I like to contemplate the thief who hung on the cross beside Christ. He was a criminal, deserving of death. Initially, he too entered into the scorning, the ridicule, the verbal abuse of Jesus. His words mocked the Son of God even as his life had. Something happened though and it had to have happened within his heart. He began to look at Jesus differently, and he saw His innocence. He must have wondered at the cruelty of his own words, words that taunted, perhaps out of his own anger or desperation, but repetitive too of the cruel shouts of the crowd. A time of silence allowed him to fully grasp what he was part of. As deserving as he was of death, he knew the One who hung beside him must have been falsely accused, wrongly condemned, innocent of any charge brought against Him. The contrast was clear and distinct, and even in the pain and torture of his own crucifixion, he began to understand the difference. He called Him, "Jesus," His common name, but he recognized His far higher calling, and knowing how undeserving he was of any mercy, he knew too he desperately wanted what this Man could give. His words were simple, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom," but they were more than adequate and they brought the response of the sinless Son of God. His faith stood in contrast to his surroundings, and although he would complete the required punishment inflicted by man, his faith invoked an eternal freedom from the transgressions and the guilt of his life.

 

A thief was hung on a cross, but the body of a redeemed child of God was removed from it, his spirit having entered into the eternal presence of God. There was no prescribed set of well-rehearsed words. No vocabulary of repentance common to the teaching of the day. Little was known or understood about fundamental doctrine or church practices. The thief simply understood his own sin and he somehow grasped the adequacy of Christ to provide undeserved mercy for an unending eternity. The symbolic waters of baptism never dampened even his head, but the baptism of God’s Spirit saturated his soul. He had no opportunity for a new believer’s class or to hide a single passage of God’s Word in his heart. He never tithed a single crop or discovered his spiritual giftedness. His worship was limited to a few spoken words – words that have echoed through centuries. He knew nothing of spiritual dynamics, of Lordship, or discipleship, of growth, or maturity. He never entertained a debate over appropriate dress, inappropriate leisure activities, styles of music, the celebration of days or the consumption of certain foods. His potential for works of service, evangelism, or simply compassionate caring, died with him on the cross.

 

This redeemed child of God was fully and completely loved and forgiven. He died a shameful death that bridged the gap between life and eternity, and he was led into the very presence of God. Why? Simply because he came in honesty and faith.