What the Crucifixion Meant

The following is from Michael Horton's preface to the 2009 publication of Sola Scriptura: The Protestant Position on the Bible. It comes after his quotation of Romans 1:18a: "The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing."

But in our day, preaching cannot be foolish. It must be "relevant," which is the word we have drafted into the service of market-driven approaches. However, the message of the cross assumes the terror of the law, divine wrath toward sinners (and not just their sins), and the need for a substitutionary sacrifice to assuage divine justice. It assumes that the greatest problem facing humanity is original and actual sin - personal rebellion against a holy God - not stress, low self-esteem, and a failure to realize one's full potential. [pg. ix]

Three Days and Three Nights?

The following is quoted from the Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties.

Matthew 12:40: On which day of the week was Christ crucified?

Matthew 12:40 states: “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” If the general tradition—that Christ was crucified on Friday of Holy Week, died at 3:00 P.M. (the “ninth hour” of the day), and then rose again from the dead on Sunday at dawn—is correct, how can it be said that Jesus was three days and three nights in the grave? He was interred about 6:00 P.M., according to Luke 23:54. (“And it was the day of preparation [hemera paraskeues] and the Sabbath was coming on [epephosken].”) This would mean that the period of interment was only from Friday night to Saturday night before the Resurrection on the dawn of Sunday; and it would also mean only one dawn-to-sunset day, namely Saturday, had passed. How do we get “three days and three nights” out of two nights and one day? Must not the actual day of crucifixion have been Thursday or even Wednesday?

It is perfectly true that a Friday Crucifixion will not yield three full twenty-four-hour days. But neither will a Thursday afternoon Crucifixion, nor a Wednesday afternoon Crucifixion either. This results from the fact that Jesus died at 3:00 P.M. and rose at or about 6:00 A.M. The only way you can come out with three twenty-four-hour days is if He rose at the same hour (three days later, of course) that He was crucified, namely, 3:00 P.M. Actually, however, He rose “on the third day” (1 Cor. 15:4). Obviously, if He rose on the third day, He could not already have been buried for three whole nights and three whole days. That would have required His resurrection to be at the beginning of the fourth day.

What, then, is the meaning of the expression in Matthew 12:40: “three days and three nights in the heart of the earth”? (NASB). This can only refer to three twenty-four-hour days in part or in whole. That is to say, Jesus expired at 3:00 P.M. near the close of Friday (according to the Hebrew method of reckoning each day as beginning at sundown), which would be one day. Then Friday 6:00 P.M. to Saturday 6:00 P.M. would be the second day, and Saturday 6:00 P.M. to Sunday 6:00 P.M. would constitute the third day—during which (i.e., Sunday 6:00 A.M. or a little before) Christ arose. Christ rested in hades (where paradise, or “Abraham’s Bosom,” still was, according to the indications of Luke 16:22-26; cf. Luke 23:43) for a portion of the three days: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The same would be true, or course, if the Evangelists had been reckoning according to the Roman method, from midnight to midnight.

Why then are three portions of day referred to in Matthew 12:40 as “three days and three nights”? The simple answer is that the only way “day” in the sense of dawn-to-dusk sunlight could be distinguished from the full twenty-four-hour cycle sense of “day” was to speak of the latter as “a night and a day” (i.e., an interval between 6:00 P.M. and 6:00 P.M. of the day following). In other words Friday as a twenty-four-hour unit began on Thursday 6:00 P.M. and lasted until Friday 6:00 P.M. Correspondingly, Sunday began at 6:00 P.M. Saturday, according to Hebrew reckoning (but 12:00 P.M. Saturday according to Roman reckoning). According to ancient parlance, then, when you wished to refer to three separate twenty-four-hour days, you said, “Three days and three nights”—even though only a portion of the first and third days might be involved.

A similar usage is apparent from the narrative in 1 Samuel 30:12, where “he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights” is equated in v.13 with hayyom se losah (“three days ago”)—which could only mean “day before yesterday.” But if the Egyptian slave fell ill on the day before yesterday (with relationship to the day on which David found him), then he could not have remained without food or water for three entire twenty-four-hour days. We simply have to get used to slightly different ways of expressing time intervals. (“Similarly the Feast of Pentecost was originally called the “Feast of Weeks” because it fell on the forty-ninth day after the offering of the wave sheaf on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Yet it was known actually as the Fiftieth Day— Pentecoste in Greek.)

