“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, ESV).
The story of the thief on the cross contains a very powerful message that attracts us to Jesus. Unfortunately, many have misapplied the story and have left themselves short of eternal salvation. Several important principles must be applied to avoid this tragic mistake.
In the first place, we must keep in mind that, during His earthly ministry, Jesus had the power to extend forgiveness in whatever manner He wished. At the time Jesus spoke to the thief, the Last Will and Testament of Jesus Christ had not come into effect. Suppose a person’s will specifies that his estate be distributed equally among his children upon his death. Does this prohibit him from giving of his wealth to others while he is still alive? Of course not! He is free to do whatever he wishes with his money as long as he lives. Jesus’ Last Will and Testament specifies certain conditions upon which forgiveness would be obtained following His death. However, He was not prohibited in any way from dispensing His blessing of forgiveness upon others prior to His death. As the Son of God, Jesus had the power on earth to forgive sins.
As Jesus was teaching in a home in the city of Capernaum, some men dug a hole in the roof and lowered a pallet upon which was lying a paralytic. Jesus saw the faith of these men and said to the paralytic: “Son, your sins are forgiven” (Mk. 2:5). Present that day were certain scribes who reasoned that Jesus was blaspheming since only God can forgive a man’s sins. Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’?” (vs. 9). Jesus then healed the paralytic, thus proving that He had the power on earth to forgive sins (vs. 10). Take special notice of the fact that Jesus had the power on earth to forgive sins. Was this man baptized? No, but neither was he told to believe and repent. The will of Christ was not in force at that time because Jesus was still alive. The thief was forgiven because Jesus had the power on earth to forgive sins. Lord willing, we will have more to say about this in next week’s bulletin.