Reading Luke 23:39-43: “And one of the malefactors (criminals) which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.  But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?  And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.  And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.  And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.”

More insight into the two criminals which were crucified next to Jesus is found in Mark 15:27-28: “And with him they crucify 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.”

It has been mentioned in other studies that even the thief on the cross in his conversion to Christ when he was on the verge of death was not justified by faith alone.  He would not have been told by Jesus that he would be with Him in paradise on that day if he had not truly repented and expressed that repentance in siding with Jesus and standing for Him publicly like He did.  

Proverbs 16:6: “By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.”

Rendered literally that reads:  “…and by the fear of the Lord depart from evil.”

Proverbs 28:13: “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”

Such repentance is foundational and implied when the Bible says in Romans 10:13: “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Calling Jesus Lord is vain otherwise.

He said in Luke 6:46: “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”

He gave several warnings of how those who call Him Lord yet work lawlessness will be shut out of His kingdom and sent to the fire of hell instead.

One aspect of the thief on the cross’ repentance which led Him to call on Jesus and be accepted by Him which I believe is especially not emphasized much.

Luke 23:40-41: “But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?  And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds.”

How many people who get sentenced to death or a very long prison sentence admit that they are getting what they deserve- or perhaps less than they deserve?  

Even better, and even less common, how many people go to court, admit their guilt, argue that they should get the maximum sentence?

Readily confessing and accepting from the heart the just punishment for one’s sins is not the entirety of true repentance- yet it is an essential aspect of it.  

Without such, there cannot really be deeds done which are fitting for repentance nor can anyone really submit to whatever rehabilitation process God has for them without such (and these are also necessary aspects of true repentance).

Think of Cain complaining about his immediate punishment- a punishment which in God’s wisdom was less than what it normally would have for a murderer (which is death).

Genesis 4:9-13: “And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother?  And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?  And he said, What hast thou done?  the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.  And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand; When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.  And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear.”

Think of King Saul after he had disobeyed God’s command concerning the Amalekites- a people God had appointed to destruction and had deputized Saul to utterly slay.  Saul sought his own honor and preservation after his failure to do what God commanded him- rather than the vindication of truth.

1 Samuel 15:30 (Saul is speaking to Samuel): “Then he said, I have sinned: yet honor me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the Lord thy God.”

This also brings to mind the preachers who got caught in blatant immorality and won’t even step down from their position- or only do so because they have no other choice.  Even then, they are often out preaching (and receiving money for doing so) within a short time- and acting like anyone who dares to question the legitimacy of their so-called ministry is a villain.

Matthew’s account shows that both thieves who were being crucified alongside Jesus mocked Him initially (see Matthew 27:38-44).

If the thief who came to repent on the cross had been repentant beforehand instead, he would have delivered himself to be crucified by the Romans and never have expected Jesus to deliver him from his crucifixion.  We see in Luke’s account that the other thief was demanding Jesus to deliver Himself, and both of the thieves, even as the other thief came to be repentant and admitted that the condemnation of both thieves was just (I suspect also that they had done something heinous besides theft which the Bible doesn’t mention in God’s wisdom- the repentant thief on the cross surely recognized both thieves’ crucifixion to be just and proper).

Jesus did not deliver the thieves who were crucified alongside Him.  However, due to what He was accomplishing by His own crucifixion (offering His own sinless life as a sin offering on behalf of guilty mankind), the repentant thief found mercy before God.  By Jesus’ own words we can know that the repentant thief had hope in his death and obtained comfort immediately afterwards.   

One crucified thief obtained mercy before God and went to be with Jesus in paradise; and the other thief went to hell.  Vindicating truth and righteousness, and looking to God’s merciful appointed remedy for the guilty, made the difference.  

That is also the issue in the often misunderstood and abused passage of Luke 18:10-14: “(Jesus says) Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.  I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.  And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”

There is such a thing as a ritual whereby one admits they’re a sinner, and perhaps even smites their breast, which is no more able to justify a person than the Pharisees’ prayer.  

The publican smiting his own breast was not a show or a ritual.  He really believed and acknowledged God’s right to condemn him over his sins.  The Pharisee practically lied in denying the justice of his own condemnation before God.  The Pharisee therefore thought that the plan he had devised to make himself acceptable to God was sufficient.  The Pharisee went on in the pride of his uncircumcised heart. 

As was seen before, the Scripture says in Proverbs 28:13: “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”

Look at an example of a publican’s repentance in the very next chapter, in which we are given real life details of a person with a repentant heart who receives Jesus in truth.  Zaccheus did more than just admit he was a sinner.  Zaccheus really believed he deserved condemnation and sided with the Lord by vindicating truth in hopes of obtaining His mercy- even to the point of imposing a harsh sentence on himself which was fitting and directly correlated to how he had refused to walk in truth and had rather walked in darkness beforehand.

Luke 19:1-10: “And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.  And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.  And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.  And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.  And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.  And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.  And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.  And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.  And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.  For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

True repentance vindicates truth.  It is a clear truth of Scripture that those who are fitting objects of God’s mercy don’t seek to escape, but rather acknowledge and readily submit to whatever their due punishment for their sins on earth is.  Only those who diligently sought to vindicate truth on earth in hope of God’s mercy through the crucified and risen Redeemer will inherit His eternal kingdom and escape His eternal wrath. 

We see these things exemplified and illustrated with the thief on the cross who repented and obtained mercy though he was not delivered from his crucifixion.  His ceasing to expect and/or demand such a deliverance was a necessary aspect of his repentance.

Consider also if the parents or siblings of either of the thieves had been present at their crucifixion.  In order for these to vindicate truth in hopes of obtaining God’s mercy themselves, wholeheartedly consenting to the execution of their guilty family members who were receiving the due reward of their deeds would have been a necessary aspect of their repentance as well.  

Aaron’s email is: [email protected]

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