The Thieves on the Cross

One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” [Luke 23:39-43]

On the evening of Christ's death on the cross, an episode occurs between the Lord and the two thieves with whom he was crucified. Matthew had recorded that "the robbers who had been crucified with Him" (Matt 27:44; NASB). This has caused some to cry "CONTRADICTION!", but this supposed dilemma is easily resolved through two possible explanations: 1) both thieves initially mocked Christ, and one later repented; 2) Matthew may be using a figure of speech known as synecdoche, which can refer to many things, but one of them is when you refer to part as you would a whole. In other words, one thief mocked Christ, but Matthew (who is known to abbreviate or simplify stories throughout his gospel) refers to the thieves as a whole.

In either case, Luke goes into further detail about the dialogue between the three crosses. Christ is in the midst of mockery, having already received it from the Jewish onlookers (v. 35) as well as the Gentile soldiers (v. 36-8). Now, as if that wasn't bad enough, one of those suffering with Christ turns against him as well. His words reveal the true nature of his heart:

1) He repeats the mockery. "Are you not the Christ?" he asks (v. 39). "Save yourself..." This was what the Jewish rulers had demanded, and the Roman soldiers as well. The dozens upon dozens of miracles Christ had performed were not enough, and to many - even Christ's loyal followers - the idea of the great, expected Messiah being crucified and mocked by foreigners was unthinkable. The very nature of this world is to look upon the cross as foolishness (1 Cor 1:18), seeing it either as a failed ministry, a needless suicide, or divine murder. Indeed, is it any wonder that, when the day of resurrection comes around each year, the jokes directed towards Christ are amplified? Many people, seeking to either satisfy their own lusts or appear justified before others, mock Christ's death, not realizing that they are merely joining in with the Pharisees and Roman soldiers.

2) He adds himself into the equation. The blaspheming thief not only desires Christ to save himself, but demands that, if Christ be who he says he is, he rescue the two of them as well. Many today likewise demand something from the cross: the idea of a crucified savior is good for nothing, in their eyes, unless something is gained from it. We demand health and wealth, a better life now, or a special purpose. If the man on the cross cannot give us these things, then we dismiss his claims to divinity and Messianic lordship. What's more, we demand it without any real discernment on whether or not we truly deserve it. Upon what basis does the thief believe he deserves this freedom? Was he not hanging on the cross for charges lodged against him? The unregenerate heart does not ponder these things. Those outside of Christ declare that God must be gentle and kind towards them, irregardless of their own personal guilt and sin.

Let us now stop and ponder something many might have missed in their studies of the Passion: at this time, throughout the whole account, no one has stood up for Christ. All the disciples had fled. Peter brashly cuts off the ear of the Temple, but falls when he then denies Christ three times under pressure. No one - Jew or Gentile, commoner or nobleman - seeks to defend Christ against his enemies. All this changes here and now, when the afflicted savior finally gets words of support. However, it's not from a Pharisee, a disciple, his mother, or a Roman officer...it's from the other thief. The following points arise from his words to the his fellow condemned:

1) He rebukes the other thief. "Have you no fear of God?" he asks him (v. 40). This shows the regeneration that had happened within the thief. The fear of God had driven him to say these words, and to those who truly fear God, blasphemy appears as absurdity. Those who love God feel ache in their heart in regards to those who don't, just as the apostle Paul wrote regarding disbelieving Jews: "I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers" (Rom 9:3).

2) He affirms his own sin. "And we indeed justly," the thief adds, "for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds" (v. 40). He recognized, unlike the former thief, that he was guilty of the crimes for which he was being punished. He had broken the law, and was receiving what was owed to the law for his crimes. He was guilty, and held no innocence within himself at this moment of judgment. The great Christian author and evangelist John Bunyan wrote:

He that truly confesseth and acknowledgeth his sin, acknowledgeth also the curse to be due thereto from the righteous hand of God.

