Criminals Saved By Grace

This morning is of course Palm Sunday when we begin to turn our eyes toward Easter Sunday, Resurrection Sunday when we celebrate the fact that we serve a risen Savior.

But before we get to the joy and triumph of Easter Sunday morning, we have to walk through the suffering of Good Friday. There is no resurrection of Christ without the cross of Christ.

And with that in mind, we turn to the gospel of Luke, to look at Luke’s story of the cross, and in particular we’re looking at a little section of that story of the cross that is only told by Luke. And it’s what we have come to know as the story of the thief on the cross.

The conversion of the thief on the cross is a picture of what is required for salvation. And we’re going to do something a little different today. You don’t need your Bibles yet. You heard Drew read the text. There are common misconceptions about salvation that are common. I want you just to listen as we see how this story of the thief on the cross challenges — demolishes, really — those misconceptions. May the Lord bless the preaching of His word.

Myth #1: Some people are too evil to be saved

Some people are too evil to be saved. That’s a misconception. It’s a lie.

The truth is: You cannot be too evil, or bad, to be saved. All three synoptic gospels — Matthew, Mark, and Luke — tell us that Jesus was not crucified alone. He was crucified in the middle of two other people, both of them what Luke calls “criminals”.

What does it mean that Jesus was crucified with two other criminals? It means that He was identified as a sinner from a worldly point of view. From a worldly perspective, it really did look as though Jesus must have committed a crime.

But Jesus was in fact innocent — the only person who has ever lived an entirely sinless life. The sinless One being crucified between two sinners — the sinless and guiltless One bearing the guilt and sin of all sinners who place their reliance on Him for salvation.

But there’s another significant side to this story. And this shows us how no one can be too bad to be saved. The criminals crucified with Jesus had to be some of the worst of the worst, the lowest of society.

First of all, no Roman citizens could be crucified.

Roman law shielded Roman citizens from having to undergo Roman torture, including crucifixion.

No free person was forced to undergo crucifixion.

If you were crucified it’s because you were a slave and thus hated by Roman society, or because you committed treason, or because you have committed some other crime that threatens Roman authority.

Crucifixion was reserved by the Romans for the worst crimes, because crucifixion was undoubtedly the worst possible way to die.

When a person is crucified they are tied or nailed to a wooden post with a crossbeam. They lose blood, they become dehydrated, they suffer — but they don’t die, at least not right away.

Death comes slowly. You’re supported by nails, so you’re confronted with a choice: do I allow gravity to pull my body down and be unable to breathe because my hands are tied so far above me? Or do I choose to breathe by pulling myself up by my arms which are nailed to the wood? People usually died from blood loss or suffocation. And that was after the beating and torture and burning that was inflicted upon you by the Roman soldiers before you even went up on the cross.

So, the Romans reserved crucifixion for the punishment of the crimes they most wanted to make a public statement about. Crucifixion says: “don’t do what this person did; this is what we do to people who have done what they did”. [Above material from LBD, “Crucifixion” and EDB, “Crucifixion”]

So what can we say about the two criminals crucified on either side of Jesus? We can say that they were considered to be the worst of the worst, the lost and the lowest of society. And yet, one of them, as he hangs there, receives forgiveness from Jesus and the promise of salvation and eternal life. A convicted, condemned criminal receives salvation despite all he’s done.

People often ask: “So, if Hitler hadn’t committed suicide and instead repented of all of his terrible and monstrous things he did wrong, would God have forgiven him?”

The answer is yes. The answer has to be yes. Because, you see, if the answer is anything less than “yes”, then suddenly we’re saying salvation is really not free, that it really isn’t by grace alone through faith alone that we are saved. We’re saying that you must have something else besides faith to be saved. We’re saying that you must also life a decent, upright life in addition to having faith in Christ, to be saved.

The Bible is clear: “By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph. 2:8 ESV).

I don’t know what some of you in the room this morning think when it comes to the person you actually are today in relation to the kind of person you want to be. You cannot be too bad to be saved. No one is so far gone that they are beyond the reach of the grace of God. There is no pit so deep that the rope of God’s love cannot reach you there and pull you up.

Psalm 40:1–3 ESV

I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.

Some people are too evil to be saved? No, the truth is: You cannot be too bad to be saved.

Myth #2: Some people have waited too long to be saved

Some people have waited too long to be saved. That’s a lie too. The truth is: It is never too late to be saved. So long as you are on this earth, living and breathing, it is never too late to be saved.

