The Thief on the Cross

Introduction

We don’t know much about the man commonly known as “the thief on the cross.” His story is only recorded in a few verses of Scripture, and there is much about the man we don’t know. And yet, he is a very well-known Bible character. His story has encourage and inspired countless people. But there is one particular reason this man is so well known.

Typically this man is brought up during conversations about baptism. If you suggest that baptism is essential to or necessary for salvation, you’ll almost certainly hear someone bring up the thief on the cross. The typical comment will be something like:

“But the thief on the cross wasn’t baptized, but he was saved. So, baptism must not be essential for salvation”

How can and should we respond to such statements?

The Men Crucified with Jesus

Criminals (Luke)

Luke 23:32 (ESV)

32 Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him.

kakourgos: “an evil doer” (Mounce); “wrongdoer…bad person” (Louw & Nida)

Robbers/Thieves (Matthew & Mark)

Deadly, violent individuals

Luke 10:30 (ESV)

30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead.

Luke 22:52 (ESV)

52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders, who had come out against him, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs?

Rebels and Murderers

Barabbas was a “notorious prisoner” (Mt. 27:16) and also a robber (Jn. 18:40)

The thieves crucified with Jesus were probably Barabbas’ fellow conspirators

Mark 15:7 NKJV

7 And there was one named Barabbas, who was chained with his fellow rebels; they had committed murder in the rebellion.

Luke 23:18–19 ESV

18 But they all cried out together, “Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas”— 19 a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and for murder.

The men crucified next to Jesus were vile, violent, murderous men.

The Shame

Matthew 27:37–38 ESV

37 And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” 38 Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left.

Pilot may have felt this was a small victory. If he was going to be compelled into having Jesus crucified, then he was going to paint the king of the Jews as a robber and rebel—an attempt to show Rome still held the power.

So Jesus’ death becomes a political play-thing between Roman and Jewish leaders. Further, a man who lived a life of peace and purity was crucified as though he were the leader of a violent, murderous group of bandits.

What this ultimately does, however, is give Jesus the opportunity to do what He had come to do and had done His whole life—save a lost soul.

Mark 2:17 (ESV)

17 And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

A Changed Thief

First, Both Thieves Reviled Jesus

Matthew 27:38–44 ESV

38 Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42 “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is 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 deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” 44 And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.

Luke 23:39–42 ESV

39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

What changed? We don’t know all the details, but over the course of those hours, and facing the certainty of death, the thief changed. And he was saved.

Luke 23:43 ESV

43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Does the Thief’s Salvation Prove Baptism is Unessential for Salvation?

No—for a variety of reasons

1. We Don’t Know the Thief Wasn’t Baptized

Mark 1:4–5 (ESV)

4 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

2. The Thief Couldn’t Be Baptized the Way We Are Commanded to Be Baptized

While John the Baptist and Jesus preached and practiced baptism, it wasn’t the same baptism that Jesus commanded as the Risen Lord.

Acts 19:2–5 ESV

2 And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” 4 And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

The thief died before Jesus’ resurrection. There was no way he could have been baptized in a way that symbolized the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.

Romans 6:3–5 ESV

3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

If New Testament baptism commanded by Jesus and practiced by the apostles is likened to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, the thief couldn’t have possibly been baptized in such a way!

The thief died before Jesus gave the Great Commission

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

The thief died before this commission, therefore, the New Testament requirement to be baptized based on Jesus’ command (also cf. Mark 16:16) did not apply to the thief.

The thief died before the institution of the church.

1 Corinthians 12:13 (ESV)

13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

That body is the body of Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 12:27), which is the church (cf. Eph. 5:23; Col. 1:18, 24).

One thing baptism accomplishes is it puts us into the body of Christ, which is the church.

But the New Testament church didn’t exist when the thief died, so he couldn’t be baptized into the body of Christ.

These points are simply intended to show that the thief’s lack of baptism means nothing for converts today, because he lived before Jesus’ resurrection, the Great Commission, and the establishment of the Church. We live after all of those things. Simply put, the thief couldn’t have been baptized in the way we are commanded to be baptized. Therefore, his lack of baptism is not an argument to prove we don’t need to be baptized!