3) He affirms the righteousness of Christ. "But this man," the thief adds again, "has done nothing wrong" (v. 41). Pilate had earlier pointed out that Christ was innocent of any serious crimes (v. 4, 22), but his intentions were based more on political motivations than true care for Christ. The repentant thief, on the other hand, is convicted by Christ's innocence, for he had earlier told the blaspheming thief "you are under the same sentence of condemnation" (v. 40). Christ was suffering and yet, unlike the two thieves there, he had committed no wrongs. His spot on the cross, in fact, had been reserved for Barabbas, an insurrectionist and rebel, but it had gone instead to the innocent Christ (v. 17-21). The wise thief points this out as a further indictment against the blaspheming one, for the latter had shown great disrespect towards Christ, not seeming to realize that Christ was suffering for sins that were not his.

The repenting thief was showing the true fruits of repentance, for these few sentences reveal: 1) a confession of personal guilt; 2) an acceptance of the righteousness of God. All this leads to what Matthew Henry called "the prayer of a dying sinner to a dying savior," when the wise thief turns to Christ and says: "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom" (v. 42). The former thief had sought pain from the then and now for a better life in the here and how, but the latter thief had sought freedom from the judgment of God in the soon to be. The thief had sought happiness not now (for he recognized he deserved none), but rather for happiness in the next life. What's more, he recognized that the only freedom from judgment and sin came through Christ, and in his last dying moments he clung to the cross and, in not so many words, pleaded for mercy. To these words, Jesus Christ replied:

"Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." (v. 43)

Many people have speculated on what Christ means here in regards to "paradise," however in its purest form it simply refers to the joy and comfort of being in the presence of the Redeemer in the hereafter. All sins which the man was guilty of were, at that moment, washed away, and no longer held against him. He was justified not for anything he had done - for there was nothing he could have done - but rather, he was justified through his faith. Christ would eventually commit his soul to God (v. 46), but the wise thief committed his soul to Christ. He would die, but his life would be "hidden with Christ in God," and upon the day of resurrection he would appear with Christ in glory (Col 3:3-4).

The two thieves as a whole represented the effect that the cross would have upon the world: on the one hand, an indictment of sin and judgment; on the other hand, regeneration and the giving of grace. It was a personification of the prophecy in Isaiah 53:12, for Christ was "was numbered with the transgressors," as seen with the wise thief, and "bore the sin of many," as he bore the sins of the thief, and would make "intercession for the transgressors," as Christ personally interceded for the wise thief.

Everything the cross represented could be seen at this moment, for though "the word of the cross" was "folly to those who are perishing," to those "who are being saved," as the wise thief, it was "the power of God" (1 Cor 1:18). God bless.

"The Day That Christ Died"

The following is from Jonathan Edwards's notes on the Bible, and deals specifically with Matthew 27:51.

"And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom." This was the veil that hindered our access to the throne of grace, or the mercy-seat in the holy of holies.

That hiding of the mercy-seat, and hindering of our access to the mercy-seat, figured a twofold hinderance of access to God.

1. The hinderance by which all men are kept off while they remain under the first covenant of works; they are hindered by their guilt, God’s law and justice.

2. That hinderance of free access that was under the first testament while the church was in a legal state, and in its minority, and under carnal, ordinances, so that access was rare and difficult, only allowed to the high priest, and that but once a year: so that the veil signifies two things, viz. 1. The sin of man, both guilt and corruption of heart; which both in diverse respects are a veil to hide the mercy-seat, and hinder our access. Both these were typified by the flesh of Christ. The sin of God’s people, or elect church, was typified by Christ’s flesh; for sin is called flesh in Scripture, and the elect church is Christ mystical; so that Christ, in taking flesh upon him, took their sin upon him: he became sin for us, and when his flesh was crucified, when his human nature died, then this veil was removed, for that abolished the sin of the elect church. So likewise Christ in the flesh, in his infirm, weak state, signified the church, or Christ mystical, in its Old-Testament minority, when it was in its weak, infirm, and carnal state, under carnal ordinances, under the elements of the world; and those carnal ordinances, and carnal dispensations, that Christ mystical was under, was as it were the flesh of Christ. When Christ died, then there was an end to those types and shadows, because they were then all fulfilled.

