It Is Finished

Two Criminals and Jesus Written By: Bekah Rooker

Luke 23:39-43 (English Standard Version)

39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him,[a] saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

We don’t have names for these men so for the sake of identification I will call the first one “one criminal” and the second “the other criminal” just like it is written here in the Gospel of Luke. 

One criminal: We are unsure exactly what their crime was to get them the crucifixion sentence but whether it was rape, murder, political offence or what, they ended up right next to Jesus. When I read the words that he spoke to Jesus I can’t help but  be reminded that the devil used similar words to tempt Jesus to jump off the cliff. “Are you who you say you are, then prove it?” His attitude and motive was all wrong for wanting to be saved. It’s almost like he resented being near someone so famous as he was dying. 

The other criminal: Before Jesus had a chance to say anything, the other criminal rebuked the first for his dishonor and ill reference to God. He recognized that Jesus was  innocent and did not deserve to die the same death they were dying. His attitude was completely different. Where the first man did not admit his wrong doing and was trying to get out of it, the second criminal saw his sin but saw Jesus as the true Son of God. He did not ask to be saved, just remembered. I looked up that word “remembered” in Greek and it means…to remember. Yep not much revelation there. The way I see it he was just going to be happy if He was remembered by Jesus. But….

Jesus: When I think how bloody and broken He was on the cross, my eyes fill up with tears. It is not just that he died but he was tortured and beaten to a pulp. The agony of being nailed to a cross is bad enough but to be beaten so badly beforehand just added to His suffering. Yet He still took the time to let the “other criminal” know that he would indeed be with Him in paradise that day. 

Father, I lift You up and praise Your name. Thank you for giving us Your Son, Jesus as an atonement for our sins. I am in awe of Your plan of redemption that You set forth from the beginning of time. I ask that you forgive me for the times when I ask for your deliverance of circumstances that my sin has placed me in before I have truly repented for my sin. You do not owe me anything. You gave…and continue to give every day. I am thankful for that and am glad when you remember me. I want to be like you so that even in my darkest hour I can look to others with forgiveness and give back the love that you so freely give me. May I give you glory with my life Lord, today and always. Amen