Scripture
Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads 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.” So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, “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. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way. (Matthew 27:38-44 ESV)
And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.” One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 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; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:33-43 ESV)
And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.” One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 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; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:33-43 ESV)
Devotional
Jesus was crucified at a place called Golgotha, where he was put on display for everyone to see. He was hung between two thieves and was mocked by those who passed by. The men that were being crucified alongside him even joined in.
Then we witness a rather fascinating event as the two thieves take completely different approaches in how they respond to Jesus. One of the men continues to rail at him, challenging him to save himself and them, while the other man recognizes his need for Jesus and turns from his wickedness.
In their darkest hour, when it seems like all hope is lost, one man is in search of someone to rescue him from physical distress, while the other cries out to be saved from eternal condemnation.
Far too often, we are like the first man, when we really must take the perspective of the second man.
We want Jesus to be our rescuer. Jesus came to be our Savior.
When we view Jesus as our Savior, we are able to have a resilient faith that is active in the light and can carry us through the darkness.
Here are a few keys to building a resilient faith:
We must recognize reality.
We live in a world that is under a sentence of condemnation. The world is broken by sin, and we are a people that are broken by sin. No one is beyond that. We have all turned away from God’s goodness (Romans 3:10-12). Thankfully, God loves us enough not to just leave us there.
We must recognize Jesus’ righteousness.
Jesus lived a sinless life. He was not under the same “sentence of condemnation” (Luke 23:40) as those criminals. He was undeserving of punishment. That is where the power in the sacrifice of Jesus comes from. He was the perfect sacrifice for us. And because that sacrifice is perfect, he can say “It is finished,” (John 19:30).
We must find our hope in Him.
For one of the thieves, his hope was in a rescuer who would allow him to live physically. For the other, his hope was in Jesus, the one who would welcome him into paradise. When our hope is eternally in Jesus, no matter what we’re facing in life, there is always a brighter, perfect future ahead.
Then we witness a rather fascinating event as the two thieves take completely different approaches in how they respond to Jesus. One of the men continues to rail at him, challenging him to save himself and them, while the other man recognizes his need for Jesus and turns from his wickedness.
In their darkest hour, when it seems like all hope is lost, one man is in search of someone to rescue him from physical distress, while the other cries out to be saved from eternal condemnation.
Far too often, we are like the first man, when we really must take the perspective of the second man.
We want Jesus to be our rescuer. Jesus came to be our Savior.
When we view Jesus as our Savior, we are able to have a resilient faith that is active in the light and can carry us through the darkness.
Here are a few keys to building a resilient faith:
We must recognize reality.
We live in a world that is under a sentence of condemnation. The world is broken by sin, and we are a people that are broken by sin. No one is beyond that. We have all turned away from God’s goodness (Romans 3:10-12). Thankfully, God loves us enough not to just leave us there.
We must recognize Jesus’ righteousness.
Jesus lived a sinless life. He was not under the same “sentence of condemnation” (Luke 23:40) as those criminals. He was undeserving of punishment. That is where the power in the sacrifice of Jesus comes from. He was the perfect sacrifice for us. And because that sacrifice is perfect, he can say “It is finished,” (John 19:30).
We must find our hope in Him.
For one of the thieves, his hope was in a rescuer who would allow him to live physically. For the other, his hope was in Jesus, the one who would welcome him into paradise. When our hope is eternally in Jesus, no matter what we’re facing in life, there is always a brighter, perfect future ahead.
"We want Jesus to be our rescuer.
Jesus came to be our Savior."
Brett Ferguson
Go Deeper
As a church, we've been walking through the Last 24 Hours of Jesus' life for the past several weeks. Watch the full message below.