Have you ever thought that the lowest point in your life could somehow become the greatest hour of your faith? It's hard to imagine that through defeat or loss, you could actually experience your greatest triumph. When our hopes are dashed and our dreams have crumbled and all we can see are the many times we've fallen into sin, the devil takes advantage of our weakness and taunts us with defeat. But if we could only turn to the cross, we'd see a far different picture. We'd see how faith in God is the greatest triumph.
In the final days of Jesus, Christ saw little evidence that men and women knew who He really was. When He rode into Jerusalem and the crowds went crazy with praise, shouting, "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" (John 12:13) they still didn't know. Their hopes were centered in a human Messiah, thinking this was the time when Jesus would take the power away from the Romans and make Himself king. They didn't welcome Him as the suffering Messiah, who came to save them from their sins. They didn't know who He really was.
Fear and unbelief even led Christ's own disciples to forget who He was. As the mob came to arrest Him in Gethsemane, armed with swords and clubs, the faith of the disciples eroded and they fled into the night. Their faith dwindled as they saw Jesus, struggling down the road to Calvary, a crown of thorns on his head and blood already streaming from His face. "When Christ rode into Jerusalem, the hopes of the disciples had been raised to the highest pitch. They had pressed close about their Master, feeling that it was a high honor to be connected with Him. Now in His humiliation they followed Him at a distance. They were filled with grief and bowed down with disappointed hopes" (Desire of Ages, pg. 743).
Where was their faith now? Why was it shaken? If they had believed in Jesus as the Savior of the world, if they had understood the reason behind His mission, they would have known that the road to Calvary was their greatest triumph! But that wasn't the road they expected. It wasn't the road they wanted. They followed Jesus with the same expectation that most of Israel shared--that the Messiah would set up an earthly kingdom and vanquish their enemies. They didn't realize that the greatest enemy was sitting on their heart's throne. And before Jesus could be King, He must first be the sacrifice that would set them free. So even the disciples of Christ didn't know who He really was.
There was a time when Jesus asked Peter, "Who do you say that I am?" At that time, the Holy Spirit enlightened Peter's eyes and He saw Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God (John 6:69). But like all the others, Peter lost hope in that revelation. And he not only ran when the soldiers took Jesus, but he also denied that he even knew Him! Where was his faith now?
So as Jesus went to the cross, He saw no one who had faith in Him. On the one side, there were the priests and rabbis. Only words of mockery came from their lips.
"He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him come down from the cross, and we will believe Him" (Matthew 27:42).
Their words of unbelief mirrored the devil when he came to Christ in the desert saying, "If you are Son of God, command that these stones become bread" (Matthew 4:3). But had Jesus come down from the cross, they still wouldn't believe. Christ had already given ample evidence through His words and miracles that He was the Son of God. And they had been convicted that He was. But they resisted the pull of His love and the voice of the Spirit to their souls. So even if Christ had complied with their request, their unbelief would still be there. Until they could surrender their heart to Jesus and give up their hateful pride, they would never see Him for who He was.
Horrible as that was, he was now eyewitness to the character of Jesus. "In the judgment hall and on the way to Calvary he had been in company with Jesus. He had heard Pilate declare, “I find no fault in Him.” John 19:4. He had marked His Godlike bearing, and His pitying forgiveness of His tormentors...He calls to mind all he has heard of Jesus, how He has healed the sick and pardoned sin. He has heard the words of those who believed in Jesus and followed Him weeping. He has seen and read the title above the Saviour’s head. He has heard the passers-by repeat it, some with grieved, quivering lips, others with jesting and mockery. The Holy Spirit illuminates his mind, and little by little the chain of evidence is joined together. In Jesus, bruised, mocked, and hanging upon the cross, he sees the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world. Hope is mingled with anguish in his voice as the helpless, dying soul casts himself upon a dying Saviour. “Lord, remember me,” he cries, “when Thou comest into Thy kingdom" (Desire of Ages, pg. 750).
This was a dying man's prayer and the only faith that Jesus saw as He hung between heaven and earth. The penitent thief knew he deserved to die; his sins were ever before him. But in dying, he saw Jesus and he saw Him for who He really was--the Savior of the world. And in words that have given hope to so many in their darkest hour, Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you today, you will be with Me in paradise" (Luke 23:43).
"As He spoke the words of promise, the dark cloud that seemed to enshroud the cross was pierced by a bright and living light. To the penitent thief came the perfect peace of acceptance with God. Christ in His humiliation was glorified. He who in all other eyes appeared to be conquered was a Conqueror. He was acknowledged as the Sin Bearer. Men may exercise power over His human body. They may pierce the holy temples with the crown of thorns. They may strip from Him His raiment, and quarrel over its division. But they cannot rob Him of His power to forgive sins. In dying He bears testimony to His own divinity and to the glory of the Father. His ear is not heavy that it cannot hear, neither His arm shortened that it cannot save. It is His royal right to save unto the uttermost all who come unto God by Him.
I say unto thee today, Thou shalt be with Me in Paradise. Christ did not promise that the thief should be with Him in Paradise that day. He Himself did not go that day to Paradise. He slept in the tomb, and on the morning of the resurrection He said, “I am not yet ascended to My Father.” John 20:17. But on the day of the crucifixion, the day of apparent defeat and darkness, the promise was given. “Today” while dying upon the cross as a malefactor, Christ assures the poor sinner, Thou shalt be with Me in Paradise" (ibid, pg. 751).
In our darkest hour, when the sins we've committed almost drive us to despair, let's remember the witness of the dying thief on the cross. When all hope seemed to be lost, he turned in faith to the only One who could save Him. And all he said was, "Lord, remember me." Remember me Lord, for I am a sinner. I stand under the penalty of death, for the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). But I know who You are. You are the Savior of the world. You are my Savior. You came to save sinners, just like me. So please remember me as one who needs Your salvation. I need Your precious gift.
No matter how you look at it, there's no greater faith that that. And there's no greater triumph than to make that decision--to look up when all is lost and to turn to Christ for salvation and transformation. For the same promise Jesus made to the dying thief is the promise He makes to you and me. Jesus says, "Because you have reached out to me as your personal Savior, I want you to know today that I have a home for you. You will sit with me on My throne and be with me someday in Paradise."
That day is coming soon--when the sky will be lit up with thousands of angels and Christ will return as the conquering King. But before we can see Him in His glory, we must first see Him in His humiliation and know that it was for us. And most of all, we must reach out for the gift of His sacrifice, to make it our very own, by saying in faith, "Lord, remember me."
Christ has not forgotten us. We are always in His mind and heart. But salvation is a personal decision, not a corporate event. Jesus holds out this gift to us but we must reach out to take it. We must choose it for our own. We must see ourselves as the thief on the cross, dying in our sins, but turning in faith to Jesus and asking the Savior to remember us. He will remember anytime we turn to Him. "For You, Lord, are good and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You" (Psalm 86:5).
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