Both of these men crucified on either side of Jesus are in the last hours of their life. Probably both of them wasted the life God gave them — all of it. Most likely, they lived their lives until now alienated from God, in rebellion against God, running from God. Now, one of them is turning toward God? The nerve of this guy, right? That’s what some of us would think. “Oh, ok, he lived his whole life for himself, and now at the last minute, when there’s no more fun to be had, now he turns to God?”

And I would say: if you are unsaved this morning, do not delay in getting right with God. Don’t play the fools game of saying “I’ll enjoy my life and when I’m done having fun, then I’ll turn to God, then I’ll get right with God.”

You’re assuming that you’ll get that chance — when you may not. None of us knows the hour of our death. The moment of the deathbed confession may not be given to you. Death can come instantly in many more ways than we imagine, and we are not in control. “It is appointed unto man once to die, and after that the judgment” (Heb 9:27).

When we close our eyes in death here, we will open them immediately after and find ourselves before God. “Today,” Jesus said. And when that happens our eternal destination will be forever fixed on the basis of our faith in Jesus Christ or the lack thereof. The Bible says “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36 ESV).

So when I say that it is never too late to be saved, I’m trying to reassure some of you who may feel like you’ve waited until too late in life to turn to God. I am not trying to give false comfort to the unsaved by saying, “Don’t worry, you have plenty of time; it’s never too late.” When this bodily life ends, it will be too late.

But praise be to God, as long as this bodily lasts, it is never too late to be saved. The criminal that was saved on the cross discovered that as long as there was life in his body, the door of mercy was still open. It is never too late to be saved.

Let’s walk through the text, shall we?

Now, if you have your Bibles with you, I’m going to ask you to open them (or your Bible app). Walk through this text with me. And let’s see if so far what I have said holds water.

Beginning in verse 39: “One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, ‘Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!’” Everyone knew that Jesus of Nazareth had made claims that He was the promised Messiah. In their minds, there was no way that could be true. The very fact that Jesus is now being executed publicly and in the most humiliating manner imaginable, they said, is proof that He was not the Messiah.

And it wasn’t just this one guy who was saying this. It was a whole chorus of people standing close enough to see what was happening. Roman soldiers, Jewish leaders, crucified criminals, ordinary people passing by — all joined in with the mocking chorus: “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” If you’re really the Messiah, prove it by exercising your divine power to save us and yourself from this fate of being crucified. [Evangelical Commentary on the Bible, p387]

The first criminal mocked Jesus, and he became the first person to reject the salvation offered by the crucified Savior. The other criminal becomes the first person to receive that salvation. He becomes a picture of saving faith.

Saving faith in Jesus begins with a right view of yourself. Verses 40 and 41: “But the other rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds...”

Saving faith begins with a right view of yourself. We might say that saving faith begins with a low view of yourself. I don’t mean that you think poorly of yourself. I mean that most of us need to be brought down a couple pegs.

“I’m a good person. I give money to my church. I help my neighbor in need. God is pleased with me.”

“I know I’m not perfect, but come on — I’m a lot better than most people.”

“I’ve made some mistakes in my life, but I had no choice, and until you’ve walked a mile in my shoes you better not judge me.”

These things that we all say are self-justifying statements. God is not fooled by these statements. It is only those who know they need a Savior who are actually saved. And if you truly know you need a Savior, then every word the second criminal says in vv. 40-41 will resonate deeply with you. “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds...”

Stop trying to justify yourself. “I am guilty — full stop, no excuses.” Saving faith in Jesus begins with a proper view of yourself.

Saving faith in Jesus also involves a proper view of Jesus. Pick up with me in verse 41: “And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.”

Translation: I’m a sinner with no hope. My only hope is you. He begins by abasing himself. He ends with exalting Christ.

Church, Christians, if you can say these words, “I am a sinner with no hope. My only hope is you, Jesus”, and it resonates deeply within you, you feel the truth and weight of those words, then you most definitely belong to Him.

The criminal then turns his face toward Jesus. And as the tendons and tissues in his back and shoulders and neck ache and throb under the strain of the cross, he utters just two words to him; it’s a plea: “Jesus, remember me.” “Remember me”. That’s all he can manage. Probably it’s all he even knew to say. “Remember me when you come into your kingdom”. He says “remember me”, and Jesus hears “I believe!” Jesus sees through the words to the man’s heart. “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43 ESV).

And this criminal was saved.

Now I want you to notice:

This man had no opportunity to start coming to church.

He had no opportunity to start tithing.

He had no chance to grow in his knowledge of the Scriptures, no time to learn to become a prayer warrior.

