“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 23:39-43
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'” – Matthew 7:21-23
“So they said to Him, ‘Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe in you? What work do you perform?'” – John 6:30
Yesterday we looked at the placement of Jesus among criminals and we were reminded that this was not an uncommon place for Jesus to be. He spent much of His life and His ministry among the outcasts of society. Like the shepherd in Luke 15, we have a God who seeks the lost sheep. Jesus is a “friend of sinners”.
We should also notice that the two crucified with Jesus knew who He was. This conversation that we read shows us that both criminals were not only familiar with Jesus, but also with His claims and His ministry. Since we have already established that Jesus spent a lot of time in that circle of people, it only makes sense that these men might know Jesus…by name and reputation.
So, both of these men “knew” about Jesus and His claim to be Messiah…the Christ, but they have two very different responses to Him. One joins the mockery of the crowd and expresses an attitude of disdain. “I thought you said you were the Christ…prove it! Save yourself and us!” The other responds from the same circumstance…the same suffering…under the same condemnation, with a humble request. It is a personal request as well, but not loaded with anger…it is made with humble respect. “Jesus, I know who you are and I know who I am. I realize that I need you…have mercy on me…remember me…”
A simple request. A prayer. A call for help. A humble attitude of repentance. The salvation of a soul.
The Scriptures tell us that many people are like the criminals on the cross. They know about Jesus. They know about His claims. They may even go to church and live a “good” life, but they don’t “know” Jesus personally. Before they are willing to follow Him they want to see proof. They are waiting for a sign that Jesus really loves them. Isn’t it ironic that the greatest demonstration of God’s love for us was happening right between these criminals. One saw it and experienced redemption. The other saw it, but was blinded to it by his own pain and selfish desires.
Do you know Jesus…personally? You can. Don’t allow the depth of your hurt keep you from coming to the only One who can save you.