Thief on the Cross

Read: Matthew 27:35-44; Mark 15:27-32; Luke 23:39-43

We come across hundreds of men and women in our reading of the Bible. Some of them enter
and exit the scene with little said of them that would make a lasting impression in our minds.
The thief on the cross, on the other hand, is a character whose story all Bible students
remember and love. He is so memorable that he is universally referred to as the thief on the
cross, though there were actually two thieves crucified beside Jesus. His name is never given
and, besides the general course of action which led to his crucifixion, we know nothing of his
life except of what transpired in his final hours. That which is revealed about this man,
however, reflects some great truths concerning Christ and the salvation which He makes
available. Consider the following truths learned from the account of the thief on the cross.

JESUS IS THE CHRIST (MESSIAH)

For some, the thought that the Savior of the world could receive a criminal’s death in the
company of thieves is untenable. That the Messiah should be a poor and humble servant also
does not fit their perception of what he should be. The Jews stumbled for these very reasons
(1 Cor. 1:23; Gal. 3:13). Human reasoning says that a king should live in luxury, be served,
and forcefully put down his challengers or opponents. The humility and humiliation, including
the suffering and death of Jesus, however, rather than disproving his Deity and Kingship,
actually validate his claims to be the Messiah and Savior of the world.

One of the reasons we believe and are sure that Jesus is that Christ, the Son of God (cf. Jn.
6:69), is the fulfillment of prophecy. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of specific, detailed
predictions in the Old Testament which find their fulfillment in the life and death of Jesus of
Nazareth. One of those predictions was made by Isaiah approximately 700 years before Jesus
lived. Isaiah promised that a man of the family of Jesse and David (11:1, 10) would bring
salvation to his people. Isaiah, however, never portrayed the Savior as many picture him to
be. Rather, he saw that same man "despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and
acquainted with grief" (Isa. 53:3). Isaiah went on, "he hath poured out his soul unto death:
and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made
intercession for the transgressors" (53:12b). In Jesus’ death he fulfilled many prophecies, one
of which was that the Messiah would be numbered with transgressors. That Jesus was
crucified among thieves ("malefactors" or evildoers, Luke 23:32) was evidence to his
generation and to those who have lived since that "truly this was the Son of God" (Matt.
27:54). Mark stated it matter-of-factly like this: "And with him they crucified two thieves; the
one on his right hand, and the other on his left. And the Scripture was fulfilled, which saith,
And he was numbered with the transgressors" (Mark 15:27-28).

HUMILITY IS ESSENTIAL TO SALVATION

While Jesus hung on the cross, he was unmercifully mocked and derided. The common people
who stood by watching, the rulers of the Jews, and the Roman soldiers all took part. At some
point early in the six hours in which Christ was on the cross, both of the thieves which were
crucified beside him joined in the mockery and derision (Matt. 27:44). Such is typical of what
we do. If we must suffer, even if we are the cause of our own suffering, we look for others to
bring down with us. If we are justly condemned for wrongdoing, we look for another target to
take the focus off of ourselves. Belittling and hurting others makes us feel better--or at least
helps us temporarily ignore our own plight. Later in the day, one of the thieves again railed on
Christ (Luke 23:39). Our thief, however, had a change of heart. He rebuked his fellow criminal,
professed his own guilt, acknowledged Jesus’ innocence, and believed on and accepted the
Lord, pleading for forgiveness and salvation (Luke 23:40-42). Forgiveness was granted and he
was promised paradise (Luke 23:43).

