Between Criminals

(Today’s audio reading on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0kAs7rYZAFXxyv11kVLnwJ)

One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!” But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die?  We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:39-43)

The cross means being counted with the riff-raff. And dying the same way they did. The thieves, the bums, the criminals. Some English translations call them revolutionaries, others rebels, others criminals. Who knows their crimes? Who knows their names? What a way for Jesus to be identified, dying between these two unnamed low-lifes, up on a hill for all to see. Not just blend in with the crowd, and die in obscurity, but have this stand out as your final public appearance (that is, before the resurrection!).

After all the public attention and rumors (you are going to tear down the temple and build it back in 3 days!! Ha!), here he is in the ignominy of death on Skull Place between criminals. Is this the way for the Son of God to go out? But dying like those guys is what happens to people who are crucified. They are crucified for good reasons (obviously innocent people don’t die that way, do they?!). So somehow Jesus has been discovered to be a fraud, and is dying a justified death, right up there between those criminal guys! Isn’t that how it works?! Isn’t it?!

Notice how Jesus doesn’t defend himself. Not that he had the strength or the lung air, but there’s no record of him saying, “Hey, everybody, I’m not like these guys! They are being nailed up for good reasons! But not me! I’m not a fraud! Believe on me and you’ll have life! It’s the same message I’ve been giving you all along! It’s still true—I know it doesn’t look like it, but it is!”

None of that kind of extemporaneous preaching with an audience milling about below. He just went ahead and accepted the Father’s will, and was counted among those who were rightfully killed for whatever they did. Jesus knew that he was innocent, not just of execution-worthy death, but of anything wrong.

Once again, Jesus demonstrates incredible non-defensiveness. He does so, before the Triune God goes on the offensive in a way never before seen.

“Father, thank you that your Son Jesus was willing to be counted in public as a common criminal dying between thieves, doing so in order to accomplish your plan for us to have life eternal.”