One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”
– Luke 23:39-43
Central to the gospel message is the declaration that God became one of us. This is what the writer of John is saying when he says, “The word became flesh and dwelt among us” (see John 1:14). In Christian theology this is called the incarnation, and it is held to be a mystery in the sense that we hold it to be true even if we strain to comprehend it. There are many implications of this doctrine, such as the encouragement that God is near and that God understands the struggles of our humanity. On Good Friday, the day in Christian tradition when we remember the death of Jesus, we get at the essential reason why God became one of us. It was for that moment in history when the one guiltless man would taste death for all.
The gospel writers give us accounts of Jesus’ trial(s) and crucifixion. In those accounts is a scene that should invite us to pause. At the place called Golgotha that day were three crosses, upon which three men were suffering the sentence of death. Some differentiation between those individuals is needed. First, one is different from the other two in a key way. The two had been sentenced rightly; they had committed the crimes that brought punishment upon them. In contrast, the third had committed no crime. The suffering he was enduring was unjustly thrust upon him. Two deserved to be there. The third did not.
There is another distinction to make between the one and the two. Although scripture doesn’t explicitly tell us this, there is every reason to affirm that the two who were guilty of crimes were not willingly giving themselves to the death sentence. Given the option they would have chosen to avoid being tried, found guilty, and subjected to the painful consequences of their actions. In short, hanging on their crosses was not their choice. In contrast, the third man chose to be there. Even being innocent of any wrongdoing, he made a choice to give himself to the punishment. “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative” (John 10:17-18a).
Three men. Two men suffering rightly the consequences they would avoid if given the choice. One man wrongly suffering consequences, yet choosing to suffer nonetheless.
Now observe the differentiation between the two unnamed criminals. Both look to Jesus as a source of hope, but in starkly contrasting ways. The first, we are told, was speaking to Jesus with an abusive tone. “If you are who you say you are, save yourself—and us also!” You can hear the rebellious spirit. What the man wanted was no more than to be released from the consequences of his actions.
The other man, though, expressed a different attitude. He first chastened the other criminal for his words. A simple paraphrase of his comments would be, “Good grief, man! Have you no respect for God? You and I are getting what we deserve, but this man has done nothing wrong.” We can clearly see that this man’s heart is in a different place, given his immediate willingness to rebuke the first. As further evidence, notice how he approaches Jesus. “Remember me when you come into your kingdom.” This is not a plea to be saved from his circumstances; it is a plea for mercy and for healing. It is this kind of plea that captures the heart of Jesus.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer makes a profound observation about something we easily see in the text and yet often fail to grasp. Bonhoeffer points out that Jesus does not try to convert the two men who were dying with him. Instead, he waits until one of them turns to him. All three were dying. Each of the two criminals had the same access to Jesus. To the best of our knowledge, one of the criminals drew his last breath with rebellion still in his heart. The other drew his last breath with an assurance from Jesus: “You will be with me in Paradise.” You and I would use the word “heaven.” Regardless of the word, the promise Jesus offers the man has to do with the glorious presence of God.
Two men. Two different responses to Jesus. Which one represents you?
The Winding Path 