“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 that was 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
“And as Jesus reclined at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ But when He heard it, He said, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick…for I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.'” – Matthew 9:10-13
“For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.” – Luke 19:10
Today we hear Jesus speak for the third time from the cross. This time it is part of an encounter between Jesus and those being executed with Him. We are not told who they are specifically…only that He was crucified with two criminals. One on His right and one on His left…Jesus in the middle. Both of the men speak to Jesus and Jesus responds to one. What does this conversation reveal to us about God and the work of Jesus on the cross?
Before we look at the specific conversation I would like to draw your attention to the detailed description of this arrangement. After all, why are we told of this? From our seats in the 21st century this seems to just add insult to injury. Our Savior…the Son of God…the “innocent” one is lumped in with these “common criminals”. This is just another humiliation for our Lord…or is it?
Maybe this is just like Jesus. Maybe this is a totally appropriate setting for the One who came to seek and save those who were lost. Maybe this should not be such a surprise or offense to us. In fact, the Scriptures tell us that Jesus was known for hanging out with the riff raff…the criminals…and that He was usually right in the middle of them.
This was one of the major criticisms the relious leaders had of this renegade prophet. Jesus was too friendly with the people of questionable character. They even labeled Him as a “friend of tax collectors and sinners” (Matthew 11:19). He went places He wasn’t supposed to go. He touched people He wasn’t supposed to touch. He loved the unloved. So, once again, this should not be such a surprise to us when His life ends in the company of two convicted criminals. This is exactly where Jesus would want to be!
So, before we hear His words let us look at the cross and His surroundings and be reminded that our God puts Himself in the middle and loves the lowest of the low…the outcast…those rejected by the world…those who deserve to be crucified…those like you and me.