he sees what no one else can: he really IS the king! The thief may not fully understand it, but he sees that Jesus, and not the crowd, is actually in control of this situation. He begins to suspect that Jesus really could come down from the cross if he wanted to, yet chooses not to. Somehow, this cross is how Jesus is bringing in God’s kingdom.
He also believes Jesus’ Kingdom is more valuable than his own life. The other thief demands: “Get me down from here, and I’ll believe in you!” ‘Give me what I want, fix my problems, meet my demands, and then I’ll believe in you.’ But this man says, “Whether you get me down or not, I want to be in your Kingdom.” A sure sign of conversion is that you stop using God as a tool to get what you want; God himself is what you want.
The thief also believes Jesus will receive him. “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” That’s pretty bold for a criminal who was cursing Jesus minutes before! Maybe it was Jesus’s prayer: “Father, forgive them.” Maybe he’d heard what the Pharisees said about Jesus: “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” Whatever the reason, he believes Jesus will receive him. And he moves past believing about Jesus, to personally trusting Jesus for himself. This is saving faith.
First, he believes Jesus is God’s King. Jesus’s enemies designed the cross to expose him as a false king: the robes and crown of thorns, the sign over his head, his position between two criminals, the jeers: “if you’re the King, come down and save yourself!” But as the thief observes the dignity and grace of Jesus, he sees what no one else can: he really IS the king! The thief may not fully understand it, but he sees that Jesus, and not the crowd, is actually in control of this situation. He begins to suspect that Jesus really could come down from the cross if he wanted to, yet chooses not to. Somehow, this cross is how Jesus is bringing in God’s kingdom.
He also believes Jesus’ Kingdom is more valuable than his own life. The other thief demands: “Get me down from here, and I’ll believe in you!” ‘Give me what I want, fix my problems, meet my demands, and then I’ll believe in you.’ But this man says, “Whether you get me down or not, I want to be in your Kingdom.” A sure sign of conversion is that you stop using God as a tool to get what you want; God himself is what you want.
The thief also believes Jesus will receive him. “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” That’s pretty bold for a criminal who was cursing Jesus minutes before! Maybe it was Jesus’s prayer: “Father, forgive them.” Maybe he’d heard what the Pharisees said about Jesus: “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” Whatever the reason, he believes Jesus will receive him. And he moves past believing about Jesus, to personally trusting Jesus for himself. This is saving faith.
A Promise from Jesus
Jesus responds to the thief’s faith with one of the most beautiful promises in the Bible: “And Jesus said to him, ‘Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.’” It’s a certain promise, spoken with kingly authority, not subject to change or failure. He wants the thief to cling to it with confidence as his life slips away.
It’s a promise full of grace. This man has nothing to offer Jesus. There’s no way to make up for his rough, wicked life. He’s stripped naked, nailed to a cross, dying! He can’t promise to do better or try harder or become religious. He has no time to prove “he really means it.” The thief offers Jesus nothing but a lot of sin, a broken spirit, and a flicker of faith. And Jesus looks at him and says, “Today, you will be my honored guest in Paradise.” At the cross, Jesus takes what you deserve, so you can receive what he deserves.
It’s also such a personal promise. Jesus could’ve said, “OK, I won’t send you to Hell.” Instead he says, “Today, you will be with me in Paradise.” With me. Conversion doesn’t just mean you accept an idea called Christianity. It doesn’t just mean that you quit old habits and start behaving. It doesn’t even mean you start going to church! Conversion is entering a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. You see and believe his love for you. You trust him to take you with all your sins: to forgive you and change you, to lead you, and do whatever he sees best in your life. And he promises, “From now on, for the rest of your life and even when this life is over, you will be with me.”
Have you experienced conversion?
It’s a promise full of grace. This man has nothing to offer Jesus. There’s no way to make up for his rough, wicked life. He’s stripped naked, nailed to a cross, dying! He can’t promise to do better or try harder or become religious. He has no time to prove “he really means it.” The thief offers Jesus nothing but a lot of sin, a broken spirit, and a flicker of faith. And Jesus looks at him and says, “Today, you will be my honored guest in Paradise.” At the cross, Jesus takes what you deserve, so you can receive what he deserves.
It’s also such a personal promise. Jesus could’ve said, “OK, I won’t send you to Hell.” Instead he says, “Today, you will be with me in Paradise.” With me. Conversion doesn’t just mean you accept an idea called Christianity. It doesn’t just mean that you quit old habits and start behaving. It doesn’t even mean you start going to church! Conversion is entering a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. You see and believe his love for you. You trust him to take you with all your sins: to forgive you and change you, to lead you, and do whatever he sees best in your life. And he promises, “From now on, for the rest of your life and even when this life is over, you will be with me.”
Have you experienced conversion?
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Article by Eric Smith
Senior Pastor, Sharon Baptist Church
Senior Pastor, Sharon Baptist Church
Posted in cross, Crucifixion, Good Friday, Easter, Thief on the Cross, Paradise, Mercy, Grace, Humility, Reliance, Faith, Conversion
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