Two Sinners, One Savior
It was a cool morning in downtown Jerusalem, a provincial city of the Roman
Empire, when two doors clang open in Cell Block C of Julius Caesar State Prison. Two
inmates shade their eyes from the intrusive light of the early morning sun. One inmate
rolls out of bed from a good night of sleep and the other slowly stands from the corner he
has spent a sleepless night in. Both inmates know that the door is not being opened for
the regular morning meal but for their preparation. You see Cell Block C is death row
and the warmth of this day’s dawn will be these two criminals last. They have been
accused, tried, convicted, and sentenced to death for the crimes that they have committed.
The guards enter their cells to escort them out to pay the debt they owe Rome.
Crucifixion has been the chosen method of death for these criminals and today it will be
carried out. All hope of pardon, reprieve or forgiveness is gone and escape is not
possible. There will be no last minute “stay of execution” from Pilate or Caesar. Today
they will die.
Like all those crucified by the Romans these men were stripped naked, beaten and
given their own cross to carry. As the crosses were being strapped to their shoulders they
hear a commotion just on the other side of the wall. A mob of blood thirsty people are
screaming in the courtyard. The guards seem unusually tense and on high alert. The
shouts from the crowd are faint but the muffled sounds become clearer and clearer,
“crucify him, crucify him.”
Then all of a sudden the gate to the prison opens and a man is ushered in by a
team of guards as they fight off the mob. The man is severely beaten. His entire body is
purple and black from bruising and his flesh is torn open from the scourging. They bring
out his cross, tie it on him and He and the two criminals make their way, through the gate
up the hill to the place called “the Skull” or Golgotha. As they make their way the mob
follows taunting, jeering and mocking this man; they laugh as they shout “Save yourself
Messiah”, the angry rulers spit and scream, “Blasphemer” “You are King of nothing.”
Then a voice in the crowd shouts his name, “Jesus”. The crooks briefly pause and turn
their heads to look at this man because he has been a celebrity of sorts in the area. The
have heard tales of this Jesus feeding five thousand people with a couple of fish and a
few loaves of bread. They’ve heard he raised a man from the dead over in Bethany.
They’ve heard he gave a blind man sight and healed a leper with a touch. They’ve heard
of his teaching, miracles and claims of being the Messiah but on this day, he carries his
cross the same as they do. He has no special name just another crook society is ridding
itself of. When they reached the hill nails are driven and the crosses are raised and each
man crucified is laid bare as symbols to deter crime and disloyalty to Rome.
The people stay and behold this gruesome sight. I imagine the mob grew as Jesus
made his way down this path of sorrows. People love the smell of another’s blood with
little or no consideration of the victim’s pain or justice.
The soldiers make sport of him, the leaders turned their noses up at him, the
crowds laugh as Jesus of Nazareth hangs on a cross.
Erwin Lutzer says, “These thieves represent the entire human race. Ultimately, the
world is not divided geographically, racially, or economically. Nor can we draw a line
separating the relatively good people from the bad ones. All races, nations, and cultures
are divided at the cross. On one side are those individuals who believe, and on the other
are those who choose to justify themselves, determined to stand before God on their own
record. Heaven and hell are not places far away, but near us. Everything depends on what
you do with Jesus.”
Tonight I would like us to look at this Jesus from the lens of these two criminals.
What do they see? What is the difference in their understanding of this dying man from
Nazareth? What was the difference in the one mans request that warrants the promise of
paradise with Jesus? What can we learn from these two criminals?
They are looking at the same Jesus. Both men are close to Jesus. Both men speak
to Jesus. Both men have an opportunity to examine Jesus on this cross and decide
whether he is a confused lunatic or is he the Lord of all creation. These two criminals
have been given the most important opportunity any human being can be given. They
have been given the chance to decide for themselves, who is Jesus?
CRIMINAL ONE (the mocker)
WHAT HE SEES
First, let us glimpse at Jesus from the eyes of the mocker of Christ. What does he
see? To this criminal hung beside him is a badly beaten, bruised, bleeding, dying man
who at best, has enjoyed some popularity for awhile. To this crook, Jesus is a bit of a
lunatic. He probably sees a man that thought he was something greater than he really was
and what makes it worse is he’s about to die for it. This crook has probably heard that
Jesus healed some people and performed some miracles but at this moment Jesus is as
weak and powerless, dying crook just as he is.
WHAT HE SAYS and DOES
Notice, in verse 39 the actions of this criminal, “One of the criminals who hung
there hurled insults at him” NIV or in the King James “railed on him”. What concerns
me here is not so much what he says but why he says it. Why does this man join the
crowd in “hurling insults” at another dying man?