Christ’s human nature was a temple; it was the antitype of the temple; and his flesh, or the infirmity of his human nature, was the veil that hid the glory of God, or the divinity that dwells in him, and was in his person. So that the veil of the temple, in the third place, typified the literal flesh of Christ, that had veiled his glory; which it ceased to do when his state of humiliation was at an end. Christ himself, our great High Priest, entered into the holy of holies through the veil of his own flesh. That day that Christ died, was the great day of atonement, typified by the day of atonement of old, when the high priest entered into the holy of holies. Christ, as God man, could enter into heaven no other way than by rending this veil. Christ offered his sacrifice in the outward court, in this world, and then in the conclusion of it rent the veil, that his blood might be sprinkled within the veil. [source]

Peter Popoff and Debt Cancellation

There are some things that provoke you in the spirit to the point where you simply have to do something. That's about how I felt as I caught Peter Popoff and his wife on television trying to give away these miracle spring water gifts to potential followers. What they said simply shocked me, so much so that I felt compelled to make a short video about it.

Apologies ahead of time for the quality. I recorded the episode with my digital camcorder, then edited all of it in Adobe Premiere. In the meantime, enjoy.

The Foolishness of God

Good Friday. The Day of the Crucifixion. The day our Lord surrendered Himself to the cross, loyal to the Father even unto death. These things are simply accepted these days, and are so often talked about both in season and out that it simply becomes a matter-of-fact affair for us. Imagine for a moment, however, the idea of a crucified messiah in those days. The Jews had expected a great leader who would lead massive armies, and many were expecting him to defeat the Romans - what appeal would there be in a man accused of being a criminal by religious and secular courts and then executed in the most heinous manner imaginable at the time? The Greeks, likewise, would have found it ridiculous, as they did not believe in a bodily resurrection and had vague notions of "God" to begin with. Much of this is greatly expounded upon by the apostle Paul in his first known letter to the Corinthians.

Paul opens this epistle by addressing the divisions within the Corinthian Church and their allegiances to various apostles. After stating he is happy he did not baptize many so that the factions wouldn't be larger, the apostle states, "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect" (1:17). He then writes the following:

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent."

Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God — and righteousness and sanctification and redemption — that, as it is written, "He who glories, let him glory in the LORD." [1 Corinthians 1:18-31; NKJV]

He begins by stating "the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" (1:18). He elucidates this with a quote from the prophet Isaiah, and I think it would be edifying if we looked at the fullness of this quote:

Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work among this people, a marvelous work and a wonder; for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden. [Isaiah 29:14]

What was this "marvelous work"? It is the cross and its message, the very thing Paul is addressing.

It is said that God will destroy the wisdom of the wise. Paul asks, "Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?" (1:20) God did this with Divine Wisdom, which took flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14), ultimately sacrificing Himself on the cross. The "wisdom of God" was not recognized by the wisdom of the world (1:21), for it is written that "He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him" (John 1:10). The world, always seeking to understand creation, did not recognize its Creator even when He appeared to them, and this will be the judgment of the supposed wise ones and scribes. Yet this "foolishness," which the world perceives the message of the cross to be, is used by the pleasure of God to "save those who believe" (1:21), for "those who believe in His name" will "become children of God" (John 1:12).

The Jews seek signs (Matt 16:1), the Greeks worldly wisdom (Acts 17:21), yet the Christians preach only a crucified savior who rose from the dead (1:22-23). This is a stumbling block for the Jews, who believe an executed man to be cursed (Deut 21:23), as well as the Greeks, who mock such ideas (Acts 17:32). However, it is "to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God" (1:24). This is because "the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men" (1:25). That which man considers foolishness is the Holy Wisdom of God, and that which man considers weak is the power of God in extending His sovereignty throughout salvation. The world creates its own standards and attempts to judge God by them, and yet it is He through whom all things came into being (John 1:3), and the universe turns only by the standards He has set.

