The Tale of Two Thieves

(Pause in song - Thief) Today I want to tell you a tale. It is more than a story, more than folklore, and more than legend. It is tale from days of old, a tale of One that makes all things new. It is a tale the world does not understand; a tale that is nonetheless true. It is the tale that answers the question… why did He die for me? Today… I tell you the Tale of Two Thieves. And be mindful for as this tale is told… things are more than they appear. (Song Continues)

Condemned. Crucified. And for good reason too. Although the details regarding the crime remains unclear… it was a proper ending for the rebellious… a silencing of the criminal.

They had stood before the authorities. They had received their death sentence, and now their sentence was being carried out. They had made the long walk to Golgotha… and had been nailed to their respective crosses. Their time… was coming soon.

These two thieves… these two criminals… had reached their final destination. Their life journey had reached its end.

The shouts of the crowd said it all. They were outcasts, they were troublemakers. They now stood as examples of what happens when you step out of line. This was no private execution… this was a public display… this was a message sent to all who might even think about breaking the law… death would be your outcome.

You see… these guys had the choice. These guys had the ability to choose their path.

For whatever reason, they decided the right way wasn’t their way. They took maters into their own hands. They were going to decide what was best for themselves and no one… NO ONE was going to tell them otherwise. So they took up what society would label as a life of crime. They hurt people. They spat in the face of their authorities. They got away with it for a season… but now… now their sins had caught up to them.

The thieves… now stood before all the land condemned for their actions.

They stood accused. The evidence was against them and the disapproval of their actions had been made clear to them. But did they care? Did they change? Was there remorse in their hearts? did the words of the onlooking crowd take hold or did they remain in a state of rebellion?

In most cases… it would be impossible for us to know. In most cases… this question would forever remain unanswered. But this is a tale like no other. This is a part of the Greatest Story Ever Told. This… THIS IS NOT MOST CASES! (SONG CONTINUES - WHO IS THIS MAN)

For there was another. There was another who was among them… He was not like them in His journey… yet He had reached the very same destination.

Much could be said of this man for His life… His ministry was well-known throughout the region. He walked right in the eyes of God… He was consistently about His Father’s business. And although He was without sin… the courts of men had accused Him. The powers that be sentenced Him to face the same outcome the two thieves were now experiencing. Jesus Christ… the Son of God… was crucified… was nailed to the cross… and raised up between two thieves… two rebels… two criminals.

One on His right… the other on His left… the thieves were at His sides (Luke 23:32-33). For those who did not know Jesus… those who did not see Him or hear His teaching… when they looked at Calvary… they could not tell the difference between those with sin… and the One without. There was no appearance of innocence… no hope of escape… and no hope of life after the cross. This was it for these three men. Everyone condemned at Calvary… would die in that condemnation.

(people from the crowd) “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” (Matt 27:40)

(The chief priests and teachers of the law) “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” (Matt 27:42)

These words… these condemning words… were not targeted at three… but only One. Jesus, crucified between thieves, was the intended recipient. Jesus was the target of the hatred… He was the target of the unbelief. The air was so thick with judgement that even the accused… even the criminals began to heap insults upon Him. (Matthew 27:44; Mark 15:32b)

Two Criminals… One Savior.

Despite the overload of condemnation that day… the truth STILL remained. Although to the unaware eye, Jesus appeared as a condemned criminal… He was in fact saving the world from its sins.

In a moment that stunned the world… with a phrase that continues to capture our attention this very day, Jesus did something never seen before.

You see, it wasn’t uncommon for the condemned at Calvary to lash out at those in the crowd. It wasn’t uncommon for the rebellious to remain… rebelious to the very end. On the other hand… it wasn’t uncommon for criminals to show remorse for their actions. Although no mercy would be found or granted… deep in their hearts… they knew they were receiving what they deserved.

But what Jesus did… was something never seen or heard before. What Jesus did went against the common responses the condemned typically offered. Jesus did not repay the hatred of the crowd with more hatred. Jesus did not show remorse or regret for one or more any past actions… for He had committed no crime. No… instead what Jesus did… was pray for forgiveness for those who chose not to believe. “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)

Did this cause a change in action on the hilltop that day? No… His clothing was divided up and the people watching, and the rulers even sneered at Him (Luke 23:34b-35)

Jesus NEVER allowed His heart to harden. Jesus NEVER lost sight of the plan… of the mission His Father had given Him. As the crowd was shouting to Jesus “Save yourself” Jesus was in fact saving the crowd from their own inevitable condemnation. They just didn’t know this yet.

But it can be speculated that one man did take notice. it might be said that Jesus’s words dd not fall on deaf ears. for within this moment of what appeared to be intense darkness, the light of Christ was still shining and His love… His love was still changing hearts.

Two Criminals Condemned… One Criminal Repents.

As the hatful words continued… something remarkable took place. One criminal continued in his rants but the other… the other for some reason had a change of heart.

As one shouted out insulting words, the other began to shout out words of rebuke. “Don’t you fear God, since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Luke 23:40-42)

Something… changed his heart. SOMEONE changed his heart. The condemnation had not stopped. The insults from the crowd continued to pour in. Both criminals equally condemned Christ… but one changed his story… because Jesus… had changed the criminal.

Although it cannot be said for sure what it was… what can be said for sure is two men were crucified with Jesus. Two men started out condemning Jesus. One man… chose Jesus. And just like that… things on Calvary began to change.

