This week we finish our series with a look at one last outcast - the thief on the cross, crucified next to Jesus. It's never too late to seek repentance, and it's never the wrong time to share the gospel. This message is based on Luke 23:39-43. To read now, click here.
This is the last of our series titled Outcasts. We’ve seen the prodigal son, who took half the estate and lost it all, and found you can always come home. We saw Zacchaeus, who as a tax collector, overcharged by a lot, and lived pretty well as a result, but found that repentance was available even to him. We saw the sinful women, though scorned by Pharisees, found forgiveness through Jesus. And today, we finish the series with the thief on the cross. What can we learn from him. First, let’s set the stage by reviewing the story. Jesus is hanging on the cross. He has a condemned criminal on each side of Him. One of them is hurling abuse at Jesus, mocking Him. “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself, and us!” You can maybe imagine that in their intense pain, this was probably the nicest thing said. But you get the idea. The people on the ground watching are doing pretty much the same thing. In verse 34, the rulers are saying, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.” In verse 36, we see the soldiers were in on the action, too, “The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.” But the thief on the cross seemed to have a little more compassion. In fact, if we look carefully, we see three responses. First, he rebukes the other criminal, “‘Don’t you fear God,’ he said, ‘since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve.’” Then he defends Jesus, acknowledging His innocence, saying, “But this man has done nothing wrong.” And thirdly, he makes a request of Jesus, showing his faith. In his final response, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom,” he affirms his belief that Jesus was the Messiah and the King of the Jews. We see that he expected Jesus would have a kingdom, and by asking Jesus to remember him, he must have had the faith that Jesus could save him. Jesus’ response shows that He saw this man’s faith, as He assured him, “Today, you will be with me in paradise.” I think this passage can speak clearly to us, but the message we receive can be very different, depending on who we are, and where we are in our relationship with Jesus. So I’m going to effectively give two short message this morning. First, for those who already know Jesus, I want to think about this: Jesus constantly allowed His schedule to be interrupted by opportunities to minister to others. To share God’s love for them, no matter how bad these people may be. Here’s an example in John 4, Jesus is tired from His travels, so He stops to rest at a well in the Samaritan town of Sychar. The disciples go into town to find food and restock supplies, Jesus stays by the well to rest. A woman came out to draw water, and Jesus strikes up a conversation with her. Before you know it, she discovers that He knows all about her past. She hears of God’s love for her and the forgiveness that’s available to her, and she’s so excited that she runs back into town and tells everyone, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” Jesus and His disciples wind up staying two more days in Sychar, and it says in verse 41, “because of his words many more became believers.” So many folks in town became believers, putting their trust in Jesus, because Jesus allowed this interruption with a woman at the well – an interruption that turned out being a two-day interruption! And think about this, it started with an outcast. This woman went out to draw water in the heat of the day, not first thing in the morning like the rest of the woman. She wasn’t all that well liked by the others, she had had several husbands, and was living with a man she wasn’t married to now. But Jesus allowed the interruption, even started the conversation. With a Samaritan woman no Jewish man would ever talk to. An outcast. We can see another example in Matthew 14, where Jesus is trying to get away. He had just heard of John the Baptist’s death, and He was upset, and we see in verse 13, “When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place.” So Jesus is grieving John’s passing, by himself, just trying to take some time away from everything to privately mourn. But verse 13 continues, “Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” Here Jesus is trying find a quiet place to be alone, and the crowds beat Him there! And as much He needed the time to Himself, He allowed the interruption. And the result is one of the best-known stories of Jesus’ life, the feeding of the 5,000. As much as Jesus needed time to grieve, He allowed the interruption, took the time to minister, and performed one of the greatest miracles in the bible. We see Jesus’ openness to interruptions in our reading this morning, too, don’t we? Jesus is hanging on a cross, dying. I have to suspect that if Jesus ever wanted a break from the crowds, it was now. The night He’d just had, arrested in the Garden during a time of prayer, the secret trial in the middle of the night, the mocking, the whips, the scourging – He was on the verge of death already, so weak He couldn’t carry the cross. And now the pain, the torture, of hanging on a cross, fighting for every breath. But even in this, He allows the interruption. The man on the cross next to Him, a thief, probably a career thief thought to be beyond rehabilitation, thus the execution. Another outcast. The world was better off without him, so they were killing him. But as he starts talking with Jesus, Jesus not only allows the interruption, but shares with him, forgives him, and makes quite a statement, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” I have a confession to make. I am a slave to my schedule. I’m not always open to interruptions in my life. I want to follow Jesus, and Jesus allowed these interruptions, these opportunities to share and witness in His day to day life. So I know I need to as well. And I promise I’m working on it. I suspect I’m not the only one here that has that problem. How about you? How are you doing? Are willing to stop everything you’re up to when you come across an opportunity to share your faith? Or are you a little more like me, and you hesitate, and remain true to your schedule, even though the interruption would only be a short one? If you follow Jesus, this story can challenge us to be more open to minister to others in every situation. Jesus takes a moment, even in the midst of His own death, to minister to someone! Think of what could happen if only more Christians were willing to have their lives interrupted. Now I mentioned two messages. The first was that if you are follower of Jesus, you should be looking for those interruptions, always looking for opportunities to share your story. The second message is directed to those who aren’t followers of Jesus. If you think you are “too far gone” to ever receive forgiveness, this passage can give you hope. It’s never too late. Most of us have stories about things that we’ve wanted to do, but never got around to it. Now it just seems too late. But let me assure you, it’s not too late. I came across the story of Lela Burden. Lela was in high school in 1918, when her high school was actually shut down because of a flu pandemic. By the time they reopened, Lela had taken two jobs and never went back to finish her education. But in May of 2014, at the age of 111, she got her high school diploma. I’m betting that most people half her age, if they hadn’t graduated yet, they would have written it off, saying it was too late. But she pursued her goal. It’s never too late. Isn’t your salvation more important than a high school diploma? Isn’t the answer to where you will spend eternity more important than a basic level of education? Isn’t your relationship with God more important than any other relationship you might have? The thief on the cross realized that. And though he was about as late as you can come, he found that until he actually died, it wasn’t too late. One thing I’ll point out, not everybody has a chance for a death bed confession, so don’t wait that long. Come to Jesus now. Seek His forgiveness and trust in Him for your salvation. Acts 2:38 says, “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.” And if you’re thinking that what you did is just too bad, that God couldn’t forgive you, this man was sentenced to death for crimes he committed. I’m guessing your past, while maybe ugly, wasn’t so bad that you’re likely to be sentenced to death for it. If God could forgive this criminal, God can forgive anybody of anything. It’s not too late. Romans 10:13 says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Everyone. Period. It doesn’t matter how old you are. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done. All that matters is that you realize that you can’t save yourself, and trust in God to save you.
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