Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:42-43)
Outline:
As part of our meditation on the 2nd word that Jesus spoke on the Cross, let’s look at the robber, his background and how he entered the paradise at the last moment (commentators humorously say that he stole a ticket to heaven!!) and compare him with the religious leaders of those times, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the chief priests and the scribes who were well versed with the scriptures including the old testament Messianic prophecies but failed to enter paradise. What do we learn from them?
The thief who entered Paradise:
His crime: The Greek word that refers to the thieves can be interpreted as robbers, thieves or insurrectionists. Matthew refers to them as rebels (Matthew 27:38) Luke mentions them as criminals (Luke 23:32), Mark refers to them as robbers (Mark 15:27), John refers to them as first man and the other (John 19:32). Josephus, a 1st century Bible scholar, also refers to them as insurrectionists. Few examples of crimes that led to crucifixion were slaves who escaped from their masters, armed robbery/murder, as well as political charges like rebelling against the Roman empire. We’re not sure what exactly his crime was but all we know is that he was sentenced to be crucified.
His background: Though we traditionally refer to these thieves as penitent thief and impenitent thief, I would like to refer them by their names Dismas (good thief) and Gestas (some references call him Gysmas) as mentioned in the gospel of Nicodemus and the narrative of Joseph of Arimathea (he refers to him as Demas). At the end of this article, you’ll know why its important to refer him by name.
Did he know about Jesus? His past life is beyond the scope of the scripture. So, the following questions remain unanswered:
- Was he a Jew? If not, was he aware that Jews were expecting the Messiah?
- Did he hear about Jesus and His teachings earlier?
- Was he at the palace when Pilate questioned Jesus and (when Pilate declared Jesus blameless) released Barabas?
The moment he saw Jesus: Since we don’t know about his past, based on the gospels we assume that he first saw Jesus when he was led out with Jesus to the cross Luke 23:32 He would have been stunned to see thousands of followers for a person sentenced to death and when Jesus told the women who wailed for him “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children” Luke 23:27-28 he would have known that Jesus was not an ordinary man.
The turnaround: Initially, he also got influenced by others mocking at Jesus (Matthew 27:39-43) and mocked him. (Matthew 27:44)
Not sure if it was Jesus’ first word about forgiveness that brought the transformation or was it the Holy Spirit but when the 2nd thief hurled insults at Jesus again saying “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” (Luke 23:39) Dismas rebuked him saying, “Don’t you fear God? he said, since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong“ After expressing remorse, he said a prayer, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Luke 23:40-41 NIV)`
Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise”(Luke 23:42-43 NIV)
His death: The thief died after Jesus, when his legs were broken by the soldiers (John 19:32-33). Here are some important events that happened as he was dying:
- He watched darkness engulf the land for 3 hours
- He saw Jesus calling His Father to give up his spirit
- The Centurion calling Jesus a righteous man Luke 23: 44-48 after His death
- He had no idea that curtain of the temple was torn, that the tombs broke open and bodies of holy people who had died were raised (Matthew 27:51-53)
- But he died believing that he made the right decision in asking Jesus for His forgiveness. Dismas, the thief became the first man in history to be cleansed by the blood of Jesus and enter paradise.
Sainthood: Dismas is officially venerated by the Catholic Church and commemorated on 25 March, the day early Christians believed Jesus died. Dismas is regarded as a patron saint of prisoners, and many prison chapels or halfway houses for ex-convicts have been named after him including Church of St. Dismas, the Good Thief in New York, US (shown in the picture above)
The Pharisees, Sadducees, chief priests and scribes:
Let’s take a brief look at the Pharisees and the Sadducees and the references to the Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament that they were well versed with.
Pharisees: The Pharisees were the keepers of the law and Jesus said He came to fulfill the law (Matthew 5:17). So, why didn’t they have a good relationship?
- They were like separate sect who focused on purity by extending the laws of Moses (i.e Oral laws) and making it cumbersome or a burden on the people. For example, the law of Moses says the sabbath should be kept holy but they added more to it saying you cannot walk this many feet and it’ll be considered work. Another incident is when the disciple ate grains from the field (Luke 12:1)
- They loved to have the place of honor at banquets, best seat in synagogues, liked to be respected in public places (Matthew 23:6-7) and were full of greed and self-indulgence (Matthew 23:25)
- They focused on condemning people Eg: the adulterous woman (John 8:1-11) whereas Jesus went after the lost sheep. “You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to” (Matthew 23:13)
- These are a few reasons why Jesus invoked 7 woes on Scribes & Pharisees and called them names like hypocrites, blind fools, blind guides, whitewashed tombs, snakes, brood of vipers etc (Matthew 23: 13-36)
Sadducees: Sadducees, the priestly class (chief priests and high priests) that controlled Temple worship and held the most political influence with the Roman Empire. The Sadducees rejected the oral tradition in favor of the written law (Torah). Didn’t believe in angels, resurrection and ceased to exist after 70 A.D
You can read more about the Pharisees and the Sadducees in this article. The only issue that the Pharisees and the Sadducees agreed on is that they hated Jesus and wanted to kill Him.
