Opened Eyes
By: Walter B. Blackwood
‘Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in His holy place?’ (Psalm 24:3). God answers these questions for us almost one thousand years after the Psalmist penned Psalm 24. In the latter half of Luke chapter 23 we read about two men whose names are never known to us, and whose crimes are never written of. Both men are criminals who the Romans deemed bad enough for a fate so horrific, Roman citizens were universally exempt.
Both men were crucified on a hill named Golgotha, one at Jesus’ right hand and one on his left. Three men, two criminals and the Son of God nailed to beams of wood and hung before a crowd of Jewish rulers and Roman soldiers. The rulers jeer and mock Jesus while the soldiers taunt his suffering by offering sour wine. The criminals, however; are ignored in their suffering. The first criminal calls out in verse 39, ‘One of the criminals who were hanged railed him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!”’. But this man was not pleading to Jesus for deliverance from his pain. The Greek word translated here as ‘railed’ is often also translated as ‘blasphemed’. He was calling Jesus out! Using his last breaths to mock the Son of God, and siding with the soldiers who had nailed him to a cross to die. On the other side, the second criminal stepped up to the defense of Jesus, ‘But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?”’ (Luke 23:40)
Now before we continue lets take a minute or two to step back and look at this. Here are two men being crucified, probably about fifteen feet from each other. The lead up to crucifixion would have left them badly beaten and bloody, near to death. They would have to yell to be heard over the crowd of people; Roman soldiers, Jewish rulers, witnesses and on lookers. Having to push up on the spike driven through their feet to speak. In pain so horrible they had no word for it so they had to make up a new word, ‘excruciating’ which means, ‘from the cross’. And they are arguing about the divinity of Jesus Christ. That in our minds, he continues on. “And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due rewards of our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” (Luke 23:40 emphasis added) He knows he is guilty. He knows the other criminal is guilty. They both know the crimes they have committed deserve death. But look again at this last part, “but this man has done nothing wrong.” The criminals could hear what the people were shouting at Jesus. “Let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God,” (Luke 23:35), and “Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” (Mark 15:32). They saw the inscription above Jesus’ head which reads derisively “King of the Jews”. One of the criminals chooses to go along with the crowd. Backing the very people who he committed crimes against, and who were now killing him for those crimes by crucifixion.
The other, who is equally guilty by his own admission not only defends this stranger but recognizes Jesus for who he is. Not only that, but goes on to ask something almost unbelievable. ‘And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”’ (Luke 23:42) Here is a criminal who I think it safe to say, has most likely spent the majority of his life sinning against God and others asking in his final hours as he is dieing.
He pushes himself up one last time.
The pain is beyond description.
He can feel the places where the soldier’s flail,
And the soldier’s rods have striped away his flesh.
The iron spikes through his hands and feet
Are like lightning bolts of pain rippling through his body.
Rough wood against raw nerves and shredded flesh
As he forces himself up.
Days and nights of exhaustion, terror and shock,
Taxing his already sapped will.
And through cracked lips his final words,
Recorded by history.
“Please Lord forgive me of my sins. Remember me before God.”
He didn’t volunteer in a soup kitchen, or sell everything he had and give it to charity. He didn’t spend years working for a youth ministry, or travel throughout Asia as a Missionary. What he DID do was turn his life over to the sovereignty of Jesus Christ, begging Him in all honesty and in complete repentance for forgiveness of his sins and to be remembered before the Lord God. ‘And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise”’. (Luke 23:43) Jesus took that criminal’s sins upon himself. He took all of our sins.
Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? Who shall stand in His holy place? Any who come before our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, no matter how much it hurts, no matter what they have done in the past, and ask with an open honest heart. “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Remember ME, not my works ‘yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ.’ (Galatians 2:16). This is the truth the second criminal understood in his last few hours. But how did this man understand? Neither criminal were followers of Jesus. The leaders of the Temple were only interested in killing Jesus, ‘Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.”’ (John 11:49-50) The criminals were not even
Jews or they would have not been crucified so close to the Sabbath. They could have heard whispers about Jesus during his ministry but most of the people of Israel thought Jesus was at most a great prophet or teacher. Even most of
His disciples seemed uncertain of Jesus’ divinity before the resurrection. When he asked them who the people thought he was at Caesarea Philippi, ‘And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”’ (Matthew 16:14) And remember, the rumors about Jesus that were circulating were being constantly stomped out as either heresy by Caiaphas or sedition by the Roman Governor Pontius Pilate.
So here is a gentile criminal who has heard next to nothing about this Jesus; a carpenter from Nazareth, except he ‘might’ be some teacher of a religion he does not even believe in, and he knows Jesus is the Son of God! He knows because in his last hours, while he hangs there, dying by inches, he opens his eyes with hope and his ears with faith.
If we all had faith as he did, we could come before the Lord without any doubts in our hearts. Not because of proof as the Sadducees and Pharisees demanded, but because we, sinners and criminals, hanging from our crosses built of sin. Hands and feet nailed to the cross with spike fashioned of guilt and unforgiveness. Backs lashed to the bone by whips of shame. Bodies bruised by clubs of lust, and heads lacerated by thorny crowns of pride. Push ourselves up through suffering, up towards His holy light, and hear with ears opened by faith, His voice of everlasting love.
“Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43)
By: Walter B. Blackwood
‘Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in His holy place?’ (Psalm 24:3). God answers these questions for us almost one thousand years after the Psalmist penned Psalm 24. In the latter half of Luke chapter 23 we read about two men whose names are never known to us, and whose crimes are never written of. Both men are criminals who the Romans deemed bad enough for a fate so horrific, Roman citizens were universally exempt.
Both men were crucified on a hill named Golgotha, one at Jesus’ right hand and one on his left. Three men, two criminals and the Son of God nailed to beams of wood and hung before a crowd of Jewish rulers and Roman soldiers. The rulers jeer and mock Jesus while the soldiers taunt his suffering by offering sour wine. The criminals, however; are ignored in their suffering. The first criminal calls out in verse 39, ‘One of the criminals who were hanged railed him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!”’. But this man was not pleading to Jesus for deliverance from his pain. The Greek word translated here as ‘railed’ is often also translated as ‘blasphemed’. He was calling Jesus out! Using his last breaths to mock the Son of God, and siding with the soldiers who had nailed him to a cross to die. On the other side, the second criminal stepped up to the defense of Jesus, ‘But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?”’ (Luke 23:40)
Now before we continue lets take a minute or two to step back and look at this. Here are two men being crucified, probably about fifteen feet from each other. The lead up to crucifixion would have left them badly beaten and bloody, near to death. They would have to yell to be heard over the crowd of people; Roman soldiers, Jewish rulers, witnesses and on lookers. Having to push up on the spike driven through their feet to speak. In pain so horrible they had no word for it so they had to make up a new word, ‘excruciating’ which means, ‘from the cross’. And they are arguing about the divinity of Jesus Christ. That in our minds, he continues on. “And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due rewards of our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” (Luke 23:40 emphasis added) He knows he is guilty. He knows the other criminal is guilty. They both know the crimes they have committed deserve death. But look again at this last part, “but this man has done nothing wrong.” The criminals could hear what the people were shouting at Jesus. “Let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God,” (Luke 23:35), and “Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” (Mark 15:32). They saw the inscription above Jesus’ head which reads derisively “King of the Jews”. One of the criminals chooses to go along with the crowd. Backing the very people who he committed crimes against, and who were now killing him for those crimes by crucifixion.
The other, who is equally guilty by his own admission not only defends this stranger but recognizes Jesus for who he is. Not only that, but goes on to ask something almost unbelievable. ‘And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”’ (Luke 23:42) Here is a criminal who I think it safe to say, has most likely spent the majority of his life sinning against God and others asking in his final hours as he is dieing.
He pushes himself up one last time.
The pain is beyond description.
He can feel the places where the soldier’s flail,
And the soldier’s rods have striped away his flesh.
The iron spikes through his hands and feet
Are like lightning bolts of pain rippling through his body.
Rough wood against raw nerves and shredded flesh
As he forces himself up.
Days and nights of exhaustion, terror and shock,
Taxing his already sapped will.
And through cracked lips his final words,
Recorded by history.
“Please Lord forgive me of my sins. Remember me before God.”
He didn’t volunteer in a soup kitchen, or sell everything he had and give it to charity. He didn’t spend years working for a youth ministry, or travel throughout Asia as a Missionary. What he DID do was turn his life over to the sovereignty of Jesus Christ, begging Him in all honesty and in complete repentance for forgiveness of his sins and to be remembered before the Lord God. ‘And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise”’. (Luke 23:43) Jesus took that criminal’s sins upon himself. He took all of our sins.
Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? Who shall stand in His holy place? Any who come before our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, no matter how much it hurts, no matter what they have done in the past, and ask with an open honest heart. “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Remember ME, not my works ‘yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ.’ (Galatians 2:16). This is the truth the second criminal understood in his last few hours. But how did this man understand? Neither criminal were followers of Jesus. The leaders of the Temple were only interested in killing Jesus, ‘Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.”’ (John 11:49-50) The criminals were not even
Jews or they would have not been crucified so close to the Sabbath. They could have heard whispers about Jesus during his ministry but most of the people of Israel thought Jesus was at most a great prophet or teacher. Even most of
His disciples seemed uncertain of Jesus’ divinity before the resurrection. When he asked them who the people thought he was at Caesarea Philippi, ‘And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”’ (Matthew 16:14) And remember, the rumors about Jesus that were circulating were being constantly stomped out as either heresy by Caiaphas or sedition by the Roman Governor Pontius Pilate.
So here is a gentile criminal who has heard next to nothing about this Jesus; a carpenter from Nazareth, except he ‘might’ be some teacher of a religion he does not even believe in, and he knows Jesus is the Son of God! He knows because in his last hours, while he hangs there, dying by inches, he opens his eyes with hope and his ears with faith.
If we all had faith as he did, we could come before the Lord without any doubts in our hearts. Not because of proof as the Sadducees and Pharisees demanded, but because we, sinners and criminals, hanging from our crosses built of sin. Hands and feet nailed to the cross with spike fashioned of guilt and unforgiveness. Backs lashed to the bone by whips of shame. Bodies bruised by clubs of lust, and heads lacerated by thorny crowns of pride. Push ourselves up through suffering, up towards His holy light, and hear with ears opened by faith, His voice of everlasting love.
“Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43)
