Romans 3:23 “all
have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”
I want to take you
back to the foot of the cross. I want you to imagine that you are the
solider standing opposite the cross that Jesus is hanging on and you
witness the following dialogue, a dialogue that has two different
perspectives and two different outcomes by two people in exactly the
same situation:-
Thief 1
“Who are you? You
are the Christ aren't you? Ha, what nonsense, you are no different to
us otherwise you wouldn't be here hanging on a cross like me. I tell
you what, here's a challenge, get yourself off that cross, save
yourself if you are who you say you are, Oh, and while you at it,
saving yourself, save me as well.”
Thief 2
“Will you just be
quiet. We're here for a reason. We did wrong and we are getting what
we deserve. Don't you fear God? This man has done nothing wrong.
Jesus will you remember me when you come into your own?”
Jesus
“Today you will be
with me in paradise”
You then witness the
cry from Jesus' lips “It is finished” and then total silence.
You whisper to
yourself “This man really was the Son of God”
It is recorded that
Jesus said in John 10:9-10 “I am the door and the person who enters
through me will be saved and will be able to come in and go out and
find pasture. A thief comes to steal and kill and destroy, but I come
to give life, life in all its fullness.”
and in Matthew 10:38-39 Jesus says “whoever is not willing to carry the cross and
follow me is not worthy of me. Those who try to hold onto their lives
will give up true life. Those who give up their lives for me will
hold onto true life.”
There were two
thieves and there are two choices. Are we going to be like the first
criminal only wanting to be saved for our own benefit? All he wanted
was to get down from the cross and continue doing the same things he
had been put on a cross for. There was no repentance only regret that
he had been caught.
Jesus never
responded to this man.
Or are we going to
be like the second criminal who saw Jesus for who he really was, not
just a man on a cross, but the Son of God. This man realised that
there was no hope and having made the public declaration of rebuking
the other criminal he asks Jesus to remember him. He felt that it was
too late to ask for forgiveness, after all he was going to die
anyway.
Jesus responds to
this man with the words “Today you will be with me in paradise”
That response still
comes today to all those who recognise that Jesus is the Christ the
Son of the living God and the one who gave His life for us all.
The first criminal
went to his death full of anger and bitterness, hurling abuse,
kicking and screaming all the way to hell. The other criminal went in
peace knowing forgiveness all the way to heaven.
What will our choice
be today.
