Good morning. We are very familiar with the words of Jesus uttered from the cross. His words in those last moments of His physical life are powerful, amazing, gracious, and unexpected. If I were to use those adjectives as criteria to consider the various words of Jesus from the cross of Calvary, some of the most powerful, amazing, gracious, and unexpected are found in Luke 23:39-43. One of the criminals crucified with him railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
There are two other crucified persons mentioned. They were criminals. By the standard of Roman law, they deserved their fate. They knew the potential consequences of their actions and those consequences did not deter them. They did the crimes, and now it was time to pay…it was as simple as that.
The truth is, we should all relate far more closely with those two crucified persons than with the third. We have much more in common with them than we do with the perfect Lamb of God, Jesus, the third man hanging from a Roman cross that day. We too are worthy of condemnation, worthy of suffering the consequences our actions deserve. This is the state of mankind, of all who have reached an age and/or condition where we are aware of our actions, of the will of God, of the penalty, and yet we sin.
The world’s voice was reflected in the words of the first of the thieves to speak. His words were derisive, cruel, and arrogant. His voice joined the voices of the Jews who gathered for the spectacle, believing they had won the victory by murdering Jesus.
But then there was the other voice, the other thief. His voice was humble. He was resigned to his fate. He rebuked his partner in crime and made a simple plea: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He wasn’t asking for a reprieve. He wasn’t begging for heaven. He was only asking that Jesus, the Son of God, the King whose kingdom is spiritual, would remember Him.
What is powerful, amazing, gracious, and unexpected is Jesus’ reply: “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Jesus doesn’t say that He would ask the Father if perhaps the man could have a cooler corner in hell. Jesus doesn’t suggest that He would “take it under advisement.” Jesus promised him immediate and absolute forgiveness. He promised the guilty man who had repented a total reprieve.
Jesus’ words and promises are, to each of us, the same. “Repent and give your heart to me in obedience and I will claim you as my own.”