Luke 23:26-43
The Crucifixion of Jesus
26 As the soldiers led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. 27 A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. 28 Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30 Then
“‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!”
and to the hills, “Cover us!”’
31 For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
32 Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”
36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37 and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”
38 There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the jews.
39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Jesus was hung on a cross by two criminals...One of the criminals hanging beside Jesus scoffed at Him, “So you’re the Messiah, are You?...Prove it by saving Yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!”...But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die?...We deserve to die for our crimes, but this Man hasn’t done anything wrong.”...Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into Your Kingdom.”...And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with Me in paradise.”...One criminal did not believe in the Messiah, while the other one did...One put his trust in Jesus...The other scoffed at Him...One had faith in Jesus...The other did not...
The one who spoke and asked Jesus to remember him when He went to His Kingdom would be saved...There was no long period of mourning and sorrow before Jesus had accepted the criminal and saved him...This man had faith in Jesus...
Pastor John R. Rice wrote this about being saved by Jesus...“God is ready and waiting to receive sinners who put their heart's trust in Jesus and want to be saved, and to pretend that He requires a long period of mourning and sorrow before He will accept a sinner and save him is contrary to the teaching of the Bible.”...“Jesus Himself also said, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life" (John 3:36)...When you trusted Jesus Christ, He saved you...I will pray for you that you will believe God and quit depending on your feelings and emotions...It would be wrong for me to be praying for God to give you the kind of feeling you want...That is not the way we are to know we are saved...We know we are saved because God said it and we have faith to believe it...Faith takes God's Word as true and relies upon it.”...“If you came to Christ, that was saving faith...Now then He wants you to have faith in His Word for assurance...That is simply to leave the matter with God and believe what He said.”...