The Solomon Series will be continued next time, but the Lord led me to write on the topic of the Cross!
There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death. Luke 23:32
Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.”
But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” Luke 23:39-43
Jesus and two criminals were all being crucified on calvary. For a casual observer, it would have been easy to assume Jesus was guilty by association. Perhaps, they crucified the two criminals at this time to convolute the issue and to convince everyone that Jesus was just as guilty.
Man has a tendency to cover up his sins by variety of ways such as focusing on other people’s sin, comparing his sin to others, or thinking that everyone does it. This takes attention away from our issues in an attempt to minimize our sins. The Lord does not deal with us or our sins as a group. He designed us to be in a relationship with Him, and He never intended for people to have a higher priority in our lives. Regardless of others’ sin, we will each stand before the Father on our own, and we cannot use other people’s actions, attitudes, or teachings to explain or convult our sin.
The two criminals had much in common up to the point of crucifixion. However, this moment changed the direction of their eternity. One criminal mocked Jesus’ identity and told Him that if He was the Christ, He should save Himself and the two of them. The sad truth was that the first criminal never acknowledged his sin but was expecting to get away from being punished. In addition, the criminal was used by the enemy to tempt Jesus one more time into questioning His identity.
Everyone of us will have to face Jesus and respond to His work on the Cross. Some will try to ignore their sin and expect cheap grace. Others will expect that their good works is enough for them to be pardoned, but none of those can fix our sinful condition before a Holy God. If our self-effort were enough, Jesus did not have to be crucified.
The second criminal scolded the first one, and he acknowledged that he feared God. He recognized that he was a sinner and the punishment he was receiving was just for what he had done. He knew that Jesus wasn’t like them and that He was innocent of the charges. He also acknowledged Jesus to be the Messiah and that He had a heavenly Kingdom.
The second criminal was able to look at his own actions and take responsibility for them. This is critical for our Salvation and our walk with God. Some people do not recognize their depth of sin or think they have something special to offer to God. We will stand before a holy God and none of our accomplishments and accolades will justify our goodness. The criminal could not offer anything to Jesus except confessing his sins and believing in the Messiah. Jesus mercifully received him immediately into the Kingdom without finding fault with him. He also has the power to receive us into His family when we invite Him into our lives.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. 1John 8-10
We are all faced with the two decisions that the criminals had. One denied and tried to get away from his sin. The other confessed and accepted the Messiah. One died in his sin and the other one went to be with the Lord! Praise God for His marvelous work and for Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross!