When Paul first came to Corinth, there were not many who were strong, influential nor of noble status (1:26). Yet it is exactly among these people, these "foolish" and "weak" and "base things of the world" and "the things which are despised" by worldly standards, that God will use to "put to shame the wise" and "the things which are mighty" and to "bring to nothing the things that are" (1:27-28). As Paul asked at the beginning of this section, "Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age?" (1:20), for the majority of them have rejected this message. Indeed, one needn't review the gospels to know that the scribes and "wise" ones of society (the Pharisees) rejected who Christ was, and His glory was given instead through simple fishermen, tax collectors, and sinners. Those which society considered true theologians rejected the reality of the resurrection, yet it was the sinners and lowly members of society who embraced it. Paul will write a little later in this epistle:

However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. [1 Corinthians 2:6-8]

Why did God choose this to begin the ministry of His gospel? Paul states plainly: "that no flesh should glory in His presence" (1:29). The Corinthian Christians have, by the message of the cross, "been saved through faith," not by themselves for "it is the gift of God," and most definitely not by works "lest anyone should boast" (Eph 2:8-9). Paul emphasizes this with, "But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God — and righteousness and sanctification and redemption — that, as it is written, 'He who glories, let him glory in the LORD'" (1:30-31). The quotation he uses is from the prophet Jeremiah, the full context of which reads:

Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight," says the LORD. [Jeremiah 9:23-24]

The scribes and philosophers revel in their wisdom, the strong in their might, and the rich in their wealth, but none of these are what God sees - indeed, they mean nothing to Him. That which the world considers great God considers to be nothing. What matters to the Lord is that a man "understands and knows" Him. We do this through Jesus Christ, who is the embodiment of Wisdom (1:30) and who, through His death and resurrection, paid for our righteousness, sanctification and redemption (1:31). Nowhere did Paul exhort this better than in his letter to the Philippians:

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. [Philippians 2:5-11]

This is the message of the cross: God coming down to earth so that He may bring those who believe up to paradise. We are "reconciled to God through the death of His Son," and having been reconciled "shall be saved by His life" (Rom 5:10). He has restored a new Israel, not bound by circumcision but faith, for "if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Gal 3:29).

Even today, this is a stumbling block. Atheists scoff at the very notion of God, and even secularists emphasize a more man-centered gospel which dumbs down the actions of God in our salvation. Groups such as Islam deny the crucifixion and mock the very notion that God would have any interest entering into His creation. This is always even more obvious around the Easter season, as the world resists that little reminder of what they should be. It is of no matter for us - all is in God's hands, and He will reward those to whom the message is receive. As the prophet Isaiah said, and which Paul will quote later on in the same epistle: "For since the beginning of the world men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen any God besides You, Who acts for the one who waits for Him" (Isa 64:4).

Reflections on the Wise Thief

We are fast approaching the liturgical celebration of our Lord's Passion and Crucifixion, which will lead up to the Resurrection and the means of our salvation. I thought, therefore, it might be best to meditate on one of the most remarkable moments of Good Friday, on that fateful day on Calvary.

Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” [Luke 23:39-43; NKJV]

It is recorded among all four gospels that Jesus was crucified between two thieves also condemned to die that day. The crowd gathered there was gleefully mocking their God, and Matthew and Mark both record that, initially, the thieves joined in their mockery. Yet as Luke shows, something happened - one of the thieves switched gears.

The Church Fathers teach us that the Wise Thief did mock Christ at first, but later repented. Why was this? Perhaps we might never be quite sure. It could be that the Wise Thief was won over at the utterance of our Lord's words, "Forgive them, Father, they know not what they do." Perhaps it was the sight of our Lord's compassion to His mother and beloved disciple John. Perhaps the thief recognized the words "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" and knew from where those words came (Psalm 22:1). It could have been all of the above, or it could have been none - it could have simply been a unilateral action of God's grace. In any case, we know that by God's grace the Wise Thief's heart was moved, and moved towards repentance.

So we come to Luke's account, halfway through the crucifixion. One of the thieves crucified alongside Jesus repeats the mockery of the crowd: "If you are the Christ, save yourself." To this command, however, he adds: "...and us!" It wasn't enough that Jesus had to step down from the cross to prove His Messianic status, but now He also had to save the two thieves! Why was this? Selfishness: man is always thinking of how to get out of a jam through his own means. He never wants to embrace what little he has; he only wants a way out of it. We want instant pleasure. So the ungrateful thief, despite having been found guilty of a crime we know he committed, wants a way out of his punishment.