Old Testament Prophecies & Gospel references about the Messiah:
We all know that the Jews were expecting the Messiah. There were many prophecies concerning the Messiah but how did the Pharisees, the Sadducees and the Scribes who were the religious leaders of that time miss these?
Here are a few references from the Old Testament/gospels to refresh our memory:
- Wise men realized these signs and asked King Herod “Where is the King of the Jews?” King Herod asked his leading priests and teachers of religious law “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?” (Matthew 2: 1-6) they replied “Bethlehem” based on Micah 5:2
- John the Baptist, clearly says that “He’s not the messiah” and the one sent to prepare the way for the Lord (as prophecized in Isaiah). When he sees Jesus, he says “I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One” ”Look, the Lamb of God” (John 1:19-35)
- Andrew who heard that went to Simon and said “We have found the Messiah” (John 1:41)
- There were so many old testament prophecies about Jesus, that He’ll be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), He would be born in Jesse’s family (Isaiah 11:1), David’s heir (Jeremiah 23:5-6, 33: Jeremiah 15-16), born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14) especially the last week “The King would ride a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9) “He would be betrayed for thirty pieces of silver, and a potter’s field would be bought with the money” (Zechariah 11: 12-13)
- The book of Isaiah has so many prophecies related to Jesus’ Crucifixion including the first word on the Cross where Jesus interceded for the transgressors (Isaiah 53:12)
There may be a thought that the people weren’t aware about the Messiah as they didn’t have the communication tools that we have today. But Matthew 4:24-25 says, “News about him spread all over Syria” and “Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him” Mark 1:28 also says “News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee“. So, definitely lack of communication was not an issue.
The Pharisees and the Sadducees’ eyes were blinded and missed all these prophecies as they spent their time trying to trap Jesus and kill him. “The whole Sanhedrin devised a plan to kill Jesus” (Mark 15:1). It was not just “blind leading the blind” (Matt 15:14) but the Pharisees had threatened that anyone who acknowledged Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue (John 9:22). This again was a fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy “that their eyes were blinded and their hearts hardened” (Isaiah 6: 9-10) and also referenced in John 12: 40-41
Key takeaways:
Here are the key takeaways from the life of Dismas, the Pharisees, Sadducees and the Scribes:
- Righteousness by grace: During the sermon on the mount, when Jesus preached to His disciples “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20) For those who didn’t understand what He meant, He showed by example at the cross that righteousness is neither by the oral law of the Pharisees nor the written law of the Sadducees by My precious blood that I shed on the cross. Thus, Dismas, the thief became the poster boy of righteousness by grace.
- Knowledge, Money & Power: Pharisees and Sadducees were powerful, wealthy and had a very good knowledge of the Scripture but that didn’t take them to Paradise (except Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea and others who became believers after resurrection Acts 15:5). This reiterates the fact that our wealth, knowledge and power are of no use unless they’re used for God’s glory.
- Theological differences: The Pharisees and Sadducees always kept fighting over theological differences among themselves and with Jesus but missed out on Jesus’ core message of salvation.
At times, we do this. We argue with fellow believers over various theological differences. This behavior didn’t help the Pharisees or Sadducees in any way and is not going to help us also. - Remorse and repentance: There are many examples of repentance in the Bible like the prodigal son, the adulterous woman, Zacchaeus the tax collector etc. but Dismas, the thief ranks among the top. Judas had remorse but didn’t repent Matthew 27: 3-5 and missed paradise even though he was with Jesus throughout His ministry. There’s no sin too bad to be forgiven and its never too late. The gift of salvation was granted to Dismas right away. Repent and receive Jesus to be assured of salvation. Remember, there’s no other way (John 14:6)
- Brokenness to breakthrough: “The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.” (Psalm 34:18) Dismas started his last day on earth as a convict condemned to death and ended the day in paradise – What a transformation from condemnation to canonization! Today history refers him as the first man to be cleansed by the blood of Jesus. He’s the greatest message of hope for those going through pain. Always remember, broken vessels will be used by God. Jesus answered Dismas’ pain even though He himself was suffering on the cross.
- Imperfect man: God chooses imperfect people. Dismas, the rejected stone become the corner stone (Psalm 118:22) to fulfill His purpose – to explain righteousness by grace.
- Are you following the crowd? Everyone around Dismas including the Chief priests, Pharisees, Scribes, soldiers, passers by etc mocked Jesus but Dismas prayed to Him for forgiveness. Do not conform to the patterns of this world (Romans 12:2). The journey may be difficult for His chosen ones but the end will be glorious.
Closing thoughts:
- How do you see Jesus? Pilate saw Him as “King of Jews” (John 19:14, 15, 22), Centurion, Pharisees, Sadducees and Chief priests saw Him as their enemy, early Christians saw Jesus as a “Friend to sinners, hope of nations, the Messiah”. How about you?
- Just like the people at the time of Jesus, we’re in a similar situation expecting the Messiah and watching many end-time prophecies unravel . Matthew 24: 36-44 Now, we have more technology to watch all the messages that explain the prophesies related to second coming but we need to learn from the Pharisees’ mistakes and make sure we don’t miss the bus.
- Are you ready for the Lord’s second coming? If you don’t wake up tomorrow morning, do you know where you will be? Are you cleansed by His blood and are sure you’ll be in Paradise?
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