Scripture: Luke 23:39-43
Good Friday – March 29, 2014
William Law (picture) wrote, “If you attempt to talk with a dying man about sports or business, he is no longer interested. He now sees other things as more important. People who are dying recognize what we often forget that we are standing on the brink of another world.”
The account in Luke 23 about Jesus’ crucifixion reads: “Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with Him. And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on His right and one on His left. One of the criminals who were hanged railed at Him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into your kingdom.” And He said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in paradise’.” (Luke 23:32-33, 39-43).
Three men died on that dark day. They were crucified side by side outside the walls of Jerusalem at a place called Golgotha where the Romans did their executions. Our Savior hung on the middle cross. Two men were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.
Who were they? The translators use different words to describe them…“Thieves, robbers, malefactors, bandits.” Luke’s word means “members of the criminal class, professional criminals, members of the underworld.” These men were thugs, cutthroat killers, men who killed for fun and profit, assassins.
Some writers suggest they were revolutionaries bent on overthrowing Roman rule. If so, we ought to think of them as terrorists who thought nothing of using violence to achieve their political aims. But beyond that, we know little about them. We don’t know their names or their hometowns or the specific crime they committed. We assume that they’d been partners in crime, but even that’s not certain. Some suggest they were brothers. We wouldn’t know them at all except for this: they’re supporting players in the greatest drama of all time, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
It may appear that these two men are exactly alike. They were both criminals sentenced to die together at the same time at the same place on the same day. Both had been severely beaten before they were crucified, both were stripped naked before the leering crowd, both were covered with blood and dirt. Both men were dying and both would soon be dead. No one could look at them and tell any difference.
But in reality, no two men could be more different. These two men who were crucified on the outer crosses differed on one main point: how they viewed the man in the middle. They saw him differently and therefore asked him for different things. One wanted escape, not forgiveness. The other wanted forgiveness, not escape.
Let’s take a closer look at the man who wanted forgiveness. Was any man ever in a more desperate situation? Brutally crucified, he’s dying in agony for crimes he’d committed. He is a guilty man justly punished. He deserves to die, and he knows it. In a matter of hours, he’ll be dead.
His case has been tried, judgment announced, and the sentence carried out. All legal avenues have been exhausted. This man is as close to death as you can be and still be alive. Now at the last moment he makes one final appeal to the Supreme Court of the Universe: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (v. 42).
It’s the most amazing example of saving faith in all the Bible. Jesus is hanging next to him, a bloody mess, a sight awful to behold. The man’s feet and arms are nailed to the cross, ropes hold his body upright, so it won’t fall off. Every movement is agony, every breath torture. Beneath him and behind him the howling mob screams for blood. They jeer, they hiss, they curse, they spit, they roar like wild animals. They cheer as he coughs up blood, they shout with approval when someone aims a rock at a piece of tender flesh. It is garish, hellish, brutal and inhuman. Yet it’s here—amid the blood and gore—that this man comes to faith.
Somehow this thief saw our Lord bleeding and naked and yet he believed that He would someday come in His kingdom. He saw Jesus at His weakest moment, and still he believed in Him. He’s a crucified sinner trusting in a crucified Savior. No man ever looked less like a king than Jesus did that day, yet this man saw Him as He really was.
This is made more amazing when you consider that this man had none of the advantages the disciples had. As far as we can tell, he never heard Jesus’ teaching, he never saw Jesus heal the sick or raise the dead, he knew nothing of Jesus’ great parables and never saw any of His miracles. This man missed all the outward signs of Jesus’ kingship. Yet he still believed.
And there on the cross, he came to understand the heart of the gospel. In the crucified Jesus, beaten, mocked, forsaken, his life blood ebbing away, this thief saw a King and another crown other than the crown of thorns.
One crucified man saw another crucified man and believed in Him.
That made the difference between heaven and hell. In that light his words seem all the more remarkable. “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” By saying that, he didn’t mean “Remember my name” or “Erect a monument to me.” He simply meant, “At the end of the world, make a place for me in Your kingdom.” It is the modest prayer of a man who knows he does not deserve what he is asking for.
When we put the totality of his words together, we can clearly see how great this man’s faith really is: “This man has done nothing wrong”
He had faith in the Person of Christ. As a crucified sinner he prays to a crucified Savior, “Jesus, remember me.” He had faith in the power of Christ and faith in the mercy of Christ. “When you come into Your kingdom” He had faith in the Kingdom of Christ
What about this prayer? This dying thief didn’t know the right words to say, but what he said was good enough because he said it to the right person. When he said, “Remember me,” he didn’t know all that he was asking for; before his last breath he received far more than he expected.
This thief on the cross was dying for his sins—a guilty man justly punished. He cried out to Jesus and at the very last second and was saved.
