32 Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 33 When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.”
36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37 and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”
38 There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!”
40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
43 Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Read Luke 23:32-43 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!
We have hinted at the idea of Jesus dying for us while looking at other passages, and again in this entry, we are looking at a passage and idea that builds upon this – and we will be discussing the thief on the cross.
In this passage (verse 43), we are able to see Jesus promise the thief salvation – after a life of sin. This action tells me what some people might call a “deathbed confession” is possible, but nowhere do we read or see how that path would be recommended.
However, simply opening up this last minute redemptive option shows us just how much Jesus loves and cares for us. It is powerful to think that Jesus endured all that torture and pain to give two sinners the opportunity to repent and be forgiven. One of them takes Jesus up on the deal, and puts his trust in Him for what will come after death.
In our own lives, we should never plan to repent and ask for forgiveness right before we die. The obvious reason is that we don’t know when we’ll die. Another equally valid reason is that the more we reject Jesus while living our lives, the less likely we will even think about turning back to Him when we are at our end. But the biggest reason is what this decision says about our opinion of God’s plan for us.
If we live our lives with the idea that we can turn back to God at the end of our lives, we are basically telling ourselves and others that God’s plan is not the best for us here on earth. Living like this says to others that, “My way is better than God’s way while I’m alive, and that He wants me to miss out on something worth doing/experiencing.”
Is this true? Does God want us to miss out on some things?
Yes. God wants us to miss out on things that cheapen our value as human beings, on things that ruin relationships with others, and on things that harm ourselves mentally, physically, and spiritually. We are way more valuable to God than we often give ourselves credit for – because Jesus died to give you the opportunity to be saved. Jesus died for you, to pay your debt, so that you can accept the gift of eternal life which begins today – long before your deathbed.
This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!
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