We find ourselves today in a world that is rife with conflict and controversy. We see it in the pandemic, in politics and in the church. Strong, opposing opinions on virtually everything have us questioning our family members, friends, our church family, and sometimes even ourselves. Boy, does Satan love it when God’s Church is at each other’s throats!
It might not look quite that violent on the outside, but I’ve been in enough conversations to know that our inward lions are often just on the verge of roaring and attacking! I know because I’ve been there.
Even without the controversy of COVID, God’s Church has a long history of feuding over issues, both major and minor. I was chatting with a friend about this over coffee last week and we were both heartbroken over what these disputes do to our witness to the world. There are so many schisms around various theologies and it can often appear as though we are just spoiled siblings.
That drew me back to the cross where Jesus was having a short dialogue with one of the thieves hanging next to him. Both criminals were condemned to die this horrific death because of their crimes.
The first criminal said, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us (Luke 23:39)!” Clearly, he was just looking for a way out of the fate that awaited him, and wanted to use Jesus to that end.
Now the conversation with the second thief is probably best known for Jesus’ response to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43).” It’s a verse that gives so many of us peace and assurance that when our believing loved ones die, they are IMMEDIATELY transported to heaven and into the throne room of God. It’s one of the clearest, most powerful Bible verses on that subject.
But that’s not what I want to look at today. Let’s look at the short conversation Jesus and Thief #2 had just prior to that declaration from Jesus. Here are the verses in between those conversations:
“But the other [thief] rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.’ And he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom (Luke 23:40-42).’”
This is where the real meat of this conversation happened. What was the second thief acknowledging in these few short statements?
- He feared God. Not in a terrified state, but as the merciful Judge that he is. The evidence of that was hanging right next to him.
- He understood that he was paying the penalty for his crime. He acknowledged his sin.
- He recognized that Jesus was the sinless Christ.
- He asked Jesus to remember him in his kingdom.
What is required of us to gain assurance that we, too, can be with Jesus in Paradise? It’s not a matter of getting every single theological nuance “correct.” Some of our theology will never be correct until we reach heaven and God opens up our eyes.
It is simply understanding who Jesus is – the sinless Son of God. Understanding who we are – lost souls who cannot save ourselves, in need of a Savior. And recognizing that Jesus took OUR penalty as he died on that cross. It’s the salvation message. It’s seeing Jesus as being simultaneously a merciful Judge and the sacrificial Lamb of God.
Thief #2 got all the basics right. He didn’t have years of Sunday school lessons or sermons or Bible studies. He simply recognized his position before God and his desperate need for Jesus’ atoning blood. And he asked that Jesus would remember him.
Please don’t misunderstand – I am absolutely in favor of Sunday school lessons and sermons and Bible studies and anything else that helps us develop a clearer understanding of God’s character and his promises. We should desire that our walk here on earth is one of sanctification as God’s Holy Spirit works in our lives to open our eyes to areas that need to become more Christ-like.
So when we’re tempted to get into a “civilized” knock-down fight over pandemic issues, or denominational issues, or anything else that isn’t essential to salvation, stop and remember the simple faith of Thief #2. He is in the Bible, in part, to illustrate “the most important thing.”
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved.
Romans 10:9