How do we know this wicked man was saved? Because of the answer Jesus gave him: “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” Jesus answered his request by giving him a promise with three parts.
Jesus gave him immediate salvation.
Note the word “today.” Jesus put it first for emphasis, meaning, “This very day, the day of your crucifixion.” Wherever “paradise” is, Jesus told this thief that he was going there that very day.
Jesus gave him a personal salvation.
The phrase means to be “with me in a very personal way.” It’s not “You over there and me over here” but “You and me together, side by side.” It means to be in the personal presence of another person. Wherever Jesus was going, this man would be right by his side. Sometimes we focus on the details of heaven so much that we miss the big picture. We wonder what our loved ones are doing in heaven. We know so little of what life is like on the other side. But this much is true. Heaven is where Jesus is and to be with Him is to be in heaven.
If I’ve been on a trip, I may say to someone, “I can’t wait to get home again.” I’m not talking about the literal bricks and carpet. It’s not as if when I come in, I say, “Hello, drapes, I’m glad to see you again. Hello, dining room, I missed sitting in those chairs.” You’d think something was wrong if I talked like that. No, home is precious to me because the love of my life is there. When I say, “I can’t wait to go home,” I mean I can’t wait to see Jane again. It’s the same thing with heaven. The glory of heaven is not the streets of gold or the gates of the pearl or the River of Life or all the angels. The glory of heaven is Jesus. Heaven is wherever Jesus is. When we finally get to where Jesus is, we’ll be home for all eternity.
Jesus gave him heavenly salvation.
“Paradise” is the crucial word. Scholars tell us that it originally referred to the walled gardens of the Persian kings. When a king wanted to honor his subjects, he’d invite them to walk with him in his garden. This same word was used in the Greek Old Testament to refer to the Garden of Eden, In Revelation 2:7 it refers to heaven. It is a place of beauty, openness, and inexpressible blessedness.
Taking these three promises together, we can see what a remarkable thing Jesus is saying. He’s promising that this thief—who’s lived his entire life in crime—will, upon his death, be transferred to heaven where he will be in the personal presence of Jesus Christ. Truly, this thief received much more than he asked for.
What a day this was for that vile criminal. In the morning he’s in prison, at noon he’s hanging on a cross, by sundown he’s in paradise. Out of a life of sin and shame, he passed immediately into eternal blessedness.
And from this we take great comfort as we bid farewell to our loved ones who have committed their lives to Christ and die in the Lord. At the very moment a believer dies, he/she passes immediately (“Today”) into the presence of Jesus in heaven. It’s what Paul meant when he said, “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). Heaven begins the moment we cross the divide between this life and the next. Not 50 years after we die, or 150 years or 1500 years later but today.
We have the promise of Jesus on this. This man—this thief, this criminal who if he showed up in church today would scare us to death, this man who, if he moved to our neighborhood would make us want to move, this man went directly from the cross to paradise.
Can you imagine what it was like when he arrived in heaven? This is why we must focus on the cross every day. Without focusing on the cross continually, we will very, very quickly revert to faith plus works as the ground of our salvation.
Most of us think of salvation in the first person but the Bible teaches that it’s always in the third person. It’s not, “Because I…” “Because I believed. Because I have faith. Because I am this. Because I am continuing.”
No, we’re all just like the dying thief. The answer for our salvation is in the third person: “Because He…” “Because He…” “Because Jesus…”
Think about the thief on the cross. I can’t wait to find him in heaven one day to ask him, “How did that work out for you? Because one moment you were cussing the guy out with your friend. You’d never been in a Bible study. You’d never been to church. You never got baptized. You didn’t know a thing about church membership. And yet—and yet, you made it! You made it! How did you make it?”
That’s what the angel must have said—you know, like, “What are you doing here?” “Well, I don’t know.” “What do you mean, you don’t know?”
“Well, ’cause I don’t know.” “Well, you know… Excuse me. Let me get my supervisor.”
They go get the supervisor angel: “So, we’ve just a few questions for you. First, do you understand church membership? Then, are you clear on the doctrine of justification by faith?” The guy says, “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’ve never heard of it in my life.”
“And what about… Let’s just go to the doctrine of Scripture immediately.” This guy’s just staring. And eventually, in frustration, the angel asks, “On what basis are you here?”
And that thief said, “The Man on the middle cross said I can come.”
Now, that’s the only answer! If I don’t preach the gospel to myself all day and every day, then I will find myself beginning to trust myself, trust my experience, which is part of my fallenness as a man. If I take my eyes off the cross, I can then give only lip service to its power while at the same time living as if my salvation depends upon me. As soon as you go there, it will lead to either despair or arrogance. It is only the cross of Christ that deals both with the despair of getting myself into heaven or the arrogance that thinks I’m good enough in myself.
