Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying,
“If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.”
Luke 23:39
What a bold statement made by this criminal hanging on a cross, slow fading toward death. It gives a great deal of insight into the kind of person he was.
Because he didn’t exert his dwindling mental energy in preparing to meet his Maker.
He also didn’t speak one last utterance to loved ones hovered nearby, mourning his impending death.
Nope, this man chose to spend his last breaths hurling insults at the Man dying next to him.
But then again, he didn’t know who He was.
As my pastor pointed out in a sermon recently, had Jesus acquiesced to the thief’s demands, coming down from the cross and saving His own life, He could’ve never saved ours.
You see, the thief had it all wrong; Jesus’ power to save him wasn’t evidenced by coming down and saving Himself and the men next to Him. His power to save came from staying right where He was. Enduring the cross, despising the shame (Hebrews 12:2). Conquering death by rising again on the third day, just as He had predicted.
Jesus had His eyes on the prize, steadfastly focused on eternity, refusing to cast longing glances toward the distractions and the temptations that sought to dissuade Him.
On the other hand, the thief’s perspective was completely off, focusing on right now instead of forever and ever.
I wonder how often you and I do the same thing.
We implore Him to remove the thorn in our flesh, neglecting to realize its value as it keeps us dependent on our Savior.
We ask Him to take away our problems, forgetting how much His strength is magnified in our weaknesses.
We implore Him to ease the struggles, overlooking the growth that will surely result.
We beg for release from trials, forgetting how rich we’re being made for eternity.
Oh, my friends, let us not be like the criminal, willing to exchange eternal life for the temporal. Let’s be like the Christ, with eyes fixed on heaven and a heart fixed on eternity.
I fear that I am more like the thief more often than I care to admit. Trading eternal perspective for now-comfort. A beautiful and challenging Holy Week post, Jennifer. Blessings to you.
I find this challenging, too, Leah. Resurrection weekend blessings to you, friend!
“Oh, my friends, let us not be like the criminal, willing to exchange eternal life for the temporal. Let’s be like the Christ, with eyes fixed on heaven and a heart fixed on eternity.”
amen.
Thank you, my friend, for saying “hello” here. I so appreciate the way you exemplify the very statement you quoted. <3 Much love!
Great insight Jennifer. I love the point that it took more power to keep Him on the cross. What a powerful God we serve, and how blessed we are that He displayed that power. I hope you guys have a great Easter.
Blessed indeed, Valerie. Thank you for stopping by, and I pray your family has a wonderful celebration tomorrow! Oh, and please let Mark know I’ve appreciated his sermons recorded at the LPA. <3 Your family continues to be a dear blessing in my life!
This was great, Jennifer. Sacrificing the eternal for the temporary. What a temptation every.single.day. I need to see like Jesus did — the joy is in the enduring and the sacrificing. Crazy, but true. Blessings to you this holy weekend.
You’re so right, Debbie – it’s a daily (and often moment-by-moment) choice. Oh, how I long for more of His perspective, enabling me to remember that the way to really live is to die, the way to be great is to be a servant, the way to be exalted is to humble myself, and the way to be made stronger is to be crushed. Thank you for identifying with me in this struggle!
Looking for the now, the temporal, being angry at someone when it is really my own fault, … all that stuff…is not of God and not how I want to be. Your insights shared here give me a point-of-view that I have not focused upon in ages. Thank you.
Visiting from Grace and Truth.
Caring through Christ, ~ linda
Linda, I’m honored to have you visit my little corner of the web, and I’m thrilled that you’ve found some truth to apply here. For it’s all God’s truth, isn’t it? We don’t come up with new truth; the best we can do is to point each other back to what He has already said and shown. Thank you for partnering with me in this endeavor with your writing ministry! I pray God blesses it richly.