TO CATCH A THIEF

Luke 23: 35-43

INTRODUCTION

I’m sure we are all aware of the enormous amount of discussion that Mel Gibson’s movie, “The Passion of the Christ”, has stirred up. The reaction for most moviegoers has been, at least in the short run, an increased respect for Jesus Christ. Granted there are those who are afraid that the movie will promote anti-Semitism or other ugly forms of racism and religious prejudice. But for the most part the reaction, even for those who have no real connection to the Christian church, has been respectful and even reverent as the gruesome physical suffering of Jesus is portrayed. One woman said after seeing the movie, “I’m sorry. I forgot.”

This respectful reaction of moviegoers is vastly different from the reactions of the hundreds of people who witnessed the actual event itself. It is in contemplating the actual reactions of actual people at the actual event that we discover what people are actually like and what the cross actually accomplishes. The real power of the crucified Christ will not be felt through the movie but through the word of God as it discloses the meaning and power of the crucifixion. I cannot imagine a more vivid depiction of the power of the cross of Jesus Christ than the picture we have set before us in this brief account of the salvation of this criminal, this robber who was crucified next to Jesus.

I want you to notice that the rulers, the soldiers and the one criminal all mock Jesus in the same way. They all sneer at him and taunt him by demanding that he prove he is the Messiah, the Savior, the King by saving himself and in the case of the criminal, “us as well.” All of these humans reveal the common human assumption and desire as regards saviors and salvation. Saviors conquer evil, overcome their enemies and make life better on earth for everyone else. The humans in this story are no different from us. We, like they, are convinced that real saviors are powerful conquerors who alleviate pain and suffering on earth, now. While most of us cannot imagine ourselves taunting Jesus as these people do, we all do it on a regular basis when we get mad about difficult and irritating circumstances and demand that God fix things. We, like these people, refuse to believe in a Savior who won’t display his power by relieving our suffering and increasing our pleasure in the world. While all the people are demanding that Jesus display his power by ending his suffering and ours, Jesus displays his power in the conversion of a criminal. While the world screams that Jesus prove himself in showy displays of miracle working power, he changes a sinner into a saint. Luke records this event to show that the power of Christ is not seen in public miracle but in the conversion of convicted criminals. As I have often said in this pulpit the greatest miracle in the world is when God turns an enemy into a beloved son or daughter.

We know from Matthew and Mark, that both of the robbers, crucified on either side of Jesus were cursing and blaspheming him at the beginning. However, at some point, one of the criminals grows silent while the other criminal continues to curse Jesus. Then he begins to speak and in speaking he shows that a most remarkable change has taken place. We are witnessing in the words of this criminal the evidence of the gracious work of the Holy Spirit in a human being. Like the wind that comes unexpectedly and invisibly and goes to a place we do not know but we only see its effects, so the invisible Holy Spirit blows into this man’s life as he witnesses the suffering of the Son of Man and creates a changed heart. Let’s look at the ways in which this robber’s heart has been changed by the grace of Christ.

MAIN POINT

The crucified Christ converts criminals by creating in them…

I. The fear of God (v. 40a)

The first thing he says is a word of rebuke to his partner in crime. He asks him, “Don’t you fear God since you are under the same judgment?” Here is a man who has spent his life committing acts of violence against others. He has never had any respect for either human authority or divine authority. He has lived for years in utter disregard for the laws of man and God. But now, as he hangs upon his cross, next to Jesus, his body wracked with pain, every breath torture, he suddenly is overcome with a new emotion. He is afraid of what will happen to him when he dies. Perhaps he overheard Jesus’ prayer, recorded in v. 34, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” It suddenly dawns on him that he is about to die and enter into the presence of the God who made him and who has sustained his life. He has crimes for which he is accountable, for which he is not forgiven. He is about to answer to the God who has given him every moment of life, every ability, every pleasure. He is going to have to explain how he has used the life that God has given to him. This realization causes him to tremble with fear, not at dying but at the judgment that will certainly follow his death.

It is important to note that this is not a realization that accompanies every human beings’ dying. It is not automatic that every human comes to his or her senses on their deathbed. The other criminal has no such fear. He is not afraid to use the final breaths of his life to curse and blaspheme the Son of God. He has no concern for what will happen to him at his death. He can only think of how unjust it is that he must die and he is going to make Jesus suffer along with him. However, the robber who is being converted by Christ is horrified as he hears his accomplice’s blasphemy and realizes how certain it is that God is going to condemn him for his many sins. All who continue to live in their sin now, expecting that they will have time to repent at the end of life are living in an illusion. Having a heart that fears God is a gift from God, which he is under no obligation to give to you. To presume that you will receive that gift at your death is to make a fatal assumption. Fear God now. Whether your death is near or far the fact is that one-day you will have to answer to your Creator for how you used the life he gave to you. You are going to have to answer for every thought, every act, every word to the God who knows everything.

The crucified Christ converts criminals by creating…

•  Fear of God

•  And by creating…

II. Repentance for sins (vv. 40b-41)

However, not only is this criminal suddenly given a heart that fears God, but he also is given a heart that repents of the sins for which he must answer. He acknowledges that the death he is dying is what he deserves. This is the chief, unmistakable mark of a person who has true sorrow over their sins. They willingly agree that any suffering that comes to them is deserved. This is the meekness that Jesus talks about in Matthew 5. Repentant sinners do not talk about or demand to be treated well. People to whom God has given the gift of repentance know that they deserve death and hell and so they do not complain about the suffering that comes to them. They are amazed when good things happen to them, not when bad things happen to them. They are astonished that the clerk at the grocery store is polite to them not that she is sullen and unfriendly to them. This robber knows he deserves what he is getting and he urges his fellow criminal to acknowledge the justice of his punishment as well.

