Even as Jesus hung on the cross in unspeakable agony, He was full of love and compassion. In His pain, He prayed these unforgettable words to His Father.
Luke 23:34
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
In this one statement, Jesus shows His deep love for the lost, even to the point of asking His Father to forgive the very men who had nailed Him to a cross. These men didn’t understand who they were crucifying. Unlike the criminal to the left and the criminal to the right of Him, Jesus was a sinless man dying for the sins of the world.
2 Corinthians 5:21
God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
The very Son of God who gives breath to every human being, including the crowd that had gathered around the cross, came to earth to pay the penalty of sin for all mankind. This is the same sin that bars us from Heaven. What a great irony! It was Jesus who gave the crowd the breath to mock Him:
Luke 23:35
The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”
All men will eventually experience eternal life or eternal death, Heaven or hell. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we as believers no longer have death as our promised land, our eternal destination.
In their unbelief, the crowd gathered at the cross mocked Jesus, telling Him to save Himself if He was truly God’s Chosen One. But if He had done as they suggested and not finished the task given to Him by His Father, it would have nullified the opportunity for sinners to enter Heaven. They never understood that Jesus was the Son of God! He is both the creator of life and the keeper of our never-dying souls. Notice Jesus never rebuked the mockers. Why? Because from the beginning of the earth’s foundation, Jesus, sitting at the right hand of God, knew that as the Son of God, acceptance or rejection of Him was the eternal crossroads. Men would either accept the grace given to them through Him and live, or they would reject it and die. Jesus never rejects men who seek His forgiveness; men reject Jesus!
Now Luke focuses on the two men also being crucified—whose crimes deserved death—one on the right and one on the left of Jesus. The thief on the left mocked Jesus, like the crowd did. But the thief on the right, fully aware of his own sin, humbly asked the Lord to remember him. Meanwhile, the criminal on the left continued hurling insults and asking Jesus for a miracle.
Luke 23:39
One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at Him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
The one thief, in his arrogance, was saying, “Jesus, if you are really the Son of God, snap your fingers and save yourself and us.” This man didn’t want to be forgiven; he took pride in his low position as if his sin was a crown; he wanted the miracle of God without humbling himself.
But the man on the right had the opposite response. He was sobered by his imminent death, acknowledging that he deserved his punishment. He looked at Jesus and, in humility, said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Luke 23:42). Why this sharp contrast? Doubters of Jesus often feel entitled and mock the very gift of God, while those of us who place our faith in Christ know we actually don’t deserve to go to Heaven. We know it’s only by the grace of God, through what Jesus did on the cross, that we will get there. We only have to accept His free gift of salvation. The significance of the two men crucified next to Jesus is that they represent ALL men. We as men are much like the two thieves being crucified––we are all sinners who deserve death.
Romans 3:10-12
There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.
This is what the man on the right understood. We all have fallen short! Yet consider this: Even the worst among us, on their deathbed, has the hand of God’s grace reaching out to them! Our good deeds do not cover our sins, nor does turning from sins pay the debts of sins. No! Jesus is the only way. The spectators at the cross also joined in the mocking. They wanted to see signs and miracles, yet the thief on the right understood he needed a Savior!
So, which one are we? Are we the disciples in the audience who mourn to see the Savior of the world being crucified, wondering if there is a better way? Are we the spectators and onlookers mocking Jesus, wanting Him to do a miracle instead of accepting His grace? Are we like the criminal on the right, knowing our need can’t be covered by outward change but only by God’s saving grace?
We all need God’s grace through Jesus, who took our sins to the cross, but are we too busy mocking the free gift? The last words of Jesus were, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” We also have the opportunity to commit our spirit to God through Jesus, our Savior. He will never reject us because of our sin, because he paid ALL our debt!
S.L. Thomas
RTM