| Luke 23:43, “And Jesus said to him, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.’”
A Heavenly Treasure by David Rich, April 17, 2026
What I find so incredibly amazing about the Bible is that no matter how many times I read a part of Scripture, I always find something new and eye-opening. The latest revelation is from the story of the crucifixion of Jesus and the two thieves who were hung on both sides of Him. They were known thugs. Tried and found guilty. They made no claims to the contrary. They were not good people.
They deserved to be punished, and being hung on a cross was, in those days, the ultimate humiliation. It was a public event. Crowds came from far and wide. It was a show. It was evening entertainment. Time to jeer and mock the guilty as they die, and that’s exactly what took place. The on lookers, the rulers, and the soldiers all mocked Jesus as He hung dying on that old rugged cross.
In Luke 23:39, “Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, ‘If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.’” It was equivalent to calling Jesus a fake, an imposter. What a humble way for our Lord to go. Naked, bleeding, in unimaginable pain, and the last words you hear are taunts and laughter.
Then something remarkable happened. Without ANY prompting, one of the criminals turned to Jesus and said (Luke 23:42), “Lord, remember me when You come into your kingdom.”
WOW!! It happened in the blink of an eye. It happened in this criminal’s final few breaths on Earth. He wasn’t reading Scripture. He wasn’t being witnessed to. It wasn’t a result of years of teaching. He led a life of crime. He hadn’t witnessed any of the miracles Jesus performed. How could he know that Jesus was Lord? The criminal on the other side of Jesus certainly didn’t.
The simple answer is that his name was written in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb (Jesus) before the foundation of the world. Revelation 13:8.
But for this Heavenly Treasure, I don’t want to focus on the HOW but rather the WHO. The thief who asked Jesus for mercy was a bad dude. He didn’t actively repent. He didn’t tithe. He hadn’t helped the needy. He was a thief. Yet, he entered Paradise with Jesus after only a few exhales of life left in him.
Mere moments later, Jesus cried out, “It is finished,” His last words. The Greek word for “finished” is tetelestai, which means to discharge a debt, to pay in full. It was often used in courts in those days. We would call it a legal term. The debt of that thief was fully paid. The slate was wiped clean. But not just the thief on the cross next to Jesus. Jesus discharged the debt for you and me as well. The slate was wiped clean, once and for all, for all who recognize Jesus as Lord.
The debt was also paid for Noah, who was a well-known drunk. Moses stuttered and was a horrible communicator. David was an adulterer. Jacob was a cheater. Miriam was a gossiper. Thomas was a doubter. Peter had a bad temper, and Paul was a murderer. All these terrible sinners are saints in heaven. Their debts, like ours, were discharged, paid in full. Never to be brought up or remembered again.
So, what’s the takeaway? It could be to stop wasting time judging other Christians. To the world, the man next to Jesus went straight to hell. He deserved death. We only see fleshly actions. We don’t know what’s really in a person’s heart, or if in their moments of life, they will come to know Jesus.
Or, perhaps, the takeaway is to feel more secure in your salvation. That all your debts, past, present, and the ones your flesh has yet to commit have been discharged. So, stop beating yourself and simply fall on your knees and thank the Lord that He saved a wretch like you.
For me, the revelation was the sheer sovereignty of God in full display. Romans 9:15-16 describes it perfectly. God will have mercy and compassion on whom He chooses. “It is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.” The death of Jesus illustrates this in living color. It is not about us, but all about Him. There was Jesus in the middle, flanked by two men. One was a sheep, the other a goat. The criminal on one side died in his sins and faced eternal damnation. The other, had his debts discharged and became the very FIRST person Jesus took into Paradise with Him!
Prayer:
Father, we do not know WHY you chose us but we do know WHO did the choosing. We know we don’t deserve mercy. It is a free, unearned gift. We don’t know WHY our names are written in the Book of Life, but we know to WHOM the book belongs. Help us to find the peace and humility in the most comforting words that give faith in Jesus its true meaning, “IT IS FINISHED.” Tetelestai. Thank you Lord.
Amen!
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