There was no time for him to learn to share his faith.

No time for him to grow as a Christian whatsoever.

What does that tell us? Does that mean that those things don’t matter? They do matter. But they don’t save you.

Jesus forgave that man before he had the chance to do any of that stuff, in order to show us that our sanctification does not save us; Jesus alone saves us. It is by grace through faith.

Jesus wants us to understand that being a Christian is not about being a good person.

What you believe matters and it will affect everything you say and do. So what happens if think that being a Christian is about being a good person?

You start thinking that church is where all the “good people” to get away from the bad people.

You start thinking that you are one of the “good people”. And from there it’s a domino effect:

When we think church is for good people, we are shocked and undone when fellow Christians sin against us

When we think church is for good people, we are offended by intrusion of “bad people” into our church

When we think church is for good people, we start seeing sin as something that is “out there” but not “in here”

When we think church is for good people, we start looking at the gospel as though it’s something the “bad people” out there need, but surely not us “good Christians” in here

When we think church is for good people, we are no longer moved by the fact that God loves us; after all, if I’m a good person, He ought to love me

When we are no longer moved by God’s love for us, we become — mark this carefully — we become apathetic; we become angry; we become hyper-critical, always seeing the flaws everywhere in everyone and everything, and no wonder because cutting ourselves off from God’s love, we cut ourselves off from the only source of motivation and service

And then what happens is we feel entitled to make church into what we want it to be, because after all I am a good and worthy person; our tithes become dues that we pay into the system in order to make sure our voices are heard and our wishes acted upon; but things are never quite the way we want them to be, making us angry and starting the cycle all over again

And then it becomes the job of the pastor reinforce your sense of superiority at the expense of the lost and broken who are in our midst and beyond our walls.

And all of this — because we missed the point. We thought being a Christian meant being a good, upright person; when in reality it means humbling ourselves into the dust in order to be lifted up and forgiven by God.

Call for response

Jesus told a parable about a guy who owned a vineyard. The owner of the vineyard needed to hire some workers to work in his vineyard. So he hired a few and agreed to pay them a denarius — a denarius is a day’s pay. So they go out, 6am, and they work all day for their full day’s pay.

About three hours after hiring the first set, the vineyard owner decides he needs some more workers, so he hires a few more and promises them the same amount. So they go out at 9am.

The vineyard owner then hires more workers at 12pm and 3pm. They all come and work until the end of the day.

But here’s the thing — the ones who worked only six hours or three hours or one hour, they still got paid the same amount. And that made the ones who worked all day pretty upset. “These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat” (Matt. 20:12 ESV). In other words: I did more work than they did, and they get paid the same amount I do? That’s not fair.

But here’s what the owner of the vineyard said: “Friend, I am doing you no room. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?” (Matt 20:13-15 ESV).

Jesus told the parable to get his audience to understand something: forgiveness and eternal life are not wages that God pays us for living a good life. Forgiveness and eternal life are given to us as gifts of grace. And furthermore, God is free to give grace to whomever He chooses to give it to — no matter how bad they’ve been or how long they’ve strayed or how many years they’ve wasted.

Two criminals, crucified on either side of Jesus. One rejects Him. The other receives Him. In rejecting Him, the first criminal cuts Himself off from grace and salvation forever.

But in receiving Jesus, the other criminal becomes a picture of what saving faith looks like. He merely says, “Jesus, remember me.” And Jesus says, “You’ll be with me, today, in paradise.”

I really believe this story is in the Bible in order to show us that salvation is not about being a good person, but about placing your faith in Jesus Christ.

There are two groups of people in the room this morning.

The first group is a group I hope not many are a part of. This is the group who rejects Christ. “This isn’t for me; I’m here for my wife or I’m here for my mom or dad or grandparents.”

It’s wonderful that you’re here, no matter the reason. And we are thrilled that you are here. Jesus wants to bring you to a place where you are here for Him.

The criminal had a low view of himself. He had a high view of Christ. He asked Jesus to remember Him, and He was saved. That simple. That quickly. Don’t wait. Death could await you in the parking lot or at home tonight as you sleep. Trust in Him.

The second group is the group who has received Jesus by faith and been saved. You’ve lost your first love because over time you’ve come to believe that the fact that you are a Christian means you are a good person.

In doing so you have cut yourself off from the grace of God and you’ve decided to go it alone. You don’t realize it, but that’s what you’ve done.

And as a result, you are critical, never pleased, apathetic. And you are sitting in judgment over your brothers and sisters in Christ who you think need to get with the program. Jesus is inviting you to make a new start today.