Remember how I said no mercy would be found or granted at Calvary? Remember how I said those condemned at Calvary would die in their condemnation? Today… would be a different day for Jesus had come to do what no other man could do - He took on our condemnation - and offered salvation to those who would believe. He showed mercy to the thief that asked remember me.

This criminal… believed. This criminal cried out to Jesus as he realized the depth of his sin… and the height of Jesus’ righteousness.

And those words… those words of forgiveness… perhaps… maybe those words could be spoken toward him. Maybe that thief could find forgiveness in the ever-mounting scene of condemnation. And then Jesus Spoke… (SONG CONCLUSION - PARADISE)

Jesus did not rebuke the man that once hurled insults at Him. Jesus did not pretend not to hear. Jesus did what He came to do. And on that day… a condemned criminal found mercy as Jesus… took on the condemnation of the world.

The Truth of the Tale.

Jesus was never found to be off mission. Not one moment of His life was spent doing anything else but the Father’s business. This included the most physically and emotionally painful moments at Calvary. Jesus stood condemned... for He took on our condemnation.

John 3:17-18 serves as our main text for this tale. It reads, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

As amazing as this verse sounds… it presents a problem… it presents an issue that cannot be overlooked.

The world stands condemned. What does that mean exactly? It means this world is guilty because of sin. It’s not that the world stands accused… the world stands CONDEMNED. The verdict has been given.

Now… the system of law does not allow for the verdict to simply be wiped away. Once a verdict is given… it must be carried out. In the case of sin… the verdict is given. Regarding its consequence… the price was steep.

If it were a play being acted out before us… the devil would be the prosecutor… the sinner the defendant… and God would be seated as the judge. The enemy would make his case before the court… and there would be little that could be said in our defense. In fact, when it comes to the accusation of sin… there is no defense. There is no excuse. There is only disobedience… and rebellion.

Once the case has been made… the verdict is given. “Guilty as charged” are the words spoken for the courtroom to hear. And only one sentence can be given for such an offense… the sentence of death.

But before the bailiff can take the defendant to the holding cell… for those who believe… something remarkable takes place.

Jesus steps in and takes their place. Jesus takes on the condemnation. Jesus bears the weight of the guilty verdict. The shackles and chains are placed on His hands and feet and He is taken away to pay the price we simply could not pay.

Seem to farfetched to be true? Why would the Son of God take the place of the sinner when the sentence is about to be carried out? Because Jesus didn’t come to condemn the world… JESUS CAME TO SAVE THE WORLD!

Moving from hypothetical to biblical reality… Jesus did this very thing before the eyes of those who would later send Him to the cross. While teaching, they tried to entrap Him. They brought to Him a woman who was caught in the act of adultery.

The law said she was to die. Never once did she appeal the accusation… how could she? She was caught in the act… and truly the crowd did not care for her well being, all they wanted to do was trap Jesus between the rocks… and the sinner. Would He condemn her… what would be her fate?

Let He without sin cast the first stone. Those were His words in John 8:7. Suddenly, one by one, those who wanted to condemn her could not do so without condemning themselves. One by one… the stones dropped until it was Just Jesus and the woman left standing there.

“Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” John 8:10-11

And be careful not to miss the most important point of the story. Not only could the crowd not condemn her without condemning themselves… but the one left standing with the woman was the only one worthy to condemn her to die. JESUS WAS WITHOUT SIN. But instead of ending her life… He offered her life to the full because He would later take on her condemnation!

Jesus takes on the condemnation of those who choose to believe in Him!

The thief that once mocked Jesus… came alive in Jesus because He chose to believe in Jesus! One thief had truly arrived at his final destination that day… but the other thief had arrived at his eternal beginning! And it was all because of the one crucified with him.

Christ takes on our guilt… for the ones that choose to believe He takes on the sentence of death and therefore carries the weight of our condemnation. Those who choose to believe now walk in His forgiveness… that same forgiveness He prayed over those who crucified Him at Calvary!

Only Jesus has the power to wash away our sins! Only Jesus has the ability to take on our condemnation!

The truth of this tale… and the truth of our tale is that there is no escaping the consequence of our sin outside of Jesus Christ!

If a person chooses not to believe… they heap condemnation upon themselves. They choose to stand condemned. They choose to carry the full load of the verdict given because of their sin.

But to those who DO believe… that verdict is placed on Jesus. To those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12)

In Christ, your sins ARE forgiven and your condemnation IS removed. Jesus stands between you and the accuser and says “this one has been set free. This one has been covered by my blood. This one will be with me in paradise!”

Choose to Believe

Like the tale of two thieves… we have the opportunity to choose. Will we believe or live in our condemnation?

All of mankind has sinned - there is no exception here. Christ is the ONLY person without sin. What this means is without Jesus, we will face the consequence of our sin.

In Christ, that consequence is forgiven. In Christ, our sins are nailed to the cross, our condemnation is lifted, and we are set free by the blood of the Lamb. But like the thief… there must come a day of reckoning. There must come a realization that we deserve death… but Jesus does not. We must acknowledge our need for a Savior.

PRAYER - Salvation

This morning, in reflection of what Christ has done, we celebrate through receiving communion. The theif asked remember me… when we prayed for salvation we asked Jesus, remember me. As we celebrate our salvation… we remember Jesus. We remember the price that He paid.

1 Corinthians 11:23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.