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The
writer has beautifully captured the fact that: “There were no accidents in
the life of the Lord Jesus-only appointments. It was not accidental that the
Lord Jesus was between these two thieves because the Father was working out His
gracious providential plan.”
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Lord,
remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom”. Words wet with remorse and sorrow
trickled down from the bleeding mouth of one of the two dying thieves. They
were criminals crucified on the cross at Golgotha as punishment for committing
crime under the Roman law. The hillock of Golgotha stood outside the walled City
of Jerusalem; where the deadly punishment of death by crucifixion* was conferred
to the worst criminals as a deterrent punishment. In between the crosses of
those two thieves stood one cross, on which was crucified the One, who knew no
sin, did no sin and in Him was no sin, and yet He was numbered with the criminals.
A large
crowd gathered at Golgotha that morning, which included the chief priests, the
teachers of the Law and the elders. Those who passed by that way also came and
joined the mob. Their entire attention was focused singularly upon the One who
was crucified on the cross at the
centre, although He did not commit any crime. On the contrary, He did only good
things to the people. He healed all manner of sicknesses and diseases among the
people. He healed the lepers, the demon possessed were set free, the blind were
restored to sight, the palsied healed, an epileptic boy healed, the dead were raised
alive. His compassion for the people knew no bounds. He was merciful to those
who cried for mercy. He forgave and continues to forgive the sins of the
people.
The sun
hesitated to send his beams down upon the earth as the atmosphere was
surcharged with hatred and bitterness against the One, who hung on the cursed
tree, between those two thieves, and the air became heavy with the stench of
death. The vultures hovered above their heads seeking to devour their prey.
It was
none but Christ Jesus, the Prince of life. After crucifying Him, and after
parting His garments by casting lots, the Roman soldiers sat down and sipped
wine, as their manner was, and watched the Suffering Servant of Jehovah,
entertaining themselves at the suffering of the King of glory. 'You who are
going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come
down from the cross if you are the Son of God!' said the passers-by, wagging
their heads.
'He
saved others, but He cannot save Himself! He is the King of the Jews! Let Him
come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him' mocked the chief priests,
the teachers of the Law and the elders.
The
thieves were not far behind in sneering and jeering at the Lord.
From
every mouth flew insults, scorn and mockery. Their hatred of the Lord Jesus,
the prince of Glory was visibly manifest in its worst form.
As the
grace of God had its work upon the children of men, one of the thieves stopped
jeering at the Lord any more. But the other continued his outburst, 'if Thou be
the Christ, save Thyself and us'. He did not come to save Himself, but to lay down
His life as a ransom for the sin of everyman born upon this earth.
'Don't
you have the fear of God, seeing that you are also in the same condemnation?'
The other dying thief cautioned his comrade. He continued in the same breath,
'you and I are punished justly: for we receive the due reward for our criminal
deeds, we deserve to die like this for our crime, but this Man, has done
nothing amiss!'
The
message of the cross preached by the penitent dying thief to his dying comrade
on the cross! But there was brazen silence.
This dying
penitent thief then slowly turned his eyes towards the Saviour. He singled out
himself and pleaded trembling, 'Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom'.
When everyone else hated Him, condemned Him, accused Him, jeered at Him, wagged
their heads at Him; and yet although he was all alone, he trusted in the
Saviour and pleaded for mercy.
The Lord
Jesus while upon the cross was bleeding profusely all over. The crown made of
sharp thorns, placed on His head tore his brow, from which blood oozed down.
His body had long furrows like a man's ploughed field and the huge amount of
blood that came there-from covered his being giving the spectacle of a garment
dyed in crimson red. Our Lord's visage was marred than any man. He had no form
or comeliness and there was no beauty that anyone would desire Him. Nothing but
coarse mockery and crude insults rained on Him from every mouth.
The penitent
thief, who had the rare privilege of being nearer to the cross of the Saviour,
could see the grace, the gentleness, the love, the meekness and the holiness of
the Saviour in display in full grandeur. There had been no bitterness on the
face of the Lord to those who unjustly tried Him, unjustly flogged Him,
buffeted Him, spat upon Him, crowned Him with a thorny crown, and scoffed at
Him and humiliated Him. The Lord moved with compassion at their ignorance and asked
the Father for their forgiveness. The penitent thief saw those extraordinary
virtues of the Saviour.
The
grace of God working in his heart brought to remembrance, the coming of the
kingdom of God and the following judgment that is reserved for sinners like
him. The penitent
thief saw in Jesus his Saviour and Lord that, 'This man hath done nothing
amiss'. He was the holy Son of God. He believed in the deity of Jesus, by
calling Him Lord (Romans 10:13), when the multitude called him, “scoffer”. He
said “Lord, remember me, when Thou cometh in Thy kingdom!” It was a prayer
which embraced in its fold, the Kingship of Christ and His everlasting kingdom,
and his earnest desire to enter into that Kingdom. Amazing grace!
'Today,
thou shalt be with Me in paradise' said the Saviour. The repentant thief
marvelled at the authority with which the Lord Jesus spoke amidst His
sufferings and agony upon the cross. Words of profound comfort! Words of
eternal joy! It brought cheer to his soul. The malefactor felt that he had come
to possess a priceless treasure, though it was at the end of his little life.
The certainty preceded the assurance of it, 'verily I say unto thee'....and the
imminence of this promise, 'today shalt thou be with Me...' O! what a Saviour!
The
penitent thief drowned in exhilarating joy. Unspeakable joy and peace that
transcends human understanding enveloped his soul. The Lord had forgiven his
sins. As he was musing in his heart about the joy of the assurance of
salvation, he saw black dark clouds gathering in the sky, the sun began to
darken and darkness covered the entire earth.
'My God,
My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me', the loud cry of the Saviour reverberated
through the hills and valleys of Palestine. The storm of God's wrath raged upon
His Son. The Father turned His face away from the Son. But the Son 'finished'
the arduous task entrusted to Him, at the appointed time. The Almighty God, the
Father was fully satisfied. As if to relay the delight of the Father, the sun
burst through the dark clouds and shined brightly over all the earth.
The
thief adored His Saviour. The violent strokes of the club that fell upon his
legs could not deter him from worshipping his Saviour, Lord and Master. Moments
passed. As the soul of the penitent thief passed into Paradise, the city which
has foundations of exquisite precious stones of diverse kinds, with gates of elegant
pearls and its streets made of pure gold,which dazzles like transparent glass,
outshined by the very presence of the Sovereign God where there is no more
sorrow and no more weeping, the soul of the impenitent thief passed into the blackness
of the darkness of hell, to the company of Satan, the old serpent and the
deceiver of souls and the multitude of the fallen angels, where there is
weeping and wailing for the timeless ages of eternity.
*Death
by Crucifixion:- Death by crucifixion is the most barbaric and heinous, as it
is gradual death by hanging on three sharp nails supported by raw flesh,
running into several days. It used to be quite a long-drawn-out, process rarely
ending before thirty six hours. The pain was intense and excruciating, as the
whole body was strained, while the hands and feet, which are just a mass of
nerves and tendons, would keep losing blood. The arteries of the head and
stomach would be surcharged with blood, causing aching headache, traumatic
fever and tetanus would set in caused by sharp nails with which the victim's
palms and feet are nailed to the cross with brute force. The legs of the victim
are shattered with club, if for any reason the crucifiers intended to hasten
the death of the victim.
If you want to understand more about God’s
Free Gift of Salvation in these final moments of human civilization, you could
read through the several other articles in this blog archive.
- by Nadesan K.
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