3. Jesus had the authority to forgive sins

Mark 2:9–11 ESV

9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 11 “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.”

As noted, the thief couldn’t be baptized the way we are commanded to be baptized.

Putting that truth aside, the thief would be an exception. Can Jesus forgive the man’s sins if He chooses to do so? Absolutely.

Does that then give permission for the rest of us to not follow the clear instructions and commandments of Jesus? Absolutely not.

What if someone dies in a wreck (or some other way) on their way to be baptized?

~ God is the judge, and will judge that situation. We aren’t in a position to say.

~ Perhaps God would choose to save that person based on their intent and attempt to obey His commands.

~Perhaps God would hold them accountable for not obeying His commands earlier when they had the cance.

~Either way, God’s judgments are perfect and just. It’s not up to us to make those decisions; it’s up to God.

It’s dangerous and foolish to determine a doctrine based on exceptions and hypothetical situations.

The command for baptism is clear enough:

Mark 16:16 ESV

16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Acts 2:38 ESV

38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

1 Peter 3:21 ESV

21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

We have God’s commands, and we should obey them, not hope to be saved as an exception to the rule.

What the Thief Does Teach: A Shadow of Conversion

The thief on the cross is not an example of New Testament salvation (and couldn’t have been), he does provide a beautiful picture of conversion, and interestingly, a remarkable foreshadowing of New Testament conversion. Consider:

He Heard Enough to Believe

Romans 10:17 ESV

17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

The thief knew Jesus was a king with a kingdom. How did he know that?

Could be what he heard that day.

Could be he’d heard John the Baptist, Jesus Himself, or the 12 or 72 when they were sent out.

Whatever the source, the thief clearly heard enough to think Jesus was a king, had a kingdom, and could save the thief, even though Jesus was also on a cross!

He Believed

John 6:47 ESV

47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.

John 20:31 ESV

31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

The thief had an impressive faith. He Believed...

Jesus was innocent and crucified unjustly

He believed Jesus had a kingdom

He believe that even though Jesus was being crucified, He still had power and would still be king!

He believe that even though Jesus was on a cross and he was on a cross, that after death Jesus would have power to “remember” (i.e. save) him!

He believed Jesus was Lord

Of all the people present that day, the thief may have been the only one with this much faith!

He Repented

Luke 13:3 ESV

3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.

The thief was guilty and deserved his punishment (as he admitted), and he also reviled Jesus along with the others (Mt. 27:44).

But later he changed. He changed his mind about Jesus and he changed his actions. He even rebuked his own comrade in defense of Jesus.

He may not have been given enough life to bear many fruits of repentance, but he made what change he could while he could.

He Confessed Jesus

Romans 10:8–9 ESV

8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

He confessed Jesus’ innocence

He confessed Jesus possessed a kingdom (essentially confessing Jesus to be king)

He referred to Jesus as “Lord” (NKJV)

He Died With Christ

Baptism is a symbolic death, burial, and resurrection.

Romans 6:3–6 ESV

3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

Over the past 2,000 years, many people have died for Christ and in Christ. But only one man has literally died with Christ.

Later that day, the thief was surely buried, probably in some mass grave.

Also that day, that man woke to a new life in Paradise

And so, upon believing in Jesus, repenting of his sins, and confessing Jesus, the thief died with Christ, was buried, and rose to a new life.

Is he an example of New Testament baptism? No. But he is a living picture—a foreshadowing or type if you will, the very last one of the Old Covenant era—that pointed forward to what conversion in Christ would look like.

To point to the thief on the cross as an example that negates baptism neglects the context of the event, ignores the plain teaching of the New Testament about baptism, and perhaps worst of all, it reverses the actual lesson the thief teaches us!

Conclusion

Jesus was placed in the midst of the two thieves, and rightfully so. Not because he was a leader of a rebellion, but because it is He that separates life and death. Because of his sacrifice, if we obey Him we can be saved. If we reject Him and His word, we will be lost.

All mankind falls under one of the two other crosses that stood that day. Either we will reject Christ like the unchanged thief, and we will die in our sins with no hope of salvation, or we will accept Christ and obey Him, and we will die with Him spiritually, and therefore be given life eternal.