I would like to note here that nothing insults Jesus more than the people he died to
save rejecting him, than them mocking his very identity.
But as I ponder this question I understand that it is easy to join with the crowd,
isn’t it? We join the crowd in drinking, or doing drugs. When join them when we tell the
foul joke at the water cooler or in the canteen. We join them in giving our virginity away.
We join them in gossiping about a fellow Christian. It’s safe! No one notices you nor do
you risk rejection if you blend in. And let’s be honest none of us like to be mocked,
ridiculed or made fun of. I am not sure why this man joins the crowd in insulting Jesus.
Maybe it was to be accepted. Maybe it was to take away any focus that may come on
him. Maybe it was to blend in for once in his miserable life. And maybe he was just plain
mean and no respect for others. Nevertheless his actions speak Matthew Henry said that
here is where we find “those who rail against Christ and yet expect to be saved by him.” I
tell you from experience it is difficult to be in the crowd of the few that professes Christ,
and attempts to be a person that honors Jesus. It’s a life of rejection and ridicule from the
crowd. I do not know why this criminal joins with the crowd and I make no excuses for
him but I can relate.
HIS REQUEST
Lets us examine this criminals request. Verse 39 “Save yourself and us!” He asks
Jesus to save him but Jesus does not. Jesus doesn’t even acknowledge his request. Why?
Listen to his tone of his comment, “Aren’t you the Christ save yourself and us!” Allow
Pastor Greg Laurie to put this into his words, “So you’re the Messiah are you? Savior of
the world? Prove it by saving yourself-and us, too, while you’re at it” The tone of his
comment reveals the posture of his heart. His request is sarcastic and insincere. This mere
vocal request to be saved reveals the reason for the request. He asked for the wrong
reasons. He would have welcomed Jesus to make his plight that day better. He would
have had Jesus save him from the pain of the cross and change his situation, make his life
better and more comfortable. But to save him from eternal death and the judgment of God
he had no concern. He had no sorrow for his sins. He gave Jesus no authority over him.
Why did you come to Christ? I fear to many have heard that Jesus changes lives
and that Jesus can make our lives better. They have experienced disappointment, heart
ache, rejection, loss and they have tried Oprah, Dr Phil, philosophy and psychiatry and a
plethora of other things and since they failed them they decide to give this Jesus a try. I
fear, they like this criminal, have not examined themselves, in light of God’s law that is
personified and fulfilled in Christ Jesus. They have not looked over at this innocent Jesus
on a cross and said, “I am guilty compared to him. I do not measure up and because of
this I face an eternal death not just this one.” Let me explain my friends this death is not
the death you should fear. The judgment of men is not the judgment you should fear. It is
the death and judgment you face from the God of the universe who sent this Jesus to die
that you might have live and have life everlasting. This should govern your every thought
and action, not what someone else might think or what the crowd is doing.
O how I pity this man and any that have not repentance in their heart for without
it they will never enter a kingdom for they need not a King. Pride reigns in this man’s
heart and in yours if you do not acknowledge that you are a sinner. James 4:6 “God resist
the proud but gives grace to the humble.” This man was physically so close to salvation.
Jesus was within his reach physically. But spiritually he remained an eternity away. He
does not see himself hanging beside the only person in the universe that had the will and
the power to save him. BOTTOM LINE is that he came to Christ for the
THE PARDAONED CRIMINAL
Now we turn to our second criminal, the pardoned criminal. Pause (What are all
that turn to Jesus but exactly that, a pardoned criminal.) This criminal looks at the same
Jesus as the other but he sees Jesus very different. He too sees a beaten, bruised, bleeding,
dying man. He probably has heard of Jesus. His name had been in all the newspapers and
a topic in many a conversation. Who had not heard of Jesus in Nazareth (As Cleopas on
the road to Emaus had asked, “are you only a visitor to Jerusalem”) He was a healer,
preacher and teacher; a miracle man who had started quite a movement in Jerusalem. But,
to this crook Jesus is much more than he seems and more than what he had heard about.
Jesus is not a lunatic to this man but to the contrary this crook sees the lunacy in the
remarks of his companion.
HE REALIZES THE FINAL JUDGMENT
Read verse 40, “the other criminal rebuked him. Don’t you fear God,” he said,
“since you are under the same sentence?” Allow me to put it into other words, “You are a
couple hours (at best) away from meeting God and facing judgment in His court and yet
you choose to hurl insults at his Son as your last words.” Ah! Here we see the difference
between these two men. This pardoned criminal believed that the judgment that he had
faced in Caesar’s court was not his final judgment. He knew that the punishment of death
he was now facing was not his final death. He realized that he needed Jesus not to save
him from the pain of the cross but to save him from eternal death. This man sees Jesus
not as a solution to his problems but as his only hope. He would soon stand before God
and he acted on nothing but faith and I agree with many great pastors when they say if
this man were given a name his would be on the top of those recorded in Hebrews 11.
