“But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?” (Lu 23:40 AV)
The condemnation of which the thief speaks is the crucifixion. The miracle was the thief’s ability to discern who and what Jesus was. The condemnation was death. The condemnation was death for sin. For the thieves, the sin for which they died was their own. For Jesus, the sins for which He died were for all mankind. The thief rightly stated they were all in the same condemnation. The one whom he was rebuking was the other malefactor. The second thief joined the mocking of the crowd, thinking his alliance with the lost crowd would earn him some leniency. How did that work out for him? The humble thief knew enough to realize the gravity of their situation. He knew enough to fall at throne of grace and asked for mercy. Not from mankind. They wouldn’t give it to him, anyway. Rather, he decided the prudent thing to do was to plea from mercy from the only One who could grant eternal mercy. That being the Son of God!
The reality of the situation hit me a bit this morning. What struck me is that the case of the first thief is the condition of all people. We are all under the condemnation of death. Any one of us could be one of those two thieves and be fully condemned, no matter the sin. Because of our sin, we deserve eternal death. When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, they brought the sentence of death upon all mankind. Romans chapter five says that death comes on all people because all people have sinned. Imagine you are on a sinking ship, stuck in a large room with dozens of people. Most would try to figure a way out. They would check hatchways, ceiling tiles, or windows. Most people would know the certainty of their outcome but still try to find a way out. Now, imagine you are in that same room. Rather than most working feverously to save life, they mocked the captain for trying. Would that not be crazy? That is exactly what the world is doing. The only one who can save them from eternal damnation is mocked and cursed.
What strikes me as concerning is the mockery that accompanies the rejection. The second thief didn’t simply reject. He rejected with attitude. How absolutely insane. Even if the thief was successful in gaining leniency from the hostile crowd, it wouldn’t change a thing. They may bring him off the cross, but he will eventually die, anyway. The temporal solution to an eternal problem never works. The second thief looked God right in the eye and mocked Him as though he were God’s superior. He mocked God because he thought he was entitled to mercy. He mocked God because he thought God would save him without humility and repentance. The thief mocked God because he felt the people would appreciate him for his rebellion. The thief mocked God because he had no intention of submitting to anyone; God nor mankind. This is the plight of the lost. They look God right in the eye and mock Him even though they are heading toward a certain appointment with death and hell.
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