It’s why Martin Luther (picture) said most of your Christian life is outside of you, in that we know that we’re not saved by good works, we’re not saved as a result of our professions, but we’re only saved as a result of the work of Christ and what He has achieved for us on the cross.
Conclusion
Let me end with three lessons of hope and encouragement.
1. It is never too late to turn to Christ
Sometimes people say, “I’m too old for this” or “I’m too old to try that.” Sometimes it’s true on the physical level. As you get older, there are some things you just can’t do any more. But no one can ever say that about turning to Jesus. It’s never too late to turn to Him. As long as there is life and breath, as long as the heart still beats, the invitation still stands. Can someone be saved at the last second? Because of God’s amazing grace, the answer is yes.
Those of us who are praying for our loved ones should take great hope from stories like this. Sometimes we look at people and say, “They’re just too far gone. They’ll never come to Jesus.” Then we get discouraged and stop praying for them. This story teaches us that no one is ever too far gone. It’s true, he waited until the very last second. But it’s also true that at that last second, he was saved. Don’t ever give up on those you love. They may, like this wretched thief, waste a lifetime and then at the end turn to Jesus Christ. Don’t despair…for yourself or for anyone else. It’s never too late to turn to Christ.
2. Even the very worst can be saved at the very last moment
Sometimes we hear people make fun of “deathbed” conversions, as if such things never happen. But they do. And why not? If a man knows that he is dying, is he not likely to think about the hereafter and where he will spend eternity?
I’m not suggesting that anyone should wait until the last moment to be saved. No one should think they can laugh at Christ for years and then at the last second repent and be saved. To be sure, such a thing could happen, and sometimes does happen, but it’s not the usual course of events.
As far as we can tell, the thief who believed in Jesus had no prior knowledge of Him, which makes his conversion even more remarkable. No one should use this as a reason to delay coming to Christ. Do not put off until tomorrow what you should do today. I’m sure if we could speak to him, he’d say, “Don’t delay. Don’t wait. Give your heart to Jesus now.”
Remember that two thieves were crucified with Jesus that day, but only one believed. As J. C. Ryle (picture) put it: “One thief on the cross was saved, that none should despair; but only one, that none should presume.”
The fact remains that this man who was a very bad man was indeed saved at the very last moment. Thank God it’s so. He’d lived an absolutely rotten life, yet he died a Christian death. It happened by the grace of Jesus Christ. He was pardoned before he lived a single righteous day.
Some feel that they’re too far gone in sin to ever be forgiven. Some feel so enslaved by their evil habits they despair of ever being set free. Many would do anything to be forgiven but they think forgiveness is impossible.
My friend, it doesn’t matter where you’ve been sleeping. It doesn’t matter what you’ve been drinking or shooting up. It doesn’t matter who you’ve been hanging around with. It doesn’t matter what sins you’ve committed. It doesn’t even matter if you’ve broken the Ten Commandments—all of them, one by one—this week. It just doesn’t matter. You can be saved right now. If this man can be saved, anyone can be saved. If there’s hope for him, there’s hope for you. If he can make it to heaven, so can you. If Jesus would take him, he’ll certainly take you.
3. God has made salvation simple so that anyone can be saved
Consider what we have in this story: It’s salvation independent of the sacraments. This man was never baptized, never took the Lord’s Supper, and never went to Confession. But he made it to heaven. All that God wants from us is simple faith in Jesus.
It’s salvation independent of the church. This man never went to church, never walked an aisle, never attended catechism class, and never gave his money. But he made it to heaven.
It’s salvation independent of good works. This man couldn’t lift a hand for the Savior – his hands were nailed to a cross. He couldn’t run any errands for the Lord – his feet were nailed to a cross. He could not give his money. He didn’t have a penny to his name. For this man, there was no way in but the mercy of God. It was all of grace! It was all because of Jesus! It always has been and always will be!
Over two hundred years ago William Cowper (picture) wrote a famous hymn called There is a Fountain that includes a verse about the dying thief. To my knowledge, it’s the only hymn that mentions this man:
There is a fountain filled with blood,
Drawn from Immanuel’s veins.
And sinners plunged beneath that flood
Lose all their guilty stains.
The dying thief rejoiced to see,
That fountain in his day.
And there may I, though vile as he,
Wash all my sins away.
All that God wants from us and all that he will accept, is simple faith in his son, Jesus Christ. When we place our faith in the Lord Jesus, in that very moment we are saved.
The question is simple. Are you ready to die? You have nothing to fear if you know the Lord. But you’re not ready to die if you don’t. Do you know Him? If not, commit your life to Him today, trust His cross for your salvation and forgiveness. That’s what the dying thief did, and you can too!