Three Powerful Lessons from Dying Criminals

Daily Devotional – Thursday, November 18, 2021

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise.

Psalms 51:17 (NKJV)

One of the most powerful Bible stories is at the tail end of Jesus’ life. Luke 23:39-43 captures the final moments of two criminals, each hanging on a cross; either side of the crucified Christ.

Each of the offenders addresses Jesus, albeit with a different attitude and varying outcomes. The first is a defiant unrepentant man. Even in his suffering, he chooses to mock the Lord saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” (Luke 23:39).

This statement indicates that it was not the first time this criminal was meeting Jesus. He must have listened to Jesus teaching in a synagogue, a street or in some grassy patch. The offender knew Jesus had presented Himself as the Christ.

Unfortunately, instead of taking advantage of his dying moment to find peace with God and himself, the lawbreaker chose to reject the only person that had the power to forgive and save him– Jesus Christ. The criminal squandered the most important opportunity God had given him.

Same Predicament, Different Attitude, Different Outcome

On the other hand, another criminal made a different choice. He rebuked his counterpart 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.” (Luke 23:40-41).

This wrongdoer is repentant. He, too, has listened to Jesus before. He acknowledges that he deserves his punishment because of his evil deeds. He also has a powerful sense of justice and fairness. He knows Christ is innocent and does not deserve crucifixion.

Then he prays to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” (Luke 23:42). His dying moment is his most important. Jesus recognizes the man’s penitent soul and offers the criminal eternal life there and then.

Here are three powerful lessons from the dying criminals:

1. It is never too late to accept Jesus as your personal Saviour and Lord: You can do it right now. The two thieves had minutes or seconds to do so and one of them made the right choice.
2. It is not about what you have done against Jesus but what Jesus has done for you: Jesus did not ask the repentant thief to undergo character change first before Jesus could accept him. 
3. When a person turns to Jesus in repentance, other believers should not focus on the individual’s sinful past but the ongoing divine transformation in that person’s life.  

Jesus, thank you because you will not despise my broken and contrite heart (Psalm 51:17)