The Second Word

 “And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” Luke 23:43.

Christ and the Good Thief

Jesus loved and forgave his persecutors and executioners, and then he forgave the thief  that hung next to him when he demonstrated his faith and penitence. He promised the good thief the gift of paradise. But why did he forgive and promise eternal salvation to the thief on his right, and said nothing to the thief on his left? The good thief confessed his sins and that he deserved his punishment and acknowledged that the man in the middle was sinless. The good thief acknowledged that Jesus was Lord when he said, “Lord, remember me. . . .” He acknowledged that Jesus was King when he said, “. . . when you come to your kingdom.” This acknowledgment and confession emanating from the depth of his heart with no hope for recourse to the present world ingratiated him to Jesus. The other thief said nothing except to plea and ask that he be allowed to return to his life of malfeasance. We don’t know what his eternal destiny is. The good thief’s eyes were on heaven; the gaze of the other was locked on an earthly domain, but we know that this domain was not of Jesus.

The good thief didn’t merely utter to himself, “I believe”. When Judas saw that he had betrayed the Lord the self-remorse must have been staggering but did nothing except retreat into himself. Then he sinned even further by taking his own life. When Peter betrayed the Lord his remorse was staggering, but his remorse led to seeking forgiveness and action – doing everything he could to witness for Jesus and His Gospel. The good thief did everything his limited circumstances would allow. He chastised the other thief and tried to bring him to the joy of eternity with Jesus. He acted upon his faith. He defended the Lord when nobody else did. Not Peter, not Andrew, not James – not anyone except the good thief. He who was last was first.

Don’t be so quick to judge others. Appearances don’t count. The good thief must have led a miserable life because he himself said he deserved his punishment. He wasn’t suave and he wasn’t articulate, but when the opportunity presented itself, he accepted and acted.

The good thief’s conversion took place immediately after Jesus asked God to forgive his executioners because they knew not what they did. Maybe it’s time we started forgiving others for their transgressions against us. Have you had someone falsely accuse you, strike you with blow after blow, press thorns into your head, lash you with barbaric whips time and time again, press a heavy cross upon your shoulders, spit upon you, humiliate you, drive spikes through your hands and through your feet, and wait with glee for your imminent death? I know someone who has, and he forgave. After he forgave, he then brought someone else directly to God’s kingdom. We are asked to suffer with Jesus and when we do so we are assured of being raised with Him. Maybe we should express our faith by following his commandment of forgiving others.

Before we leave the Second Word let me point out several other lessons Jesus taught:

We often wonder about unanswered prayers. Here is an example of a prayer that was answered immediately. There was no time for delay; the thief was going to expire in an hour or so. The prayer was answered after the thief had given his heart and soul to the Lord. Jesus answered his prayer and, in the process, teaches us an eternal lesson. Maybe when you think your prayer is unanswered, perhaps it’s just awaiting the right time for it to be answered, all in accordance with God’s will.

Did Jesus answer questions put to him by Pilate and the others demonstrating their arrogance and demanding an answer or a sign? No! He only answered the good thief who came to him in meekness and humility.

Don’t delay your conversion and commitment to the Lord; don’t drift from the shore. You don’t know when Jesus will come for you. I expect that there are many, just like the thief on the left, who face imminent death with hate and hostility and still refuse to acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ. Death bed conversions occur, of course, but don’t count on it.

Finally, to remove any doubt, Jesus proclaimed that he was the Savior and God. None else but God can forgive sins and this is what Jesus did for his persecutors. Only God can assure us of eternal salvation, and this is what Jesus did for the thief on his right.

Bishop Sheen: “The Last Judgment was prefigured on Calvary; the Judge was in the center, and the two divisions of humanity on either side: the saved and the lost, the sheep and the goats.” Jesus made it easy for you to be counted among his sheep. He is indeed your personal savior – if that’s what you want.

Some websites and references

Footnotes and Attributions

Christ and the Good Thief by Titian (c 1556) retrieved from Wikimedia Commons.

Last modified August 4, 2019