The Thief On The Cross

All over the news last week was the story of the death of one of the great comedians.
Death, as it has been reported, by his own hand.
Impossible, seemed to be the most common response.
How could someone who made us laugh, who touched our heart, struggle with depression?

We have our categories.
Funny.
Serious.
Happy.
Sad.

We put people inside our self-made little boxes.
Once inside, they can never get out.
That is who they are.
We feel comfortable when everyone is tucked in where they should be.

Except boxes cannot hold human emotions.
Boxes cannot contain human feelings.
A labyrinth may be a better description.
A maze of confusion; feeling one way one day and another way the next.

Even God said so, in His Word.

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
(Jeremiah 17:9)

Who can understand it indeed?

Apparently, the reporters understand.
Apparently, Facebook can settle it for us.
Apparently, Twitter has the full story.
Apparently, Instagram has captured just the right picture to explain it all.

Only God knows the heart.
Only God knows the Truth.
Only God knows what those last moments revealed about the heart that deceived so often.
Only God.

When a tragedy happens, whether it be on a large scale or a small scale, people take sides.
Everyone has on opinion; an opinion that turns ugly as they stand their ground.
Much like Job’s friends, what may start out as a friendly debate, ends in ugliness.
The situation at hand becomes larger than life; it begins to snowball into other things.

One post in particular caught my eye.

…what is wrong with people? You spend so much time making commentary on someone else’s life and death. How about how you live your everyday life…

There is Biblical Truth in that statement.

Jesus said, “Feed My sheep. I tell you the truth; when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate  the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them…When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about Him?” Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow Me.” (John 21:17-19)

Peter did indeed die the way Jesus had told him.
Peter was crucified; he stretched out his hands.
Peter wanted to know about John; how was he going to die?
Jesus ended the discussion with that which we all must be concerned.

You must follow Me.

We can spend our lives wondering, calculating, making charts and graphs.
We can guess; we can speculate.
That is all it is: guesswork and speculation.
It gets us nowhere; it divides; it puts the focus where it should not be.

The post that caught my eye had many responses.
Many of them were not too kind to Christians.
According to the comments, Christians have determined this man’s eternal destiny.
Some of the comments were less than kind; some were downright hateful.

I wanted to respond, but I didn’t.
It was not the place or the venue for such a discussion.
It would have led to back and forth that would have gotten lost in the READ MORE.
The READ MORE that many never click on, since they are sure they know the rest.

Here is what I would have said had I responded.

The thief on the cross.

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at Him: “Aren’t You the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserved. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with Me in paradise.” (Luke 23:39-43)

Can you imagine the Facebook posts?
Thief has the audacity to ask for forgiveness.
Thief is bold enough to want Jesus to remember him.
Thief, who lived a life on the other side of the law, wants leniency.

Imagine that.
The man’s life has been mapped out.
He lived on the other side of the law for most of his days.
He deserves death.

But in those final moments, when he saw the reality of who Jesus really is, it changed him.
All his deeds, all his sin, all his brokenness, was mended on the cross.
Mended in those last final minutes.
Today you will be with Me in paradise.

I don’t know the final moments of the man who made us laugh.
I don’t know what he said in his heart to the Lord Jesus.
If, he realized who Jesus really is, the Son of God, then he could be bold in his asking.
Bold, even in those final moments.

How dare we ever presume the eternal destiny of another.
Yes, we can look at fruit in a life to see evidence of saving faith.
But what about the thief’s fruit?
That fruit would have been rotten for most of his days.

Rotten until the last few moments when it all came together.
No punch line.
No comedy.
Just plain, simple Truth.

Today you will be with Me in paradise.
Even in that final hour, even in those final moments, Jesus knows the heart.
Let us follow Jesus’ admonition to Peter.
…what is that to you? You must follow Me.

 

2 responses to “The Thief On The Cross”

1. Good comments, Gina. We as a society, and even more, sad to say, Christians, are quick to judge someone’s eternal destiny. We have no right to do so! Only God knows the heart of each of us. And it matters not how long we have known Christ as our Savior, it is that we do. My husband did not make that decision until age 66, three years before he died. He said at his baptism, “What made me wait so long?” But I thank God he DID and was blessed with the gift of great faith for the rest of his life, even though he was ill all that time .I am so thankful for God’s grace.

   Reply

   • Sue,
     What a praise that your husband came to Christ! It would be lovely if we all followed Him all of our days, but that is not the case for many. Whether all our days, or a few minutes at the end of our lives, once we come to a saving knowledge of Jesus, nothing can snatch us from His hand. What grace!
     Gina

     Reply