What extraordinary faith! He looks at the blood on Jesus’ face and his broken body and at
face value Jesus does not look like a Savior of the world. He looks like a teacher,
preacher and healer who should have kept his mouth shut. But, through the eyes of
FAITH and through my eyes and this criminals Jesus Christ on this Cross is Savior. He is
a KING! This criminal sees Jesus as his last chance at redemption, and pardon. He does
not appeal to the crowd. He doesn’t petition Ceasar for a reprieve. He does not cry out to
Pilate for a stay of execution. Jesus on this cross is his ONLY HOPE.
HE ACKNOWLEDGES HE IS A SINNER
In verse 41 he says, “We are punished justly, we are getting what our deeds
deserve.” (NIV) King James says, “we receive the due reward for our deeds.”
He is genuinely sorry for his sin. He acknowledges his sin outwardly. Listen to
what he says that indicates what he has done, “this man has done nothing wrong.” Jesus
is his “balance test” for his standing before God. He has examined himself in the sight of
God’s Holy and perfect Son Jesus, and found himself lacking.
And what does he have to carry God to pay his debt for sin? “Deeds?”, no, he had
a lifetime of bad ones, Money, no he is naked and stripped of all worldly worth. The only
thing he can do is look upon the face of Jesus Christ on that cross and beg a simple
prayer. He can admit he is a sinner dying and in need of a Savior and look at Christ
eyeball to eyeball and believe this Jesus is able to save him.
HIS HUMBLED REQUEST
Verse 42 “Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom.” We see here
that he acknowledges that Jesus is in fact a King. And unlike that sign over his head he is
King of the world but his kingdom is not a reign but a rule. His kingdom is not physical
but spiritual and this criminal recognizes it.
He, as a poor criminal, humbles himself and asked for no special place in the
kingdom only to be remembered. He says all I ask is to be remembered by you when this
is all over and when you sit in judgment on your throne over me. All I want is for Jesus to
say “I remember him father, he came to me one day broken by his sin, and his sins are
forgiven. He is my friend. Yes he is blessed allow him to enter. He is pardoned.” Isn’t
this, what being saved is all about, being remembered by Jesus in heaven? I have
confidence in this. I believe by faith that he will remember me walking out of the isle in
that little country church one night years ago. How many of you can say with confidence
now, “he knows me and I him.” Not because you come to church or feed the homeless or
give money but because you asked him to save you. Jesus said that one day he will say,
“away from me I never knew you.”
THE RESULT
I imagine that the nails in this criminal’s (and the others and Jesus’) hands and
feet were unbearably painful. I imagine that the pain of his lungs collapsing was
absolutely excruciating. Now I do not know for sure but I bet that the sting of death was
not present. I imagine that his pain on the cross from the moment Jesus tells him, ‘today
you will be with me in paradise” eases just a bit. Yes it is still painful, uncomfortable and
scary but to know that paradise with Jesus is moments away, Ah, this HOPE makes all
the difference. I imagine he cried. I imagine even though he believed he couldn’t believe
it. He probably said, “Me? A wretch like me? I get to go to paradise with you?”
Some have used this criminal’s story to excuse themselves from Christian duties.
After all this criminal had no deeds to take to the Father and say, “I did this or that” in
fact he had a lifetime of bad deeds. He had no money to give to the father in exchange
for his sin in fact he was stripped naked on the cross he had nothing. This is true but I
imagine if he would have got off that cross you would not have been able to shut him up
talking about Jesus and the promise he had been given. I imagine that everybody
opportunity he had to tell someone about Jesus on the cross he told them. I imagine he
would have done all that he could have to honor the debt Jesus paid for him to be in
paradise. I imagine that he would have worshiped Jesus constantly. Imagine that he
would have read as much about Jesus as he could. I imagine he would have shared with
all the others who knew and loved Jesus. I imagine he would have met with them all the
time and sang songs of praise to Jesus, and thanked Jesus, talked about Jesus. I imagine
his life would have never been the same here on earth had he gotten off that cross that
day. But I am glad he did not because I further imagine if we would listen carefully you
could hear him shouting from heaven today. He is Lord.
Gaze over at His cross from yours and answer this question for yourself is he a
lunatic or Lord? Remember this is a decision for salvation from eternal death not to fix
your problems. Jesus died so that you might have life and life everlasting. I beg you make
a decision now about this Jesus.
Jeremy Peeler
April 1, 2007