Tonight, as we listen to the Passion narrative from John’s gospel (John 18:1 – 19:42), we might be reminded of the familiar story in Luke’s gospel (Luke 22:14 -23:56) of the two thieves who were crucified on either side of Jesus.
Both of these men saw Jesus as Isaiah described them in our first reading -“spurned, condemned, crushed, marred, startling to look at, a laughing stock”. Yet one of the thieves, the “good thief”, was able to break through all of this. He came to see Jesus for what he truly was – the Lord of all humankind, and a loving personal savior. The “bad thief” could not penetrate this great mystery. He could not make sense of the incongruity and contradictions that were unfolding around him. He refused to acknowledge Jesus as God. Instead, he derides Jesus. He questions God’s ways and, in mocking fashion, challenges Jesus to perform a miracle. He was not willing to own up to his sin, to acknowledge his need of a savior, and to seek God’s forgiveness. On the other hand, the good thief understands his utter dependence on God for salvation. He is willing to repent. He owns up to his crime and asks Jesus for forgiveness and the salvation that Jesus offers. Inspired by the Spirit, he is able to discern the greatest of truths even amidst his dire circumstances.
It can be this way in our present day and age also. Sometimes life presents incongruities and contradictions that make some, like the bad thief, harden their hearts and question God’s goodness or even His existence. Some observe the calamity and suffering that can occur in this world and they find themselves questioning God’s faithfulness to humankind, rather than questioning their own faithfulness to God.
Others, like the good thief, with open hearts, dispose themselves to God’s revelation and truth, to his infinite love and mercy. How blessed we are to be among these chosen. How blessed we are to be allowed to grow our love for God, our understanding of His ways, and our gratitude for His gifts. How blessed we are to trust in Him even amidst the turmoil of this world, willing to accept life’s disappointments, sufferings and contradictions as part of God’s greater plan for our salvation. And like the good thief, how blessed we are to be able to acknowledge our need for our Savior, willing to repent of our sins and receive God’s mercy and forgiveness.
And on this Good Friday, we reflect on how blessed we are to have Jesus, our suffering servant, who “bears our infirmities and endures our sufferings”, who was “chastised to make us whole”. How blessed we are to have Jesus, our personal savior who performed the ultimate heroic act of love for us – laying down his life and rescuing us so that we might live with Him forever.