Jesus and the Two Thieves (Luke 23)

Jesus was, of course, crucified between two thieves… one on his right and one on his left. They not only suffered the same brutality as Jesus suffered but also witnessed all the emotional abuse he suffered.

The Rulers “scoffed” at Jesus. The word “scoff” means literally to “hold the nose up”… to sneer and to show contempt.

The Soldiers “mocked” Jesus. The word “mock” literally means to make sport or to jest.

One of the thieves after witnessing this joined in and “railed” at Jesus. The word “rail” means to literally blaspheme which is “speech defamatory of divine majesty”. A sin punishable by eternal death.

The other thief didn’t join in with the crowd. He had witnessed all the things the first thief witnessed and had witnessed what his fellow thief said and “rebuked” him for it. He stood up for Jesus.

It’s never wrong to stand up for Jesus or to stand up for anyone else being abused wrongly. The thief was guilty of being a thief and accepted his punishment for that crime but he was smart enough to know that the door to eternity was about to open for him and the one hanging on the cross next to him held the keys to that door.

In Matthew 20, the mother of James and John asked that her two sons be permitted to sit at the right and left of Jesus when he became a King. Jesus replied that was not his honor to give.

I guess that if you can’t be honored by sitting on the right or left side of Jesus in his Kingdom… it might be very honorable to be on his right or his left when he was crucified.

One thief is in Heaven right now wearing that honor. The other thief is in Hell lamenting his foolish mistake of blaspheming God as he hung on a cross. Be careful not to scoff, mock or rail (by speech or by action) at Jesus. It could be a fatal mistake.