Thief Religious

It is common when discussing baptism for baptists and protestants to bring up the thief on the cross. They claim thieves wouldn't be religious, and weren't baptized. Yet, they quoted the concepts of scripture while mocking Jesus. They even used and understood the word "Christ".

Psalms 22

“He trusts in the Lord,” they say,

    “let the Lord rescue him.

Let him deliver him,

    since he delights in him.” 

When comparing this to the cross the wording is close. The thieves were actually reciting a long held view that the messiah would be rescued and not die. Those at the cross sat and watched, some passing by railed at him.

Matthew 27:43

He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. 

The thieves said the same things.

Matthew 27:44

The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth. 

In essence by saying such the thieves showed they were religious and familiar with the Psalm.

Mark 15:32

Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him. 

Luke 23:39

And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. 

Most of the Jews in the audience and those crucified believed the Christ wouldn't die but would be empowered to save himself. Except the one thief who believed he would die, but believed he would still reign in his kingdom. They were all religious, all knew of a coming Christ, but one was right about death.

It seems there were Jews who believed the messiah would die. The writer in II Esdras 7 reveals that many believed the coming Joshua (savior) would die within 400 years. It is apocrypha but does reveal some Jewish beliefs. This lined up with Isaiah 53 and Daniel 9. II Esdras seems to be wrong about parts of its beliefs, but it does say Christ will die without saying how.

True Judaism, including the thief, believed the messiah would die and then have a kingdom.

Psalms 22:27 

All the ends of the earth

    will remember and turn to the Lord,

and all the families of the nations

    will bow down before him,

28 

for dominion belongs to the Lord

    and he rules over the nations.