What if the repentance of the thief on the cross holds more significance than we've previously considered? Join me, Isaac Carroll, as we pivot our focus away from his lack of religious rites and delve into the raw and profound faith displayed by this misunderstood character in the Gospel narratives. We traverse the powerful narratives of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, uncovering the essential role of faith, confession, and repentance in the thief's salvation, presenting an eye-opening perspective on the essence of spiritual growth and redemption.
What if the repentance of the thief on the cross holds more significance than we've previously considered? Join me, Isaac Carroll, as we pivot our focus away from his lack of religious rites and delve into the raw and profound faith displayed by this misunderstood character in the Gospel narratives. We traverse the powerful narratives of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, uncovering the essential role of faith, confession, and repentance in the thief's salvation, presenting an eye-opening perspective on the essence of spiritual growth and redemption.
Welcome to the podcast. I'm Isaac Carroll, and this is what Do I Know. Now, have you ever heard this question asked how does your religious beliefs factor in the thief on the cross? A lot of people love to ask this question and, to be honest with you, it always frustrates me when you do, and I'll tell you why. We downplay all the things that the thief did on the cross by only focusing on the things that we believe he didn't have, because that's what this statement is meant to do. It meant to point out that he wasn't baptized. He didn't fulfill any laws, had no manifestations of the spirit, had no fruits. He was simply saved because he believed.
Speaker 1:
Now, I don't disagree with this at all, because we have way too many examples in Scripture for not to be. Look at Matthew 9 and 2. It says Just then, some men brought to him a paralytic lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic Take courage, son, your sins are forgiven. Now, why was the sins forgiven when they brought him there to be healed? Because of their faith. And let's be clear, let's clarify this from the beginning Faith is a byproduct of belief.
Speaker 1:
You cannot have one without the other. I'll prove it to you. They built a skywalk out of the Grand Canyon. Now, if I got to explain what a skywalk is, basically it's a see-through structure that you can walk out on and look down onto the Grand Canyon from a bird's eye view. I don't know what it's made of, but you can see through it. Now let me ask you a question Do you believe people would walk out onto that structure if they didn't believe it would hold them up? Simple question Of course they would not, because it would mean their death. No one would walk out onto that thing if they didn't believe it would hold them. So we see that the act of faith is brought on by a belief, the act of faith being they walk out on it. And it's the same act of faith that I would like to talk about on the thief from the cross.
Speaker 1:
Let's go to Scripture Now. We know, between the four Gospels, only Luke gives witness to the conversation between Jesus and the two thieves. But I'd like to start in Matthew. It'll be in 27. Starting at 37th birth, it says above his head, they posted the written charge against him.
Speaker 1:
This is Jesus, the king of the Jews. Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left, and those who passed by heaped abuse on him, shaking their heads, saying you, who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself. If you are the son of God, come down from the cross. In the same way, the chief priest and the scribes and the elders mocked him, saying he saved others, but he cannot save himself. He's the king of Israel. Let him come down from the cross and we'll believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God deliver him now if he wants him, for he said I am the son of God. In the same way, even the robbers who were crucified with him berated him.
Speaker 1:
Mark 15, starting at verse 27, says Along with Jesus, they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left, and those who passed by heaped abuse on him, shaking their heads and saying Ah ha, you who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself. In the same way, the chief priest and scribes mocked him among themselves, saying he saved others, but he cannot save himself. Let this Christ, the king of Israel, come down from the cross so that we may believe, and even those who were crucified with him berated him. Now we see both Matthew and Mark both agree that both thieves berated Jesus at this point. But it ain't until Luke that we get the rest of the story. Now let's skip straight to it, because the rest of it is pretty much the same. This is in Luke 23, starting at verse 39.
Speaker 1:
Mark 15, says One of the criminals who hung there was heeping abuse on him. Are you not the Christ? He said Save yourself and us. But the other one rebuked him, saying Do you not even fear God? Since you are under the same judgment, we are punished justly, for we are receiving what our actions deserve. 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 truly, truly, I tell you today you will be with me in paradise.
Speaker 1:
Now we know that in the beginning of the Gospel Luke he says many have undertaken to compose an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to those by the initial eyewitnesses and servants of the Word. Therefore, having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent theopolis, so that you may know the certainty of the things that have been taught. So Luke carefully investigated, searching many eyewitnesses, so he could give a complete picture of what happened that day. And thank God that he did, otherwise we would not have this very valuable piece of scripture. We'd have never known that the conversation between Jesus and this thief ever happened.
Speaker 1:
Now, when we look at it, we know that between Matthew and Mark, that both thieves in the beginning berated Jesus. But at some point one of the thieves changes his mind. He repents because the story changes in Luke. He says but the other one rebuked him, saying do you not even fear God, since you are under the same judgment? We know that Jesus preached throughout his ministry the repentance of sin. And what does repentance mean? The Bible teaches that repentance means to turn around, to change one's mind. Now we're not given what transpired in this man's mind, but what he says gives us clues. When he says do you not even fear God, since you are under the same judgment? We can see clearly here by his words that he's under conviction. He's had a change of heart.
