Trust Like a Thief

It is quite possibly the most reassuring moment in the entire Bible. Jesus hangs on the cross, about to die for your sins and mine. To either side of Him hang two criminals. Mark and Matthew report that the thieves mock, insult, and ridicule Him along with the others present. Luke reports that one of the thieves does something remarkable:

38 There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the Jews. 39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. 43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:33-43 (NIV)

We will never know exactly how this criminal came to accept Christ. After mocking Him, The Holy Spirit clearly moved in this man. There are several important lessons for us in this episode.

  1. It’s never too late to accept Christ. With what was literally moments from his last breath, the criminal gives himself over to Jesus. It wasn’t too late for him and it’s never too late for us either.
  2. We can trust Jesus completely. The thief made it clear he knew he belonged on the cross and that Jesus didn’t. Yet, it’s also clear the thief doesn’t doubt that in moments, he will be in paradise with Jesus. Author James Stuart Bell referred to this moment as “blessed assurance.” Do you doubt that the thief is in heaven with Jesus? I don’t. Do you have that kind of blessed assurance? This moment shows you that you can. If you can believe it for him, you can believe it for yourself.
  3. As stated above, the thief knew he was getting what he deserved, and that Jesus was getting what He didn’t deserve. What a powerful reminder that Jesus endured the cross so we wouldn’t have to.
  4. John 5:24 is true: “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. “John 5:24 (NIV). In the instant the thief breathed his last, he awoke, crossed over, into an eternal new life.

In addition to those lessons for us, Gotquestions.org makes an important observation about the other thief crucified with Jesus:

“That the other thief rejected Jesus is remarkable in its own right. While being tortured on the cross he literally joined his torturers in insulting the Savior of the world, and he most likely did so because he wanted his torturers to think he was just like them, joined to the world and with no love for God (Matthew 27:44). Not only was this man next to the Savior, he heard Him pray, he witnessed the salvation of the other thief, he saw the world go dark, and he heard the testimony of the Son. But his pride kept him from submitting to the only One who could save him, and when he one day bows to the Name he mocked, he will be doing so reluctantly and while in torment (Philippians 2:10).”

Pride can keep us from paradise, just as it kept the unrepentant thief from eternity with Jesus. And speaking of pride, consider this: the thief trusted Jesus, while His 11 surviving apostles scattered like frightened rabbits. They knew Him, loved Him, and learned from Him for three years. And then they abandoned him in his darkest moment while the lowest among them embraced Jesus. We often think of Jesus reinstating Peter. All 11 had to be forgiven for that moment.

Whether you’ve walked for Jesus with years, or have yet to come to know Him, this moment at the end of Jesus’ earthly life can give you blessed assurance of what it means to say yes to Him.

Pastor Jerry Bader

1 Comment
  • Amee McLemore
    Posted at 14:13h, 07 August Reply

    Hi samaritansheartgb.org webmaster, Well done!

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