The Thief on the Cross

Incredible faith in the shadow of death

I’ve been thinking about this idea since Easter

I was contemplating the thief on the cross. You remember the thief of the cross? When Jesus was on the cross he was between two thieves. One thief mocks him saying, “You know, if you are the Son of God, why don’t you deliver yourself and us?” The other thief rebukes the first thief and says, “How can you do that? We deserve what we’re getting, but this man has done no wrong.” Then that second thief looks at Jesus and says, “Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

And I was struck by that statement more this year than any other time. I can’t remember if it’s something my pastor said or just something that occurred to me directly from the Holy Spirit. I can’t remember how it came up, but it just really jumped out at me.

The Most Horrific Way to Die

Think about what this second thief is saying. First of all though, keep in mind these three guys are being executed with the most horrific method ever invented. Even in modern times, from what I understand, man has never invented a way that causes more suffering during execution than hanging someone on a cross.

You basically die slowly from suffocation. Your lungs fill with fluid as you hang from nails in your hands and feet. So these guys are both hanging on the cross and our second thief (the hero of this article) speaks what’s on his mind.

His statement reveals…

What he revealed by his statement is that he believes Jesus to be innocent. Now, we don’t know if he was getting “news reports” in jail or if perhaps he was just recently arrested which would have allowed him to perhaps have heard Jesus’ teaching. We don’t really know about his backstory, but somehow or another he had probably heard about Jesus or maybe even heard Jesus teach at some point, and he believed Jesus to be innocent.

And then he said to Jesus “Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

It is significant that he calls him “Lord.” This indicates he is recognizing the authority, the Lordship, of Christ which many other people were ignoring. I mean, Jesus is dying on the cross, but that doesn’t affect his belief. He still believes Jesus to be Lord.

The Kind We Need Today

In addition to his Lordship, this criminal believes that one day Jesus will come into his Kingdom. This means he knows Jesus is the Messiah. He believes that Jesus is the Messiah and will one day have his Kingdom, in spite of the fact that Jesus is dying on the cross in front of his eyes! Friends, that is incredible faith. It is a sturdy, enduring, persistent kind of faith. The kind we need today.

Now we’re not really told whether or not he believed in a kingdom after death or a kingdom on the earth, or if he had a full understanding of what the kingdom of God really meant. But what we do know is that this thief believed the death of the cross was not going to be the end for Jesus.

He believed, at least in the afterlife, Jesus would have Kingdom authority. He also believed he himself would be there and would probably appreciate some kindness or some mercy shown unto him in this Kingdom. But he is believing that Jesus will rise again, or at least in some fashion or form will come into his Kingdom.

All of this shows some incredible faith. No wonder Jesus looked at him and said, “Truly I say unto you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

He Had More Faith

“Today you and I will be together.” This certainly makes sense when you stop and meditate upon the depth of faith expressed by what the thief said. It is inspiring. Startling even.

He had more faith than the twelve Apostles. Think about that! The Apostles, Jesus’ twelve best friends, did not have faith that endured the cross. Peter and James, two of his inner circle of three who witnessed his transfiguration, they saw Jesus dying from afar because they were too afraid to get close.

Everyone else had abandoned Jesus. They were afraid of their own crosses. They were fearful. They had lost their hope. Every indication in Scripture is that all the other disciples did not believe anything else was coming. (Even though Jesus plainly told them he would rise again the third day.)

These followers of Christ had a whole lot of information, a whole lot of knowledge, but they did not have faith looking at Jesus hanging on the cross. They did not believe there was anything else. Their hopes were dashed. Jesus is dying.

But the thief on the cross probably had less knowledge than the disciples and yet, as he sees Jesus dying and is dying himself, still believes in his mind and heart that Jesus will have a kingdom one day.

And so he says, essentially, “please have mercy on me.” Basically he’s saying “when you come into your kingdom, when you are finally crowned as the Lord and Master of all things, the Absolute Ruler… would you please remember to have mercy on me?”

It is Never Too Late

He’s expressing repentance. It’s just this incredible conversion moment. I’ve always looked to the thief on the cross as an illustration of the fact that it’s never too late. Death-bed conversions work folks. Death-bed conversions are real. They can be real.

If you’ve abandoned God, even over and over and over again… You’ve just turned your back on Him. And now you’re facing death… Maybe you’ve been diagnosed with cancer or maybe some other disease. And the doctor’s given you three months to live or six months to live, or who knows. You’re facing death in the face.

It is not too late to humble yourself and declare Jesus is Lord. You can adopt the spirit of the criminal crucified next to Jesus and say, “Forgive me of my sins and bring me into your kingdom that God has made for those who will humble themselves before him and confess their sins. Lord, remember me.”

Remember that nobody is beyond hope. Nobody is beyond hope until they have breathed their last breath. There’s still hope for them to come to Jesus. There is still hope.

Even if they are dying on a cross…there is Grace to be had, in faith.