Lessons from a thief!

Sentenced to death by the worst form of ancient Roman execution on the hill called Kranion in Greek, a punishment he justly deserved for the life misspent in depravity, he paused just moments before his final breath to take a decision probably one of the handful good ones he ever took. He responded to a silent altar call on the cross, while his comrade on the other side mocked at the One, He saw more than just a dying savior.

While the disciples sorrowed over their broken dreams which according to them was an unforeseen end of their Messiah the elated Pharisees planned on their victory celebrations  and the Roman soldiers prepared to clear the mess this thief hanging next to Jesus had a moment of introspection followed by the conclusion that he needed a Savior. He saw something which all of them missed and he responded to his conviction. It might force some to think that isn’t it too late for this enlightenment but Jesus clears every doubt when He accepts His dying prayer. He probably never even heard the Lord’s Prayer let alone praying it, but this unconventional sinner’s prayer in his final moments changed the course of his eternity.

Wonder if he heard the angels singing this in the background as He took this eternity changing decision:

“At the cross x 2

I surrender my life I’m in awe of you

Where Your love ran red where my sin washed white

I owe all to you x 2…”

Love ran Red by Chris Tomlin

When Jesus accepted him, He snatched the thief from the throes of Hades and brought him to His kingdom of Heaven. “O death, where is your sting?” cause the dying thief did not perish because he believed in Jesus but entered eternal life with the Father. The thief never saw or celebrated the Easter or Pascha but he never needed to because he entered heaven with Jesus and he probably did singing, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me…”

And herein lies the lesson for us all that, “All have sinned and fallen short the glory”, we all need a Savior; the sooner the conviction hits us the better it is. If you are just one prayer away from that life changing decision then don’t wait till your final moments because there’s no guarantee that you’ll be offered a similar moment of introspection like this thief. It is never too late; you’re never too far because “Calvary covers it all”.