Just a thought on choices.
Romans 3:23 “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”
I want to take you back to the foot of the cross and I want you to imagine that you are the soldier standing opposite the cross that Jesus is hanging on and you witness the following dialogue, a dialogue that has two different perspectives and two different outcomes by two people in exactly the same situation:-
Thief 1
“Who are you? You are the Christ aren’t you? Ha, what nonsense, you are no different to us otherwise you wouldn’t be here hanging on a cross like me. I tell you what, here’s a challenge, get yourself off that cross, save yourself if you are who you say you are, Oh, and while you’re at it, saving yourself, save me as well.”
Thief 2
“Will you just be quiet, we’re here for a reason. We did wrong and we are getting what we deserve. Don’t you fear God? This man has done nothing wrong. Jesus? will you remember me when you come into your own?”
Jesus
“Today you will be with me in paradise”
You then witness the cry from Jesus’ lips “It is finished” and then total silence.
You whisper to yourself “This man really was the Son of God”
It is recorded that Jesus said in John 10:9-10 “I am the door and the person who enters through me will be saved and will be able to come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes to steal and kill and destroy, but I come to give life, life in all its fullness.”
and in Matthew 10:38-39 Jesus says “whoever is not willing to carry the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who try to hold onto their lives will give up true life. Those who give up their lives for me will hold onto true life.”
There were two thieves and there were two choices. Are we going to be like the first criminal only wanting to be saved for our own benefit? All he wanted was to get down from the cross and continue doing the same things he had been put on a cross for in the first place. There was no repentance, only regret that he had been caught.
Jesus never responded to this man.
Or are we going to be like the second criminal who saw Jesus for who he really was, not just a man on a cross, but the son of God. This man realised that there was no hope and having made the public declaration of rebuking the other criminal he asks Jesus to remember him. He felt that it was too late to ask for forgiveness, after all he was going to die anyway.
Jesus responds to this man with the words “Today you will be with me in paradise”
That response still comes today to all those who recognise that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God and the one who gave His life for us all.
The first criminal went to his death full of anger and bitterness, hurling abuse, kicking and screaming all the way to hell. The other criminal went in peace knowing forgiveness all the way to heaven.
What will our choice be when we consider the death and resurrection of a saviour who is Christ the Lord?