One can identify much evil in his words, for he tells Jesus, "If you are the Christ." This is an echo of the words of the crowd, but they are also echoes of words found much earlier in Luke's gospel. As Christ was fasting and praying in the desert, the devil suddenly appeared and began his temptation with these words: "If you are the Son of God..." (Luke 4:3). The very first temptation mankind ever suffered was doubt, for the snake in Eden asked Eve, "Did God actually say..." (Gen 3:1), and so it is very fitting that the first real temptation of Christ would be similar. Now, just as the devil tempted Christ with doubt in the desert, he tempts Him here on the cross through influence on weak individuals. It is therefore certain to say that the concept of the movie The Last Temptation of Christ is a silly one, as Christ was tempted on the cross but rejected it. Christ would not remove Himself from the cross, but endure it to the end so that, as Luke later records, "repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations" (Luke 24:47).

Now pipes in the Wise Thief. In response to this blasphemy, the Thief does what no one has done during the entire narrative of the Passion of our Lord: he defends Jesus. "Do you not even fear God," he asks, "seeing you are under the same condemnation?" He asked this because he rightly identified that they had all been accused to die equally horrible deaths, although their crimes had been different. He explains this next when he states, "we indeed [are punished] justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong." In this manner he identifies something the first thief did not: that they are sinners, criminals and scoundrels, and that they deserve the punishment they are given.

What had been Christ's crime? That they should love one another as He loves them. It was legally a menial crime at best, but in the eyes of a corrupt and sinful world a grave error that deserved death. Nonetheless, it is not a crime that should number you among thieves and robbers, as the Romans had done with Christ.

The Wise Thief is given his title because he was wise enough to discern this. He identified rightly what was going on, and he knew that there was more here than an execution. He recognized that before Him was not just any man, but the Son of Man, also the Son of God. The Wise Thief recognized that Christ did not have to be there, and yet He had allowed Himself to be numbered between them. In some ways, Christ was the odd man out, for he was the only innocent one on all three crosses - but in other ways, too, the thieves were the odd ones out, because it was not by their death and resurrection that mankind would be saved. They were not worthy to be in such presence, and yet Christ had come to be in their presence by His own accord.

So now, finished reprimanding his fellow transgressor, the Wise Thief turns his focus to our Lord. He does not ask for freedom, wealth, or a high position. He only makes one small request...

"Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom."

We can rightfully consider this statement a prayer, and a wonderful prayer at that. It should be the only prayer on the lips of every Christian. The Wise Thief does, in a way, ask for Christ to save him from the cross, but not in the same manner as the other thief. The other thief was stuck in the world, and only thought of the world, and so when he sought freedom he sought it from the execution, so that he may enjoy worldly life just a little bit more. The Wise Thief instead seeks freedom from the world entirely. He seeks freedom from the cross not for freedom from the execution, but rather freedom from what the cross meant: death and eternal humiliation.

When Christ made the statement from the cross, "Father, forgive them..." He embodied the very meaning of the cross to the believer. This scene, in a similar manner, embodies the forgiveness and love shown to those who love Him. Both thieves had Divine Truth in their midst, and yet only one chose to embrace it. For this reason his sins were forgiven, and he was reconciled before God through the cross (Eph 2:16) "having made peace through the blood of His cross" (Col 1:20). Out of repentance, like the prodigal son returning to his father, all sins the Wise Thief had committed were wiped clean, for they were left on the cross upon which he died (Col 2:14). The only thing taken with him to paradise was Christ's memory of him - the only thing he had asked for.

Truly, no moment in scripture brings tears to my eyes nearly as much as this one. The Wise Thief embodies every necessary trait for the believer: self-discernment, endurance of trials, confession, and repentance. Sometimes I recall this story in my mind, and I feel tears come from my heart. I feel tears come for the show of mercy our Lord has on sinners who come to Him. Then I realize that I am not as repentant as the Wise Thief, and tears come to my eyes as I ask our Lord to give me just a little of the humility that the Thief showed.

There is an ancient church hymn in which the angels at the gates of heaven ask the Thief, "How did you steal your way into paradise?" May this be the only theft any of us are guilty of.