He knows that he has no argument to present as to why God and man should not punish him. He knows he has no grounds upon which to claim kindness. This is not simply the view of a man who knows he is guilty of crimes but it is the perspective and attitude of everyone who has repented of their sins. When we understand that we have broken God’s laws and deserve nothing but wrath, then we do not argue with God or man to be treated better. All demands to be respected and treated kindly evaporate from the heart of the person who has seen the vileness of their sins and who has turned from them. To demand that I have a right to be treated well is to reveal an unrepentant heart. To curse others for not treating us well or to curse God for not treating us well is to reveal that we do not believe that our sins are our greatest problem. To require God or others to prove they love me is to not feel the reality of my true condition.

But notice also that when a person repents of their sins they also acknowledge the righteousness of God. People who feel the weight of their sins are immediately impressed with the perfection of God. God cannot be blamed for anything. God is praised for his righteousness. In fact, as Jesus says in Matthew 5, his righteousness becomes the most attractive thing in the universe. When a person has been given the gift of repentance they despise their sins and they yearn for righteousness. We see that in the robber’s admiration of the innocence of Jesus. The repentant sinner wishes that he were able to be righteous. If only there were some way to escape his sins, not merely the punishment due his sin, but his sin. A repentant person hungers and thirsts after the righteousness that Jesus Christ possesses.

The crucified Christ converts criminals by creating…

•  Fear of God

•  Repentance for sins

•  And by creating…

III. Faith in himself (v. 42)

I doubt you could find a more surprising statement in the Bible than what the robber says in v. 42. He is in excruciating physical pain. He is hanging next to Jesus who has been disfigured beyond recognition by the beatings and wiping he received. All around him men are mocking him and taunting him to prove that he is the Messiah. Yet, this robber looks at this apparently helpless and defeated man and asks him to remember him when he comes in his kingdom. What this short sentence says is absolutely astonishing. John Calvin in his commentary makes the point and rightly so, that this robber’s faith “rises higher than all the apostles and the other disciples whom the Lord had taken so many pains to instruct.” His entire experience of Jesus is what he has witnessed upon this cross. Yet, from what he observes of Jesus on the cross comes this incredible faith in Christ. It can only have come by the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit.

There are three things that he confesses. First, he acknowledges that Jesus, hanging on the cross is the King of Israel, the long awaited Messiah who is going to come and establish his kingdom upon the earth. He knows that Jesus is God’s chosen one who will bring the kingdom of God to the earth. He knows that the crucified Christ will one day be crowned as king. Second, he knows that it is through Christ that he can escape his sins and the punishment due his sins from God. He recognizes in the suffering Jesus the way to gain the forgiveness of God and to be welcomed by God into his eternal kingdom. He sees that his hope of being forgiven does not lie in himself but in Christ. Third, he knows that Jesus is willing to receive even such a sinner as himself. He does not shrink back from asking Jesus to accept him. In spite of a life of hatred and violence; in spite of having, only hours earlier, cursed Jesus, he knows that Jesus will accept all who come to him. He trusts in this suffering Christ to forgive him and accept him as one of his very own when he comes to set up his kingdom on earth. He trusts that Christ will not treat him as the enemy that he is but as a beloved friend and loyal subject of his kingdom. Again as Calvin says, “he beheld life in death, exaltation in ruin, glory in shame, victory in destruction, a kingdom in bondage.” This is what faith does.

The crucified Christ converts criminals by creating…

•  Fear of God

•  Repentance for sins

•  Faith in himself

•  And by creating…

IV. Hope for the future (v. 43)

Then Jesus offers to this believing sinner who has lived a life of rebellion against God the greatest promise that can be given to a sinner. He promises him not that he will accept him at some distant point in the future but that very day he would enjoy fellowship with him in the garden of God. “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” “Today, rather than experiencing the wrath of God which you deserve, I will personally welcome you into the delight of God’s friendship and provision that sinless Adam enjoyed in the garden of Eden. Death will be for you not an entrance into the prison of hell but into the freedom of fellowship with God.” So he receives the promise that God gives to everyone who believes in Christ, the promise of eternal life. His dying is now full of hope. Jesus does not stop his suffering but he gives him a promise that will sustain him through his suffering.

Jesus’ promise to the robber in v. 43 is offensive to people who believe they are good. How can it be fair that Jesus welcomes a man who for his entire life disobeyed God and harmed people? How can he accept a person into Paradise merely because he trusts in him, because he believes? These sorts of questions betray a proud and arrogant heart that does not understand the depths of its own sinfulness. The only sorts of people to whom Jesus’ promise to the thief is good news are those who know there is nothing good in them. Only those who know they have no argument to present to God as to why he should be kind to them view Jesus telling a violent, antisocial criminal, “Today you will be with me in Paradise”, as good news. To all others it is the height of injustice.

Today is the day of salvation. Today you can know that paradise rather than hell awaits you if you will fear God, repent of your sins, trust in Christ as the only one who can save you and so find the certainty of his promise that you will one day be with him in Paradise. You will not be welcomed into paradise because of anything you have done but because of what Jesus has done for you on the cross. It is just for God to welcome a sinner like you because he poured out his wrath against you upon his son upon that cross. Don’t wait to give yourself to Christ. Ask him to remember you when he comes in his kingdom.

The crucified Christ converts criminals by creating…

•  Fear of God

•  Repentance for sins

•  Faith in himself

•  Hope for the future