Written by Efe Abbe
The Word
39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him,[blasphemed 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.”
Luke 23:39-43 ESV
37 And they [i.e. James and John] said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” 38 Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”39 And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, 40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”
Mark 10:36-40 ESV [Emphasis mine]
Reflection
God gave two justly condemned criminals the same opportunity to die beside His blameless Son. Earlier, James and John had asked to sit on either side of Jesus in His glory (Mark 10:40). Jesus responded that they had no idea what they were asking, because the way He would enter His glory would be His crucifixion. Jesus also let them know that those spots has been reserved by God for specific people, and according to Tim Mackie of the Bible Project 1, it was for these two criminals. Mark and Matthew record in their gospels that even while the thieves hung dying beside Jesus, they ridiculed Him along with the religious leaders and elders (Mark 15:33; Matt. 27:44).
But as time passed on that hill, something changed for one of the thieves. Somehow, as he hung there hearing Jesus ask God to forgive His executioners as insults were hurled at Him, his heart changed and his eyes opened. This thief was able to see that God had been gracious to him, even in the face of his deserved punishment, leading him to fear God.
Both criminals had the same last chance to receive God’s grace, but only one humbled himself and entered Paradise with Jesus that day.
Application
This scene is the fulfillment of what Jesus foretold to the Zebedee brothers.
And it is so much more.
It is a parable and portrait of humanity, and what we ultimately do with Jesus. Apart from Jesus, we are all under God’s just condemnation to die because of our sins, yet God came in a body like ours in Jesus, to receive His own judgment in our place. When God’s light reveals our need for His grace, we will respond like one of the two thieves; we will either continue in deluded defiance guaranteeing our eternal condemnation or we will humbly repent and enter into God’s gift of eternal life.
Prayer
Dear God Almighty, thank You for Your grace and mercy to me in Jesus. Please give me a humble and repentant heart to receive and keep receiving Your grace and mercy, in Jesus’ name, amen.
1 Bible Project, March 4, 2019. Thieves by the Throne Chapter 4 (Timestamp: 27:46 – 37:21)
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