A Glimpse of Kingdom Faith
Two others also, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him....One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!" But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong." And he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Luke 23:32-43, RSV.
A strange place for a conversation. Three naked, bleeding men, gasping for breath as they pushed up with their feet to let air into lungs constricted by the way they were affixed to their crosses. A more unlikely place for significant conversation is difficult to imagine. But there they were--two genuine criminals and the innocent Jesus.
Taking up the mocking flavor of the crowd, Matthew tells us, both robbers "reviled him in the same way" (Matt. 27:44, RSV). But that didn't go on forever. One of them sees something in Jesus that the careless crowd had missed.
But not the other thief, who sarcastically calls out, "Since you are the big-shot Christ, why don't you do something about it? Why don't you save yourself, and us while you are at it.?"
At that point the other thief takes another look at Jesus and remembers what he had heard of His acts of healing and mercy. At that very point faith takes hold and hope ignites.
Mocking was not in short supply at the cross. But now comes a cry of conviction by a person who had seen beyond the exterior to the core of who Jesus was. "In Jesus, bruised, mocked, and hanging upon the cross, he sees the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world. Hope is mingled with anguish in his voice as the helpless, dying soul casts himself upon a dying Saviour. 'Lord, remember me,' he cries, 'when Thou comest into Thy kingdom' " (The Desire of Ages, p. 750).
Desperation and hope. Hopelessness and faith. Sinfulness and new possibilities. All of those thoughts and emotions surge through his mind as the Holy Spirit brings conviction to his heart and the power to speak for Christ.
Those same emotions need to flood our souls as we behold Jesus hanging on the cross. It is only when we finally give up on ourselves and see the hopelessness of our situation that we are willing to abandon our ways to the kingdom and cast ourselves upon His boundless mercy for the only way into His kingdom.
Two others also, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him....One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!" But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong." And he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Luke 23:32-43, RSV.
A strange place for a conversation. Three naked, bleeding men, gasping for breath as they pushed up with their feet to let air into lungs constricted by the way they were affixed to their crosses. A more unlikely place for significant conversation is difficult to imagine. But there they were--two genuine criminals and the innocent Jesus.
Taking up the mocking flavor of the crowd, Matthew tells us, both robbers "reviled him in the same way" (Matt. 27:44, RSV). But that didn't go on forever. One of them sees something in Jesus that the careless crowd had missed.
But not the other thief, who sarcastically calls out, "Since you are the big-shot Christ, why don't you do something about it? Why don't you save yourself, and us while you are at it.?"
At that point the other thief takes another look at Jesus and remembers what he had heard of His acts of healing and mercy. At that very point faith takes hold and hope ignites.
Mocking was not in short supply at the cross. But now comes a cry of conviction by a person who had seen beyond the exterior to the core of who Jesus was. "In Jesus, bruised, mocked, and hanging upon the cross, he sees the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world. Hope is mingled with anguish in his voice as the helpless, dying soul casts himself upon a dying Saviour. 'Lord, remember me,' he cries, 'when Thou comest into Thy kingdom' " (The Desire of Ages, p. 750).
Desperation and hope. Hopelessness and faith. Sinfulness and new possibilities. All of those thoughts and emotions surge through his mind as the Holy Spirit brings conviction to his heart and the power to speak for Christ.
Those same emotions need to flood our souls as we behold Jesus hanging on the cross. It is only when we finally give up on ourselves and see the hopelessness of our situation that we are willing to abandon our ways to the kingdom and cast ourselves upon His boundless mercy for the only way into His kingdom.
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