The Last Words of Jesus: A Lenten DevotionalSýnishorn

Reflection 4: The Criminal

Read: Luke 23:35-43

Pilate found Jesus innocent at the trial (Lk. 23:14), but the crowd protested. So Pilate gave them a choice: he would release either Jesus or Barabbas, a murderer and insurrectionist. The crowd chanted for Jesus’ crucifixion and Barabbas walked away free (Lk. 23:23-35). But Barabbas wasn’t the only criminal impacted by Jesus that day throughout His final hours on earth.

Jesus was nailed to a cross between two criminals. As he hung, one of the criminals joined the soldiers and crowd in mocking Jesus. He said, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it” (Lk. 23:39, NLT).

But the second criminal recognized that something significant was happening. He knew that Jesus didn’t deserve to be hanging on a cross next to him. He said, “We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong” (Lk. 23:41, NLT).

In his final moments, the second criminal made a plea to Jesus and begged Him for mercy and forgiveness. And amid His turmoil and agony, Jesus comforted the man and said, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Lk. 23:43, NLT).

Just like the criminal on the cross, it’s never too late for you to cry out to Jesus. His story demonstrates that no matter what you’ve done or how badly you feel like you’ve messed up, you’re still worthy of God’s love. You too can join Jesus in paradise.

Questions for Reflection:

• Have you ever joined in with what the majority was doing or caved to peer pressure and regretted it later? What happened?
• What did the second criminal have to believe about Jesus that would cause him to ask Jesus for mercy?
• What do you think the disciples might have learned from the interaction they witnessed between Jesus and the second criminal on the cross?