The change which occurred in the thief in that six-hour period was dramatic and remarkable.
He went from hating Christ to loving him, from reviling Christ to praising him, from rejecting
Christ to submitting to him, from denying Christ to confessing him. Such is the profound power
of humility. One thief retained his proud spirit and died without hope, the other denounced
himself, humbled his heart, remembered who he was in relationship to Jesus Christ, and was
saved. Pride keeps people out of heaven. It causes not only criminals, but also generally
decent and moral people, to die without hope. This is because pride hates for us to focus on
our weaknesses and needs. Pride refuses to think it must rely on someone else for well-being
or success. Pride despises the thought of serving someone else. Pride hates to admit wrong.
Recognizing our deplorable and dying condition and relying entirely upon Christ to fix it,
however, is what leads to salvation. Humility is essential to our going to heaven. One thief died
that day without hope; one died and his spirit departed to be with the Son of God in paradise.
The difference was in that the first was proud, and the second humble.

THE EFFICACY OF GOD’S GRACE AND FORGIVENESS IS GREATER THAN THE POTENCY OF
SIN

The thief on the cross demonstrates this important truth about salvation in Christ. When a soul
turns to God in faith, repentance, and submission, every sin is immediately and permanently
forgiven. Who better demonstrates that fact than this thief? He was a violent and selfish
criminal who hatefully and viciously added to the misery of God’s perfect Son. God’s grace,
however, reaches even the hateful and spiteful criminal. The blood of Christ covers even the
murderer, the adulterer, and the extortioner (1 Cor. 6:9-11). Salvation in Jesus is available
even to haters and persecutors of Christ and his church (1 Tim. 1:12-16). If God is able to and
has forgiven these, what makes anyone today think they have committed crimes or sins of
such magnitude that they can never be forgiven? The blood of Christ cleanses all
unrighteousness (1 Jn 1:7). Of course, his blood will cleanse only those who, like the penitent
thief, place all of their faith in God and submit to him. When we do so, like the thief, we have
promise of "today" experiencing all spiritual blessings in Christ (cf. Eph. 1:3). [It’s worth noting
that until Christ actually died and returned to the presence of God (cf. Heb. 9:12-28), any
individual who had lived and died in faith was declared righteous (i.e. was justified), but did
not have the penalty for their sins fully paid for (Romans 3:21-26).]

WATER BAPTISM IS NOT A CONDITION OF SALVATION--OR IS IT?

It is a shame that so meaningful and rich a text can be so contorted to defend an unbiblical
and destructive belief. It is supposed by many that, in spite of what the New Testament
teaches throughout, the case of the thief on the cross is evidence that water baptism is not a
condition of salvation under the gospel dispensation. The argument is: the thief on the cross
was saved without water baptism, therefore, water baptism is not essential to one’s salvation
today. In this article we will not attempt to prove the necessity of baptism; the New Testament
clearly does so in a number of instances (Mark 16:15-16; Acts 2:37-38; Acts 22:16; Gal. 3:27;
1 Peter 3:21; etc.). Let us just respond to the claim that the thief on the cross in some way
invalidates the rest of the gospel teaching on the subject of baptism.

There are a number of serious problems with the claim. First, there is the unproven
assumption that the thief never received water baptism. The inspired record gives no details of
the thief’s life (except that he was a thief) before his crucifixion. For all we know, he could
have been a follower of Jesus at some earlier point. It was not uncommon for folks to follow
Jesus for a time, but then to lose interest or turn back for other reasons (cf. Jn. 6:60-66). Or,
he could have been among the "all Judaea and all the regions round about Jordan" who went
out to John to be baptized (Matt. 3:5-6; cf. Luke 3:10, 12, 14, 21). In any case, the thief could
have been baptized at some earlier point in his life.

