The Dying Thief's Prayer - Luke 23:42

Luke 23:42
And he [the penitent thief] said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

This penitent thief’s prayer is the last recorded prayer under the Old Covenant and the first recorded prayer of the New Covenant.  It is altogether fitting that it should be the model of faith and grace.  This prayer contains the elements of true repentance and salvation (adapted from Dr. John MacArthur’s Study Bible note). 

·         He believed the soul lives on after death

·         He believed Christ had the right to rule over a Kingdom of the souls of men

·         He believed Christ would soon enter that Kingdom despite His impending death

·         His request to be remembered was a plea for mercy

·         He understood that he (the thief) had no hope apart from divine grace

·         He understood that dispensing grace lay in Jesus’ power

·         His prayer demonstrates true faith on the part of the dying thief

·         Jesus rewarded that request, and that thief has been in the paradise of God ever since

In this one verse and its context is the complete picture of salvation!  It could not be more simple or profound.  There is no better expression of faith, and faith in Jesus Christ is the only way to the Kingdom.

Inscription on the Cross

 

The Inscription on the Cross

Luke 23:38; John 19:19

The inscription on the cross was the Roman accusation of Jesus’ crime; it read, “This is Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews.”  Though Pilate doubtless thought it was an ironic insult and believed it was false, yet what he wrote was true and absolutely true on so many levels that it exceeds my ability to describe them.  This inscription is the repetition and confirmation of the prophets, it is the consummation of the law, it is the anticipation of the apocalypse, it is the cry of the believers, it is the banner of the redeemed, and it is the wail of the lost.

The most immediate and tragic reality of this inscription is that it has become an indictment against the contemporary church.  This indictment brings tears to my eyes and anger and shame to my heart.  How is it that we, the blood-bought church of the redeemed can so denigrate and repudiate our King that He is scarcely mentioned by name even in our worship let alone made the conscious object of our daily life and thought?

Most of the songs we sing in our contemporary “worship” services do not mention the name of Jesus Christ.  The songs use repeated spiritual-sounding words, pronouns, jargon, and cute figures of speech so that the “initiated” might know what the song is about, but most of these songs avoid direct references to Jesus of Nazareth who died for our sin.  An even greater tragedy is that the sermons are filled with psychology and self-help for the spiritually wounded, but again the name of Jesus is absent, and Christ is not presented as the Savior, Deliver, and Sustainer of our lives.  Jesus alone is the answer to the problems of life and living.

Is it any wonder that the world laughs at Christians in post-Christian America?  We are so consumed with the luxuries of the world and the success of doing the business of church that we are ashamed of the Name of Jesus and have reduced references to Jesus Christ to pronouns and jargon.  I am a Christian not a “Him-ian” or a “Lord-ian.”  I am not even a “God-ian.”   I am a Christian!