These few words show what the rest of the New Testament declares. That may be one of the 10 most important conversations ever recorded. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:39-43). Turning to the first thief, he said, “Don’t you fear God since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. For a while he too mocked Jesus with the challenge to save Himself and them if He really was the promised Messiah (Matthew 27:37-44).Īs the darkness closed in, however, the second thief had a change of heart. There was a second thief executed that day.Īt first he joined the others who ridiculed and insulted Jesus. It was easy to be furious with someone who claimed to be the light and hope of the world-then hung like a common criminal, not even saving Himself from death.Īngry with Jesus for being unable to help Himself or anyone else (Luke 23:39), the first thief died with his own sin in him and on him. The first thief wasn’t alone in his contempt for Jesus. He seems to have been especially angry with the man named Jesus who hung innocently at his side. He was probably angry with all those who had let him down along the way. He was probably angry with the judge who sentenced him. He was probably angry with himself for getting caught. The first thief seems to have died an angry man. By a judge wearing the authority of the Roman Caesar, he was sentenced and condemned, like a house that is no longer fit to live in. By the law of the land he was given the punishment he deserved. He was the first of two thieves executed that day. The third died with guilt on him but not in him.” Since finding that quote, I’ve held on to it as a profoundly simple description of some differences we all need to understand. A second man died with guilt in him but not on him. In words I have found memorable, someone had written, “One man died with guilt in him and on him. I found an explanation of the significance of those deaths written on the flyleaf of an old Bible. And yet, 2,000 years later, the world still talks about those three deaths. The event itself was common in the ancient Mideast. Roman executioners hammered nails through the wrists and ankles of three men and left them to die. In the Spring of 33 AD, the crucifixion of three men, outside the city walls of Jerusalem, changed the course of world history. Death usually came by suffocation when, hanging by his hands, the victim lost the strength to draw another breath. Like a helpless animal tangled in a barbed wire fence, the victim could survive for days with excruciating pain. Leather straps or spikes were used to hang a condemned man on a pole.
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