At a time during the long drawn-out hours of pain, thirst and misery, when by jeers and taunts priests, people and Roman soldiers seemed bent on adding as much as they could to the sufferings of Jesus, there came marvellous help and encouragement from an altogether unexpected source. What was it that turned the thief at Jesus’ right hand from curses and blasphemy to the utterance of a matchless confession of faith? The gospels offer no explanation, nor do the commentators. It is ground for thankfulness that the fact is recorded.
The contrast between the two malefactors is picked out markedly by Luke’s choice of word “other”—a different kind of man. The one ends his days foaming out bitter curses and sarcastic sneers: “You are the Messiah, aren’t you?” The other not only rebukes him but also acknowledges his own fate to be well-deserved. His estimate of Jesus is remarkable: “This man hath done nothing amiss.” But how did he know that Jesus had done nothing amiss? Even if taken in a vague, general way as signifying: ‘This Jesus has committed no bloody crimes as we have,’ his words are sufficiently startling as betraying a knowledge of the kind of man Jesus was and the work he had been doing. But if the words are taken at their face value then this thief must have known Jesus before this, and known him so intimately as to be able to say with emphasis: ‘This man hath done nothing amiss; his character is without any blemish; none has ever convicted him of sin.’
By itself this conclusion might appear farfetched. But the rest of this unique incident makes it a much more likely explanation.
To continue reading this Bible article, click here.
Author: Harry Whittaker
Keywords: thief on the cross, malefactor, Paradise, remember me, thief, thieves, two thieves
Bible reference(s): Luke 23:39-43
Source: Studies in the Gospels.
Page indexed by: inWORD Bible Software.