South End Church of Christ :: Article: Tale of Two Thieves

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	Tale of Two Thieves Aaron Erhardt Ricky Blackmon was executed in Texas for murder. The crime took place on March 28, 1987. Wearing a black ninja outfit and armed with a homemade sword, Blackmon went into a man’s home and viciously attacked him. He also stole $600 in cash and a small pistol. Though he received the appropriate penalty for his actions, Blackmon, who was the son of a gospel preacher and had been baptized into Christ, demonstrated genuine repentance in prison. He regularly prayed, studied, and tried to share the message with other inmates. He took full responsibility for his actions and asked God for forgiveness. Therefore, he died with hope. Does that remind you of someone in the Bible? — A man who had been convicted of a crime worthy of death and was executed by the state, but before dying acknowledged his guilt, demonstrated genuine repentance, and ultimately died with hope? — I’m thinking about the thief on the cross. Let’s read the story. “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. And Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’ And they cast lots to divide his garments. And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, ‘He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!’ The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine and saying, ‘If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!’ There was also an inscription over him, ‘This is the King of the Jews.’ 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 23:32-43). These two criminals, who are called thieves by Matthew and Mark, expected to die that day. They had already been convicted of their crime and sentenced to crucifixion. And they had probably anticipated dying next to a man named Jesus, but not this Jesus. There was another inmate on death row with them named Jesus Barabbas. Jesus Barabbas was a notorious criminal. He had committed robbery and murder during an insurrection. Surely the two thieves thought that Jesus Barabbas would be joining them on a cross, but he was replaced with another Jesus — Jesus of Nazareth. This was the result of Jewish insistence before Pilate. “But they all cried out together, ‘Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas’” (Luke 23:18). Jesus and the two thieves were led out to the place called “The Skull,” where crucifixions took place. This would have been “outside the gate” (Hebrews 13:12). It derived its name from the location itself, which resembled a human skull. Once there, the three men were hanged on their crosses, with Jesus in the middle of the thieves. This was in fulfillment of prophecy. “Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:12). While Jesus was on the cross, people mocked and ridiculed him. The rulers, soldiers, and even the two thieves hurled insults His way. (Matthew 27:44 tells us that both thieves “reviled” Jesus at first). Remarkably, Jesus did not lash out at His antagonists. He demonstrated great restraint and self-discipline as He died for the sins of the very ones who were mistreating Him. As the day wore on and death drew near, however, one of the two thieves had a change of heart. His perception of the Lord changed. And when the other thief went back to criticizing Jesus, he rebuked him, asking, “Do you not fear God?” This must have stunned the thief and left him speechless. His “partner in crime” had turned on him and was now standing up for the man in the middle. Even more surprising was what came next. The penitent thief asked the Lord to remember him when He came into the kingdom. Probably tilting His head in the direction of the man as best He could, Jesus assured him that he would not be forgotten. He declared, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” “Paradise” in this text refers to comfort in the Hadean realm. Jesus described that place in the story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16. The word, which is of Persian origin and denotes a pleasure garden, is also used of heaven in certain passages (2 Corinthians 12:3; Revelation 2:7). What caused the thief to have a change of heart? Earlier in the day, he was railing at Jesus just as the others were. But now he demonstrates genuine repentance. What do you suppose caused his change of heart? Was it merely the Lord’s demeanor on the cross? Or could it be that he had heard the preaching of Jesus or seen the miracles He performed? Had the seed already been planted, or was it based solely on the way Jesus carried Himself that day? While the thief was undoubtedly saved, it is important to note that he lived during the Lord’s earthly ministry before the New Covenant, which commands baptism in water for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16), took effect. Therefore, we should not look to the thief as an example of how men are saved today. To argue that we don’t have to be baptized because they thief was not baptized would be parallel to arguing that we don’t have to believe in our heart that God raised Christ from the dead (Romans 10:9) because the thief didn’t. The two thieves on the cross are a microcosm of humanity. They both had to decide what to do with Jesus. There was no getting around it. Each man had to make a choice. One of them rejected the Lord while the other ultimately accepted Him. Likewise, everybody living has to decide what to do with Jesus. This is a story of God’s grace. It reveals God’s willingness to forgive even the vilest offenders. The thief on the cross had been convicted of a crime worthy of death. Yet he acknowledged his guilt, demonstrated genuine repentance, and ultimately died with hope. That sounds a lot like Ricky, doesn’t it? This proves that no one is beyond the scope of God’s amazing grace!