The infamous four criminals-Good Friday's Big Story!

The story of Good Friday revolves around the details of crucifixion and the greatest sacrifice Jesus made for the entire mankind. Churches usually ensure that they remind the congregation of all the sufferings Jesus bore for us and influence their commitment to Him by meditating on the seven sayings of Jesus with utmost melancholy and grief. However, the most important realization is the greatest sacrifice Christ made for us, make a fresh commitment to love Him with all our heart and soul and in response carry this greatest story of Christ’s love to the entire world.

A closer look at the crucifixion story reveals parallel events happened along Christ’s suffering. Like the debauchery of the Priest and the leadership of the temple, the wickedness and lies of the crowd, the disoriented disciples and his followers, the boldness of the women who were following Him, the Mission Christ entrusted to the people, the announcement of his second coming, glimpse of the end time, the reaction of the crowd and the gestures of the criminals, to name a few.

My pick for this article is the, the story of the prominent criminals in Christ’s story. Let’s analyse them together.

Judas the thief:

In John 12:4-5, Judas is portrayed as, “Then one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot (who was about to betray him), said, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” He didn’t say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief. He was in charge of the moneybag and would steal part of what was put in it.”. Judas was not a common person but was a disciple of Jesus who was with him all the time yet was known as a thief. Jesus called Judas to be His disciple who accepted the call and was part of the team, but his intention was different. He wanted to use the opportunity with Jesus to make money by embezzling and he constantly found a way to do it to the point of betraying Jesus for money. Similarly, many today have identified a ministry and a profession named after God to be dishonest. The name of Jesus is used in vain for personal survival. Judas though was so close to witnessing the greatest sacrifice of Jesus on the cross yet failed, facing a miserable end. Sin in due course of time paid the reward in full.

Barabbas the notorious prisoner:

In Matthew 27:16 states, “at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas.”. Barabbas was a man who lived in Jerusalem, Judea, around AD29 during the time of the Roman Empire. Barabbas was a troublemaker, a thief, and a murderer. The punishment for his crimes was that he had to be crucified, which was a common punishment. This meant that he was to be nailed to a wooden cross until he would die of exhaustion and suffocation. Often the Romans would force a criminal to make the cross that they were going to die on. This may have been to cause the criminal some mental suffering to go with the physical suffering that was going to occur later, because as they made it, they would have to be thinking about what was going to happen. I am sure Barabbas might be regretting that he was caught and now ready to be crucified. We all must understand that this world is orchestrated by a sovereign God in a particular way after sin entered the world. If a person is found guilty, he/she must face the consequences and it can come in any form. Sin has its consequences. One cannot keep going with sin and not get caught. Bible says in Numbers 32:23 "... Be sure sin will find you out.". One can only imagine the relief it might have brought Barabbas when Jesus was replaced in his place to die. Barabbas was the first person directly affected by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.

Criminal no 1 on the Cross:

Jesus crucified between two criminals had a story too. The first criminal who was unapologetic even in his pain hurled abuse at Jesus. Luke 23:39 records what this criminal said, “Then of the criminals hanging there began to yell insults at him: Aren’t you the messiah? Save yourself and us!” Many today want God to just save them from their mess. They expect God to notice their suffering and come to immediate aid but never remorseful. This criminal knew who Jesus was. He knew Jesus claimed to be the Messiah, but never intended to use the opportunity to repent. Charles Spurgeon puts this beautifully, “Many choose to perish forever rather than trust God.”. Many people including Christians today know Jesus very well and yet are not willing to make an honest decision to follow His Lordship. Superficiality at its peak.

Criminal no 2 on the Cross:

This criminal also knew that Jesus was the Messiah, and he had a good understanding of God’s Justice. His response to the other Criminal was this, Luke 23:41 “We are punished justly because we’re getting back what we deserve for the things we did, but this man has done nothing wrong.”. The greatest testimony about Jesus from the criminal is historical. He had an amazing revelation. The criminal too was dying with Jesus yet believed in His resurrection. Later we come to know that even the other disciples were skeptical to some extent about His resurrection, but this criminal had the utter conviction that if he believes Jesus he is going to live. Luke 23: 42 He says this, “Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom.” I believe this gesture shows that the criminal already accepted Jesus’ lordship and engaged in sharing Christ’s Mission on the cross which is heard by the crowd and recorded by the writers.

Jesus’ response to the criminal was poignant and the fulfilment of all the prophecies. Luke 23:43 “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”. All of us can identify with one of the four categories of criminals portrayed above, but if we are willing to be remorseful and accept His Lordship, I guarantee our life would never be the same again. Being religious in this passion week is not going to do any good to our soul. There were many religious people, in the crowd watching the crucifixion, witnessed His goodness yet rejected Him blatantly. A true willingness to forego any hypocrisy will transform us and fulfil the purpose for which He created each one of us.

 

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