The Mercy of Christ

James Ritchey

I have had on occasion the opportunity to preach on Luke 23:39-43, and I have titled that sermon, “The Merciful Christ.” This article will just offer a few reflections from the text and sermon.  The passage reads:

“One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, ‘Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!’ But the other rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.’ And he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ And he said to him, ‘Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

This is one of the most beloved passages in the Gospel accounts, as it shows us what a merciful Savior Christ really is–so merciful that even a man who lived his entire life up to this point in sin and rebellion against God is received into the Kingdom.

Note the simplicity and the profundity of the thief’s faith. As the other thief is expressing mockery toward Christ (much more could be said about this, particularly with regard to the thief’s urging Christ to actually give up His work of substitution at the Cross to save them in a temporal sense), the repentant thief actually recognizes that he is a guilty sinner. He is, at the cross, getting a glimpse of the penalty of sin. He not only acknowledges his sin, but he also states something quite profound about Jesus. He says, “but this man has done nothing wrong.” (v. 41) Remember that Christ is being crucified because He has claimed to be the divine Son of God. He was falsely accused of blasphemy, and it is because of who He claims to be that men put Him to death. It is because of the authority He claims that He is charged with this crime. But as this thief states that Jesus has done nothing wrong, he is acknowledging that Christ is exactly who He claimed to be. Christ is the Son of God; Jesus is equal with God. So the thief looks to Jesus for mercy, with this request, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (v. 42)

What makes all of this more amazing is that Christ responds in mercy. This was a man who had sinned all his life, and Jesus was the one whom the thief’s sin had offended. Yet Christ receives this sinner unto Himself. One of the remarkable truths of Christ’s work at the Cross is that Christ bore the sin of all of His people, and He bore the holy wrath and justice of God toward His people. This is what is referred to as substitutionary atonement–Christ died in the place of sinners. Another wondrous truth is that all those found in Jesus Christ–those who trust in Him–are clothed in His perfect righteousness. His obedient life is seen to be theirs. In this moment, Christ was dying for His people, including this thief. The thief who had no goodness of his own would now be clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Friend, do you see yourself beyond the scope of Christ’s mercy? Look at this account, see abundant grace in Jesus Christ toward this man. Christ will show the same grace and the same mercy to all who turn to Him. Go to Jesus, and you will find all that you need.

And finally look at the inheritance that is promised to the thief. Verse 43 reads, “And he said to him, ‘Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.'” As Christ has received this man unto Himself, He has not given him some distant hope, but He has given him a hope that he will experience that very day. Those who have died in Christ are now with him, and that is the very hope Christ gives to the thief. That very day he would be with him in Paradise. Yes, there will be a day when Christ will return and will raise his body up to glory, but we need to see that the thief is in fact no longer a thief, but he is a redeemed man present with Christ even now!

In conclusion, hear what Dr. William Young of the Presbyterian Reformed Church writes in a sermon I would highly commend: “What a transition, to go immediately from the agonies of the cross to the enjoyment of the Savior’s presence in paradise! We can say with regard to paradise, or with regard to heaven, that it’s Christ’s presence there that makes it to be the place of glory and of blessedness to those that are admitted, as the penitent thief was, to citizenship in the kingdom of heaven.”[1]

[1] William Young, “The Penitent Thief,” in Reformed Thought: The Selected Writings of William Young edited by Joel R. Beeke and Ray B. Lanning (Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, sermon found on pages 249-254, quotation found on page 254).

Note: Scripture references and quotations below come from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, Illinois, Crossway, 2001, 2011 Text Edition).