Lord, Remember Me!
Two thieves have been caught and sentenced to die for armed robbery, one on either side of the Nazarene. At first, both of them rail on Jesus and take turns mocking Him:
“We are dying because we are thieves; You are dying because You are a megalomaniac —You think you are the Messiah, the King of the Jews! You think you will overthrow the Roman Empire! Ha, big joke you are!” One thief lets Jesus have it: “If you really are the Messiah, how about proving it now; come down from the cross and save us too.” They expected an outburst of anger on Jesus’ part. Instead, He accepts this devastating humiliation meekly.
Then the other thief begins to have second thoughts. He is amazed at the patience, the regal, God-like demeanor of Jesus. He has a load of guilt in his heart because of his sins; the pain of that guilt was producing fear that was worse even than his physical pain. Maybe this Jesus is what His disciples were saying He is —could it be really true that He is the long-promised Messiah? Were those Samaritans right when they said that He is “the Savior of the World?” Did John the Baptist not err when he called Him, “the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world?”
He decides: The evidence is perfect; Jesus IS the Savior! He rebukes the other thief, “Dost Thou not 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 (Luke 23: 40, 41). He knows he will soon be dead; if he is going to do anything, he must do it now. Finally, bursting with cries of anguish, he calls out to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom!” (verse 42).
Will Jesus bother to reply?
The answer is not slow in coming: “Verily I say unto thee today, thou shalt be with Me in paradise” (verse 43). Joy fills the poor man’s face. The happiest man on the face of the earth is the one who is “crucified together with Christ” (Galatians 2: 20). The repentant thief has understood what the Roman centurion supervising the crucifixion would soon acknowledge: “Truly this Man was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27: 54).
Will you just now make the same confession from your soul? “Truly, Jesus is my Savior!” Say it! Confess it!
