I was just doing some reading and I came across this article and it is really amazing, the hope of resurrection. I couldn’t help but share this.
M I G H T Y I N S P I R I T
The noonday sun made its presence known as waves of heat seared what was left of the man’s flesh. Stretched out on a wooden cross, hands and feet pierced with rusted spikes, stripped of his clothing—he had no defense whatsoever. The trial had been quick; there were far too many witnesses to his crimes. And now he hung beaten, broken, bleeding, and without a doubt, thoroughly guilty.
The crowd that had gathered around this crucified thief was overflowing with hatred. However, for perhaps the first time in his miserable life, the taunts, jeers, mocking, and pointed fingers were directed not at him, but at another . . . some Holy Man who had made quite a spectacle of Himself in recent years.
The thief did not know who this Jesus was; he had never even heard of Jesus of Nazareth until that morning, as the guards were discussing the three men slated for crucifixion. What must a rabbi have done to deserve this? he had wondered. What could a simple preacher have done to make his own people crucify him?
It was amusing at first. Here, between two screaming, nefarious criminals, hung a quiet teacher. The thief had never seen such an irate crowd of Jews and Romans, and it seemed that all of the animosity of the world was being heaped upon this one condemned man.
The thief could not help but participate in the crowd’s amusing game of verbal abuse. It was a nice distraction for the dying criminal; as long as he was able to join in the majority’s assault on Jesus, he could still maintain some measure of control. Sure, he was doomed to die slowly and painfully, but this hapless Jew beside him was the really pitiful character. This guy is too placid to even defend Himself! he thought. What kind of man would take this abuse with no response? What’s He trying to prove?
For hours, no one tired of assaulting the despised prophet at his side. Soldiers, Jewish leaders, and curious spectators all passed by and made sport of insulting Jesus, but He remained so calm, so quiet, so . . . peaceful? As he hung on his own cross, well acquainted with the pain of crucifixion, the criminal wondered how such a tormented man could exude peace and quiet strength amid this hellish ordeal.
Something in the thief began to stir. This isn’t right. This is a death for the most obscene criminals, not for some misunderstood teacher. The taunts of the crowd continued to flow like a bitter stream, but their impact now stung the thief’s conscience. “King of the Jews,” their sign read. But Jesus was more like a King of the Humble, a King of the Patient, . . . a King of Grace.
The thief’s partner in crime was not so sensitive to Jesus’ plight. “Are you not the Christ?” the second criminal laughed. “Save Yourself and us!” The mocking intensified, the cries grew more hateful, and the noise in the thief’s spirit became unbearable. The conflict, questions, guilt, concern, and confusion culminated in a fever pitch of nervous energy.
His eyes darted back and forth between his violent compatriot and this gentle Jesus. It was as though, just hours before his death, he was given a new, life-changing perspective on his life. In the sadistic, jeering criminal, the thief saw the end result of his sin: death. In the eyes of Jesus, he saw the life that could have been. It was, for him, a moment of choice.
With nothing to offer, no hope for a better life, and no chance for recompense, the thief looked into the still clear, life-giving eyes of the Christ and made the only request he could: “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”
Jesus responded with a single, simple, saving statement: “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.” That was it. There were no conditions. There were no other actions required. As he was dying, the thief was given what he needed the most: life.
Scripture is brutally honest about this thief on the cross next to the Lord. He was vile, wicked, violent, and by all accounts guilty of the crimes for which he was condemned. Yet, when confronted with the grace of Christ, he was left speechless. Jesus’ abundance revealed the thief’s deficiency, and he was left knowing only two things: he was doomed, and Jesus could save him.
Today, “good Christians” may shake their heads and say, “That thief had nothing to offer. He didn’t deserve Jesus.” Somehow, our piety convinces us that we have done something to earn Jesus. In this, we can learn an important lesson from the thief on the cross.
John MacArthur notes, “His request was a final, desperate, end-of-his-rope plea for a small mercy he knew he did not deserve.” (The Murder of Jesus, Word Publishing, Nashville, 2000, p. 214.)
Two thousand years later, there is still no more powerful cry from human lips than the thief’s humble prayer, “Lord, remember me.”
—Staff Writer
Article has been taken for Intouch ministries messages site.
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