Jesus and the Thief on the Cross
Holy week is my favorite week of the year because it leads us to Easter, my favorite holiday, which is undoubtedly one of the most important days in all of history that we celebrate. As we lead up to the crucifiction and resurrection, we are met with several scenes that are recounted in scripture. One of the most pivotal ones occurs on Good Friday as Jesus is on the cross between two thieves.
Luke 23:39-43
One of the criminals who were hanged 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.”
To recap, Jesus is on the cross between two thieves. One of them begins berating Jesus and saying that if he is who he says he is, why can't he just save all three of them? The other thief rebukes him and asks him if he fears God and points out that all three of them are under the same sentence. Lastly, he reminds him that they are actually guilty and deserve the punishment, while Jesus is innocent and is being treated unjustly.
One of the most interesting things I see time and time again in scripture is the various responses to God that two people in the same situation can have. I know most of us would like to believe that we would have a faithful response each time, but the reality of it is that our first reactions in these biblical situations might not be all that faithful. Let's look at the first thief. He is in an adverse situation (to put it mildly) that he placed himself in, and when he encounters Jesus, he questions his goodness. Instead of believing that Jesus CAN save him, he shifts the blame to Jesus and asks why he isn’t saving them. He questions who Jesus says he is. Does that sound familiar? We end up in bad situations due to our own actions, and we question God’s goodness when things don’t go our way. We suddenly treat Jesus as a 911 call.
Now let’s look at the other thief. As all three of them are up there, he is aware of who is justly being punished for how they lived and who is unjustly punished. He turns to Jesus and asks that he remembers him as he enters the kingdom. He doesn’t try to argue or plead his case, he simply asks to be remembered by Jesus, because he knows that there is nothing else to say. What a beautiful response to what Jesus asks us to do. Acknowledge/accept who he is, admit our own sins, and humbly ask him to spare us.
Jesus, in his own moment of despair, meets the thief with mercy and compassion. He doesn’t make the thief plead, beg or state his case as to why he is worthy. He knows that he is undeserving but asked to be remembered. That is both a humble and bold faith. That is the faith of someone who knows that Jesus is who he says he is and will do what he said he will do. Jesus told him that he will be remembered. The thief was the last person Jesus spoke to and those were his final recorded words before his final cry to God as he took his last breath.
This is good news for us! No matter what we’ve done, how far we have strayed, it is never too late. Jesus remembers us, and with his dying breath saved us. As you observe Holy Week, take that with you. Trust that Jesus is who he says he is, our ultimate redeemer. As he remembers us, may we also remember his finished work on the cross for us. Happy Easter!
Henry Wasonga Abuto
