“Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.”  (NIV)

On this Friday before Easter, we consider again (or perhaps for the first time) what we believe about the death of Jesus. We can accept that his death was significant for all of humanity, or we can question if it really happened or what it really meant, if anything, for our lives.  

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On that ancient Friday long ago, the people standing in front of Jesus dying on the cross had to wrestle with the same questions. It says in Mark’s gospel that “the chief priests, along with the scribes, were also mocking him among themselves saying, ‘He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Messiah, the Kind of Israel, come down from the cross now, so that we may see and believe’” (Mark 15:31-32, NRSV). After all the miracles Jesus had done, and all he had said about his identity, the religious leaders still wanted further proof of Jesus’ claims to be the Messiah God had promised their ancestors.  

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All the gospel accounts of the crucifixion report that the thieves who hung on their own crosses alongside Jesus also mocked him. One criminal was questioning why Jesus was not saving himself and them, deriding him with “Are you not the Messiah?” (Luke 23:39). Only in Luke’s gospel do we learn what one of thieves chooses to believe before his death. He rebuked the other, mocking thief with, “’Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise’” (Luke 23:40-43).

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Under the legal system of the day, the two men being crucified with Jesus had been condemned to death. They were receiving punishment for their crimes. But the man who they were dying next to had committed no crimes, not even one sin and was dying as a sacrifice for all of the punishment humanity deserved. One criminal recognized his own guilt and the identity and power of Jesus. Jesus extended mercy for eternity to the one who believed.  

Jesus’ offer of eternal life to the thief on the cross is one of my favorite Bible stories. In general, I tend to focus on the character trait of mercy, which we see Jesus display throughout the New Testament stories. I’m moved by the mercy he extended to the ones guilty and unworthy, just like me, to enter heaven and be with him forever. I don’t as often focus on how God is also perfectly just and holy, the One who requires by his very nature a punishment for the penalty of my sin. On my own without Christ, I am condemned to a life apart from God. My sins deserve that punishment. Today’s verses from John’s gospel remind us that there is most assuredly punishment for those who do not believe in Christ’s saving work on the cross. Not believing in Jesus at all does not make the condemnation any less real. The Bible tells us all will receive punishment from a just God if they do not accept the sacrifice of Christ and profess him to be Lord and savior. I can love God’s mercy, but I must also acknowledge God’s justice, that his wrath falls on those who reject him and his Son.

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The thief on the cross accepted the free gift of salvation that was offered to him for his belief in Christ. This Good Friday, are you taking seriously the consequences of unbelief? Are you fully accepting the free gift of salvation that is being offered to you? And if you have, who can you tell about the good news that “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”? (Romans 8:1)

God of mercy and of justice, we come before you in humility and awe of the sacrifice of your Son on the cross for our sins. Whether we feel unworthy or prideful, please soften our hearts to consider the consequences of both our sins and the choice not to follow you. Prepare our hearts for Easter, that we may more fully understand your sacrifice and what you endured to set us free from sin and death. Assure us that eternal life is promised if we believe in Jesus’ death and resurrection as a payment for our sins. It’s in his mighty name we pray, Amen.