Whether the thief was or was not baptized, however, really is beside the point. There is a
fundamental flaw in arguing from the thief’s conversion that the New Testament does not
require baptism for the remission of sins. It is a problem that plagues the religious community
in general: a failure to properly differentiate between covenants. The line between the Old and
New Covenants has been so blurred that I think some people today do not know whether to
consider themselves Jews or Christians. The New Testament of Jesus Christ, the covenant
under which all people living today are subject and by which all living today will be judged, did
not take effect until Jesus died. It was not in force until Jesus shed his blood in death (Matt.
26:28). Christ’s will could not be enjoined upon men until he actually died, as is the case with
any person’s last will and testament (Heb. 9:15-17, 18ff). The Old Testament was in force
until the death of Christ (Eph. 2:15; Col. 2:14; Heb. 10:9-10), and the New Testament was in
force only after the death of Christ. The thief on the cross lived and was forgiven prior to the
death of Christ. His conversion does not reflect each aspect of the plan of salvation which is
part of the New Testament gospel. If we are interested in knowing what is required on the
part of those living after the death of Jesus, or during the Christian age, we must look to the
teaching of the final will and testament of Christ, the gospel preached by his inspired followers
after his death and ascension.

Is this to say that we can learn nothing of salvation from the thief’s conversion since it
occurred prior to Jesus’ death? No, we have already looked at some wonderful truths which
this conversion demonstrates. We learn about God’s relationship with man from other
characters who lived before the cross, as well. For example, we learn about saving faith from
the life of Abraham (Heb. 11:8ff; Rom. 4:1ff). From the rest of the men and women whose
examples of faith are recounted in Hebrews eleven, and from other Old Testament examples
in general, we learn that what God has always required of all people is obedient faith. Does
that mean, however, that every act of obedience which God required of Abraham he also
requires of us today? Of course not; Abraham lived under a different law. Are we obligated to
by faith offer animal sacrifices and observe the Sabbath as Samuel did? Of course not; Samuel
lived under a different covenant. Both were saved by obedient faith; so was the thief on the
cross. The particular demands of God were not the same for those three men. The particular
demands of God have varied from covenant to covenant. Obedient faith still saves men, but
one of the particular demands of the gospel is immersion in water for remission of sins (Acts
2:38; Mark 16:15-16).

Closely tied to the principle and rule that "a testament is of force after men are dead:
otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth" (Heb. 9:17) is another fact worth
noting. Jesus stated that while he was with men he had the authority to forgive sins (Mark
2:5-11). When he died, he once and for all sealed his will and testament for all of mankind,
including us.

If we want to know how men and women are saved in the Christian era (i.e., from the
resurrection and ascension of Christ to the end of the world), there are a number of examples
in the book of Acts from which we might study. We absolutely massacre the text of the Bible
when we appeal to the thief on the cross as a pattern for becoming a member of the church
(he lived and died before the church was even established!) and ignore the many conversions
in the book of Acts, which actually do apply as patterns for conversion today (cf. Acts 9:10-18;
1 Tim. 2:16). In the conversions recorded in the book of Acts you will find that men and
women heard the gospel proclaimed (Acts 4:4; 8:5; 16:32; 18:8), believed on Christ with the
heart (Acts 2:36-37; 8:37; 16:30-31), repented of sin (Acts 2:38; 11:18; 17:30), confessed
Jesus (Acts 8:37; 18:18), and were baptized in water (Acts 2:38; 8:12, 35-38; 18:8; 22:16).

Why is the Bible’s teaching on the necessity of baptism such a hard obstacle for so many to
overcome? Why do so few answer the question, "What must I do to be saved," in the same
way Peter did on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:37-38)? Why will so many respond to Jesus’
statement, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved," with a defiant, "I just can’t
accept that"? Why do some find it so necessary to find in the thief on the cross an "exception"
to the New Testament’s plain teaching on water baptism? Friends, if it is the case that we
must search for "exceptions" to what we know to be the rule, then is there not something
seriously wrong with the way we approach the word of God?

FINAL THOUGHTS

"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?…And such were some
of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord
Jesus, and the Spirit of our God" (1 Cor. 6:9-11).

"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world
to save sinners; of whom I am chief" (1 Tim. 2:15).

"[Christ], when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but
committed himself to him that judgeth righteously; who his own self bare our sins in his own
body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes
ye were healed" (1 Peter 2:23-24).