THE THIEF ON THE CROSS


Today I have chosen to write a special article about the thief on the cross. This thief on the cross story is found in Luke 23:39-43. Anytime when I read this story my heart was deeply touched. Here it goes.

Then one of the criminals, the first thief, who was hanged blasphemed Him, saying, "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us. But the other, the second thief, answering, rebuked him saying, Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong. Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom." And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." This thief was dying on the cross. He committed a lot of crimes during his lifetime for which he was punished with death on the cross. There was nothing more that he could do to save his life.

The other thief on the cross looked at Jesus and said, "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us." But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? "And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong." 

Jesus was hanged for doing nothing wrong. Does it not touch your heart when you read this story?

Then the second thief said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom." Jesus knew that this thief would die on the cross on that day. He knew that the thief could not repent even if he wanted to. There was no time left for him to repent. He made the decision to surrender himself unconditionally to Jesus. And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."

This story is about Jesus’ grace. He knew what the thief was capable of doing while he was dying on the cross. He also knew what the thief was not capable of doing. And based on what He knew about the thief He decided to save him while the other thief who threw abusive words at Jesus was not saved.

Brothers and Sisters. Jesus’s grace to us is not a gift without a condition. Yes, it is a free gift but with conditions. If the gift is without a condition then Satan wants to get that gift of grace too from Jesus.

God knows whether we are capable or incapable of complying with His will, like the second thief on the cross. If we claim grace because we refuse to comply with His will, we cannot fool God by claiming "grace" as an excuse not to do His will.

Unless we do His will, God will not accept us in His Kingdom!

"Not everyone who says to Me, `Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. "Many will say to Me in that day, `Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' "And then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'” Matthew 7:21-23

The only exception is the thief on the cross. God knows what we are capable of or not capable of doing when we claim grace. If we can do hip-hop, salsa, strip dance, rock n roll, cha-cha-cha, etc. with no problems, and then ask God for grace (wheelchair) because we are too lazy to walk, He will tell us to pick up the wheelchair in hell.

In Genesis 7:1 God said,  Then the LORD said to Noah, "Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen [that] you [are] righteous before Me in this generation.

If you have $1,000.00 in the bank and you owe $50.00 to your neighbor, don't ask God to give you grace so you don't pay your neighbor.

Amen.



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