Father Christopher Zugger

One of the criminals hanging there threw insults at him:"Aren't you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!" The other one, however, rebuked him, saying: "Don't you fear God? Here we are all under the same sentence. Ours, however, is only right, for we are getting what we deserve for what we did; but he has done no wrong." And he said to Jesus, "Remember me, Jesus, when thou shalt come into thy kingdom." Jesus said to him, " Amen, Amen, I say to thee: this day, thou shalt be with me in Paradise. 

The bible does not say that the two criminals crucified on either side of Jesus were thieves. Rather, they are bandits and wrongdoers – whatever they did, it was especially bad. That means that either they were large-scale robbers, like highwaymen who attacked caravans, or they were terrorists from the Zealot rebels who launched attacks against the Romans and supported various false Messiahs during the span of the first 150 years of the Christian era.

We forget in worshipping the Prince of peace that the region of modern Israel was about as peaceful then as it is now – there were sporadic and sometimes very well-organized assaults against the Romans, which would culminate in the prophecy of Jesus regarding the city of Jerusalem – its complete destruction and burial in the year 70, only 36 years after the death of our Lord. Jesus is mocked three times, but the mocking by the bandits is the shortest – they don’t have the air to spend on long sentences.

Jesus is truly alone – even they reject him. BUT Jesus will show great mercy to the wrongdoer, the lawbreaker. Mocked without mercy, Jesus now shows mercy. He saves the other bandit by staying on the cross and entrusting himself to the Father. Why? This one, the Good Thief as he is known, realizes who the Lord is, both in terms of his reputation and the reality of Jesus as the Son of God. First, he asks the other thief, “Have you no fear of God?” This is the first step to conversion. Then, he says this: “We have been justly condemned”– but Jesus is suffering wrongly. “He did nothing disorderly and is innocent.”  He knows of Jesus, and like the wife of Pilate knows that he is a just man.

Thus far the thief has acknowledged the need to fear, respect, and honor God, and he has made a confession of his sins, recognizing his mistakes. When we acknowledge God’s power and sovereignty, and then acknowledge our own guilt we are experiencing a sincere change of heart.

Now what does this eloquent thief say? It is a shocking sentence – he says JESUS – the only man to address Jesus by name in ANY gospel – with no title – this is a sincere cry from his rapidly changing soul – remember me! He trusts that Jesus has the authority to help him and he anticipates the invitation Jesus normally gave to sinners to repent. Jesus answers with AMEN twice! A most definite pronouncement from the king of all and a solid promise. Luke does not have any AMEN sayings – only HERE! It is Divine graciousness beyond any human expectation! In Luke 11:9 Jesus said “Ask and it will be given” – the great merciful Jesus is going to indeed hear the prayer of this wretched sinner who asked to be remembered and Jesus says “thou shalt be w/ me this day”  – the day which is going to close so quickly after the 9^th hour, 3 pm, the day of absolute salvation. Jesus gives deliverance, Jesus gives intimacy. Jesus makes him a disciple, that precious role. And where will they be? In the presence of the absolute fullness of God. God exercises incredible graciousness thru the person of Jesus. How can Jesus grant such a thing to a sinner? But Jesus indeed came for that reason into the world, to save sinners, St Paul says, and this is echoed today in the Byzantine Rite before receiving Holy Communion – to save sinners, of whom I am the first.

Today thou shalt be with me in paradise – “today” in the Hebrew Scriptures stands for eternity. So Jesus promised eternal life to the thief. What is paradise, but the home of the Trinity, the angels, the Mother of God, all of the saints, all the people who have made it into the heavenly glory.

Why does the good thief convert? Roman historians said that those sentenced to crucifixion normally fought tooth and nail to avoid the cross, cursing the soldiers, struggling to escape their horrible fate. Jesus goes meekly, like a lamb to the slaughter, out of great love and so as to save the human race from being drawn into sin. Instead, Jesus ascends the cross willingly, as we sing in the troparion. Those dying on the crosses would curse the government and soldiers who put them there, but Jesus’ first word from the cross was one of forgiveness. This thief’s heart is transformed by Jesus’ last moments, not just to repentance, but to full awareness of exactly who Jesus is – the Son of God who offers eternal life to all. Ironically, being sentenced to die on Good Friday allows the good thief to be delivered from his sins and enter into heaven. Let us die to our own sins and go forward in trust to love the Lord and be with Him, fighting against sinful  habits in this life and living in paradise after our deaths. Christ is among us.