that Fountain in his day;
And there have I, though vile as he,
washed all my sins away.
(Verse two of "There Is a Fountain"
by William Cowper)
There's an interesting discrepancy in the gospel accounts of the two criminals who were crucified alongside Jesus. John makes no comment about what they said. Matthew and Mark report that both men hurled insults at Jesus. Luke, on the other hand, says that one of them defended Jesus.
John 19:18:
There they crucified Him, and with Him two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between.
Matthew 27:38-44:
At that time two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left. And those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. He trusts in God; let God rescue Him now, if He delights in Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” The robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words.
Mark 15:27-32:
They crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left. [And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with transgressors.”] Those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads, and saying, “Ha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself, and come down from the cross!” In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes, were mocking Him among themselves and saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him.
Luke 23: 33, 35-43:
When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. ... And the people stood by, looking on. And even the rulers were sneering at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His Chosen One.” The soldiers also mocked Him, coming up to Him, offering Him sour wine, and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!” Now there was also an inscription above Him, “THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”
So what's going on? Did Matthew and Mark get it wrong? Did Luke? Is there a contradiction?
Rather than a contradiction, I see four somewhat incomplete stories. Both criminals begin by insulting Jesus, but it appears one of them changes his mind. Why?
Whatever happened, it must have been intimate and subtle enough not to be noticeable from a distance. Here's one possible scenario. This may not be exactly how it happened, but clearly God somehow opened this man's eyes on that dreadful day, to see that Jesus was indeed a King -- not a mortal, earthly king, but the King of heaven:
Imagine you're the thief who eventually speaks up for Jesus. A million things are running through your mind on this terrible day. Your family, your friends... so many regrets...
There are two other men being crucified near you. There's something unusual about the man in the middle. He's been beaten and bloodied beyond recognition; someone sure must have a grudge against him.
You begin to hear shouts. It's the chief priests! The religious leaders are furious with this man. Wow, he really must be a bad person. The priests are godly men. What could he have done to make them so angry that they're spitting such hateful insults at him? Other people join in, too. It seems he claimed to be the Son of God... so... perhaps he does deserve to die? Maybe he's crazy. Yes, that's probably it.
What's that they're calling him? The Christ, the King of Israel? What a foolish, foolish man, you think. Your fellow criminal joins in in the taunts. You decide to join in too.
This goes on for a while. Each shout costs you a lot, the pain is so great. You're getting weaker.
...Why did this Jesus have to be here? You want this over with. You just want to die, to make the pain stop. Your head begins to pound excruciatingly. "Shut up, shut up, everyone!" you want to cry out... but that would hurt too much. Instead, you glare at the man, to send him a message: "This is your fault. If you weren't such a fool, this screaming wouldn't be going on."
As you glare angrily at him, he returns your gaze. His look is tender but sad.
..........Suddenly, something jumps deep within you.
The words, the Christ, the King of Israel begin to ring through your thoughts. You're not sure why. ...There's something about him...
Could it really be...? Is he the promised Messiah? Then..... why......
All at once, your heart catches in your throat. He knows you... Nothing earthly has told you this, yet you are more sure of it than of anything you have ever known. He knows your very thoughts. He is not from here. He is above all this. He must be... He is...! He IS the Christ.
"This man has done nothing wrong!" you call out. You look directly at Him, your heart flooded with hope and awe and expectation. He was sent from God. Somehow He will emerge victorious. You ask Him to grant one request, to remember you when He comes into His kingdom. Yes! He has said yes. Your body is about to die, but this will not be the end of your story. You will be going where He is going.
Praise to the Lord, this is only the beginning for you. Jesus has written the rest of your story in His blood.