Speaker 1:
What he does next is an act of faith brought on by a belief. Because what does he say? Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom. What does Lord mean? Lord is defined as someone who having power and authority, someone of influence, a master or ruler. When we call Jesus Lord, we're saying that he has the authority, he has the power over our lives. He's who our ruler is. But we ought to remember something Jesus is hanging on a cross right next to him, and not only that, half his face is ripped off and all his bones are showing through, because they had just scourged him to almost a point of death, ripping his skin from his flesh, crowning him with crown of slorns. Jesus is literally dying on the cross, next to this man who is now calling him Lord and asking him for mercy.
Speaker 1:
We know how this story ends. Is this man? No, because it hadn't happened yet. This man literally believed when it should have been impossible to do so. So the question that was asked in the beginning how does your religious beliefs factor in the thief on the cross? Well, after viewing this story, I would have to say everything. We know that it's our belief in faith in Christ that brings us into salvation. It's that same belief that brings us into repentance and inspires us to have an outward change in our walk, in our actions. The Steep has all these things, but the story doesn't end there, does? It has more to say, more to teach us. Though it's not a good lesson, it's a hard one.
Speaker 1:
As a new believer in Christ, I'm sure this man would have lucked nothing less than the run around and tell the world of the hope he now had in Jesus. But that hope did not change his earthly situation. He was still suffering on a cross and it would eventually kill him, though the hope he now had wasn't based on this life, but it was the one they must believe will come. It doesn't say it anywhere, but we can only imagine. If I was hanging on that cross, I would have to imagine that I would have cried out for mercy at some point, because we know that the cross was considered one of the worst ways to die. He was torturous. I mean, I can't imagine anyone not crying out for mercy. What did he receive in the form of mercy?
Speaker 1:
John 19 and 31 says it was a day of preparation and the next day was a high Sabbath. In order that the bodies would not remain on the cross during the Sabbath, the Jews asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies removed. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man, who had been crucified with Jesus, and those of the other. But when they came to Jesus they saw that he was already dead and they did not break his legs. You might ask how this was a mercy. Well, it was been told that a person could last up to four days on a cross before they eventually suffocated and died. The breaking of the legs took their ability to use them to raise themselves up and it would speed up their death.
Speaker 1:
Not a very pleasant way to die and not a story that most of us like to focus on, but it's a hard truth. When we come to Christ, we want our mercies now, we want our salvation now and we've come to expect it. But that's not what scripture teaches us. John 16 and 33 says these things I have spoken to you that in me you may have peace In the world. You will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. Jesus states while we're in the world, we're going to have tribulation and troubles, and this is repeated throughout Scripture, like 1 Peter 412. It says Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trials when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.
Speaker 1:
Romans 5 3-5. Not only that, but we rejoice in our suffering, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us Romans 5-9,. Resist him, firming in your faith, knowing that the same kind of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. This is the truth when it comes to salvation.
Speaker 1:
It's a story that the thief on the cross expresses with certainty. Our hope is not in this life, but the one to come. We, as believers, are no different when non-believers when it comes to what we face in this life, both good and bad. And the difference between us and the world is our outward expression of our inner hope, an expression of faith brought on by our belief. Romans 8-24 says For in this hope we are saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what we can already see? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it patiently. I understand this story is not one we like to relate to, because who wants to put themselves on the cross? But I have a few more stories I like to share and I hope this one we can dwell on and we can learn from. You can find the story in Luke 7, starting in verse 36.
Speaker 1:
Then one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to eat with him, and he entered the Pharisee's house and reclaimed at the table. When a sinful woman in that town heard that Jesus was dying there, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wipe them with her hair. Then she kissed his feet and anointed them with perfume. When the Pharisees who had invited Jesus saw this, he said to himself if this man were a prophet, he would know who this woman is and what kind of woman is touching him, for she is a sinner. But Jesus answered him Simon, I have something to tell you. Tell me, teacher. He said Two men were debtors to a certain moneylender one on him 500 denarii and the other owned him 50. When they were unable to repay him, he forgave both of them. Which one, then, will love him more? I suppose the one who forgave more. Simon replied you have judged correctly, jesus said. And turning to the woman, he said to Simon do you see this woman? When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not greet me with a kiss, but she has not stopped kissing my feet since I arrived. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she anointed my feet with perfume. Therefore, I tell you, because her many sins have been forgiven, she has loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little. Then Jesus said to her your sins are forgiven. The truth of our heart is expressed on how we view our salvation Now.
Speaker 1:
Jesus told this story in Luke 18 and 10. Two men went into the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed God, I thank you that I am not like other men, swindlers and evil doers and adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and I pay tithes to all that I acquire. But the tax collector stood at a distance, unwilling even to look up to heaven. Instead, he beat his breast and said God, have mercy on me, a sinner. I tell you, this man, rather than the Pharisee, went home justified.
Speaker 1:
Now we all see ourselves as the tax collector, or for this sinful woman who washed Jesus' feet, but that would mean we never stopped to judge other people's sins because we were too ashamed of our own sin to do so, and the joy and gratitude we had for those sins being forgiven would mean that we didn't worry that we didn't get a seat at the table, or even care that we were invited. We would just be grateful to kneel and wash the feet of anyone who wished it. I wish this was a mindset of every Christian, because it's the one that's needed. I'm going to end this one here and, as Paul would say, dwell on these things. I love you. Bye.