Luke.23:33,”And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.”
The story of the Crucifixion of Messiah, his burial and resurrection are all familiar to us, especially as we meditate upon it in this season. We also read about the two thieves who were crucified with Messiah, one on the right and one on the left. This is also mentioned in the four gospels (Matt27:38; Mark.15:27; Luke.23:32; John.19:18). Their names are not known, neither the crimes for which they were crucified.
In the thieves, we see a picture of mankind: both were (sinners) thieves, both were punished on the cross, both the thieves were suffering and Messiah was in their midst. Today we too are in the same position. We are all sinners (Rom.3:23), we are all being punished for our sins (Rom.6:23)in some way or the other, through famine, floods, plagues, enemies, etc. We are all suffering for our sins and most of us are like the unrepentant thief, but we do not realize it. But the good news is that Yahshua Messiah is still in our midst, to give us hope for a better tomorrow! His angels, the Holy Spirit and his Word are with us, to guide us, guard us and protect us.
Let us study the character of the two thieves. The Bible does not say who was crucified on his right side and who on his left. So we cannot speculate on that because the Bible clearly wars us (Pro 30:6),’ Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.’ We can only assume that the thief on the right hand of Messiah repented. “And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.” (Mat 25:33)
Luke.23:39,’And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Messiah, save thyself and us.’ This was the unrepentant thief. He had a cruel heart and taunted Messiah. He was very selfish and did not care about others. He wanted to escape his punishment, by hook or crook. He had no sense of guilt or shame or repentance for his sins. He saw an opportunity in Messiah and so challenged him to set him free so that he could continue in his sins. He knew who Messiah was and had heard of his miraculous powers and so he demanded Messiah to come down from the cross and save himself and others. He never believed in eternal life or in the Kingdom of Elohim. He did not realize that he could be saved, but he was blinded by satan and obeyed him, thus rejecting Messiah and a chance of eternal life because of his stony heart. (2Cor.4:4… In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Messiah, who is the image of Elohim, should shine unto them.)
Luke.23:40,’But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?’ The second thief accepted his crimes and felt guilty and rebuked (scolded) the first thief saying that theirs was a just punishment for their deeds. He knew Messiah was holy, good and did not do anything wrong. He believed Messiah was the Saviour, accepted him as a king and knew Messiah had a kingdom. He feared Elohim and looked for favour and mercy from Messiah. He was very humble and accepted Messiah’s authority and prayed to him to remember him (the thief), in his kingdom. Seeing his humble attitude, his gratitude and repentant heart, Messiah promised him Paradise-(the Eternal Life)!
The first thief was proud, foolish and under evil influence of temptation though he knew about the Saviour. His choice to follow worldly pleasures led him to reject Messiah, he rejected Eternal Life. In John.14:6 Yahshua said, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. The second thief was humble and repentant. Though he sinned, he accepted that it was wrong and took the punishment. He realized that Messiah was the King and accepted the fact that Messiah will establish his kingdom forever. He asked Messiah to remember him and received the promise of being in Paradise that very day.
There is only one choice in your life. Remember, Elohim created you, gave you talents, earth’s natural resources for your use and comfort, His protection and is preserving your life. In spite of these, we don’t feel his presence, are ungrateful and don’t reciprocate to his love by thanking him praising and worshipping him. Instead, reject the Saviour and we choose the world where we can see and enjoy the temptations.
What we learn from the repentant thief on the cross is that we are all sinners in need of a Savior, even if our sins are small or great, it is never too late to repent and accept the free gift of salvation (Eph2:8–9; Rev. 22:17). Elohim has given us the freedom of choice and the will to choose life over death (Heb.9:27). People who are touched by the Divine Spirit and love the creator, though they commit mistakes like the prodigal son, they feel sorry and repent, asking for his forgiveness. Our Saviour is merciful and full of grace to accept you in whatever condition you are in. He is waiting with open arms to welcome you and take you into his kingdom. Messiah never rejects us but it is we who reject him. So turn your hearts to the Lord. He wants to change our hearts (Ezek.36:26). Come to him, accept him and receive his blessings of Eternal Life.
