The Thief on the Cross: Rejected, then Believed

The Thief on the Cross: Rejected, then Believed

Lent Midweek 4

Adapted from Lenten Midweek Series “Truly, This is the Son of God” in CPR Vol 16, Part 2

INI

The thief on the cross is often incorrectly cited as an example to settle debates about the necessity of baptism or about answering the question: “what’s the minimal amount of works we can do before getting into heaven.” As such, the thief gets exalted as a great saint of which we should follow and imitate. However, if we look closely at the Gospels, the penitent thief’s confession and plea to enter Jesus’ kingdom wasn’t the whole story. In Matthew’s Gospel, it says that BOTH thieves join in to mock Jesus. They BOTH say “If you really are the Son of God, come down from the cross, and we will believe in you.” All the taunts against Jesus were about one thing. They say – “If you are God, why don’t you use some of that godly power of yours to save yourself – and us too?” That thought may cross our minds too as we contemplate the willingness of God using that which is weak to shame the strong. Wasn’t there another way to forgive sins? Surely God didn’t need to do THIS to save His people? How could Jesus be God if suffering and death was the way He saved His people? How could the thief, or even us, receive Jesus as the Son of God when He couldn’t even save Himself?

         When the thieves asked Jesus to save Himself and them from the cross, that’s the most basic human understanding about God. The thief rejected Jesus as God’s Son because Jesus’ actions didn’t fit their conception about God. You see, man normally thinks that the more spiritual someone is, the more like God he is. The more miracles a person does, the more godlike he is. Jesus didn’t fit that image on the cross. He was everything but having appearances of godliness. He seemed every bit of flesh and blood as any other condemned criminal. His flesh was ripped to shreds and his ribs were visible when he was on the cross. Sure, there were reports that he had done miracles – but wasn’t that as good of a time as any to perform a miracle to save yourself? What the thief saw didn’t add up to any sort of divine-like figure. He looked like a weak fool who couldn’t save anyone, not even Himself.

         But at the foot of the cross, they talked about miracles Jesus had done (Matthew 27:42). Jesus had cleansed lepers, given sight to the blind, delivered people from demons, and raised a girl from the dead. They knew Jesus said that He was the Son of God – but looking at Him bloodied on a cross made those just seem like empty words.

         That’s the wisdom and understanding of man, which shows that the ways of God don’t make sense to man’s natural understandings. The thieves wanted miraculous power, but Jesus showed them that God is sacrificial love. It came as a great surprise to the thieves, and really, to all mankind, that God didn’t come according to our expectations. 1 John 5 says “This is the one who came by water and blood – Jesus Christ… And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this is in His Son.” The thief saw and heard this testimony. He heard the words of those who mocked this man. And he heard Jesus’ response to their cruelness. From the cross, Jesus prays to His Father for the forgiveness of those who mock and beat him – “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they’re doing.” That takes an act of God – praying for mercy for those who kill and mock you. The thief on the cross was one for whom Jesus prayed. He saw God, not in a miraculous coming off the cross to save himself, but in the form of the Suffering Servant who came in the water and the blood – through which, He won eternal life for the world.

         What seemed, from a human perspective, to be proof against Jesus being God in the flesh was unraveling. The thief saw the Word made flesh and heard the Word of God—not just from Jesus’ own lips, but even from the mouths of His enemies. And in God’s way, this was not defeat but victory—His servant overcoming His foes and the foes of all mankind. It all pointed to Jesus of Nazareth, resolute in His mission to save sinners through the cross, no matter the cost to Himself.

         As long as the thief approached Jesus with man’s ideas about God, he was not only a dying man, but a man headed for eternal death. The Word of God came to the thief, and he submitted to it, confessing his own wayward thoughts about God to the other thief – “Don’t you fear God… since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong… Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Then, Jesus gave His absolving word to the penitent thief – “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” His word justified him and gave him a place in heaven.

         The thief saw the death of man’s way, and he saw that he deserved the condemnation he was under for his theft. The thief’s words concerning his condemnation aren’t far from our own. IN the confession of sins, we say, “we justly deserve your present and eternal punishment.” This is true repentance. At first, the thief condemned Jesus as a misguided imposter. He even joined in the mocking of Jesus. But through the word of God spoken from Jesus’ mouth at the cross, the thief was converted. He confessed His sin before everyone there at the site of the crucifixion, and that Jesus was innocent of His charges. He turned away from himself toward God in the flesh, who was dying right next to him, pouring out his blood for the sins of the world.

         And that’s what the thief on the cross laid hold of. He found God in the flesh and grabbed the promise of His word when he said “Father, forgive them.” Hearing the promise of forgiveness, the thief prayed the first prayer God hears from sinners – “Have mercy”, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And each week, Jesus speaks the same absolution he gave to thief to you and me too – “Upon this your confession… I forgive you all your sins.”

         The thief is the champion witness of the crucifixion because his sin was obvious. And if Jesus could forgive his sin, there’s certainly hope for us. The thief leads us to the Son of God. He shows us that Jesus truly is the Son of God, and that He is the way, the truth, and the life for all sinners who humble themselves before Him.

         So let the thief on the cross remind you of this: salvation is not found in strength, power, or human wisdom, but in Christ crucified. And just as Jesus spoke His word of forgiveness to the thief, He speaks it to you today – absolving, justifying, and welcoming you into His kingdom.

INI

Pastor Joshua Ralston