“And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.” (Matthew 27:44, ESV)

“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.”” (Luke 23:34–42, ESV)

Like many other believers, this Easter I was reflecting on Jesus death and resurrection. I spent much time wondering about the attitudes of the thieves that were crucified alongside Christ. They were being punished for sins they had committed. There was no question about their guilt. Maybe that is why they could not imagine that Jesus could be innocent.
They joined in with the crowd and ridiculed Jesus. They mocked and humiliated him with their words. Something strange happened that day. Jesus prayed for those that were torturing him. He prayed that they would be forgiven. He did not fight back. He didn’t lose his temper. While suffering horrific physical pain, extreme emotional anguish and severe mental fatigue, Jesus was kind and loving.

One of the robbers changed his mind about Jesus. Scripture does not say what made him change his mind. I think that he respected how Jesus suffered. Jesus did all things for the glory of God, including suffering well. I am sure people were astounded that Jesus kept his composure the entire time he was being ridiculed. I think the thieves started to notice that Jesus was acting differently than they were.

Jesus spoke compassionately about his enemies. His grace and love took center stage as he suffered well. Finally, one of the criminals not only noticed, but he changed his mind about Jesus. He spoke up. He tried to convince the other thief of the truth. But only one of them received salvation that day.

These men saw Jesus and were witnesses to his Divine nature. They experienced his righteousness, compassion and love. It is sad that only one of them trusted in Jesus that day. I wondered why. Then I thought about how often people are confronted with the truth and ignore it.

It is well documented that smoking is bad for your health and yet over a billion people still smoke. It is a well known fact that obesity leads to health problems and yet we continue to eat a lot more food than we need. According to the statistical information, it is much safer to travel by plane than in an automobile. Still many are afraid to fly, but spend hours in a car each week.

The truth is that the Son of God, Jesus, The Messiah died on the cross in real space-time history. The evidence is overwhelming. The best evidence is that only someone with an unlimited capacity to love would have forgiven the sins of the people that day. Jesus, God incarnate was tortured to death, and yet his unlimited love caused him to be kind and compassionate to those around him.

One of the robbers trusted in The Truth that day. One looked at the evidence, and it changed the way he lived. He lived the rest of his short life on this earth as a witness to the glory of God. He lived as a testimony of God’s power to change hearts. His testimony has touched lives for 2000 years. His short life here on earth was just the beginning of an eternal existence with God in paradise.

What changed him? He had faith in The Truth, Jesus. His faith was based on facts, but he still had to make a decision to believe. Unfortunately not everyone changes when they hear the facts. Will you?