Luke 23:39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. 40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. 42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
When in the above passages we see the thief on the cross blurt out those words, “Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Your kingdom”, we should understand that to be a culmination of God’s work on his heart that had been in progress for many years. The seed had been sown long before, and now, it springs up, and bears fruit.
[The Desire of Ages pp 749] Both the men who were crucified with Jesus had at first railed upon Him; and one under his suffering became more desperate and defiant. But not so with his companion. This man was not a hardened criminal; he had been led astray by evil associations. He had seen and heard Jesus, and been convicted by His teaching, but he had been turned away from Him by the priests and rulers.
Seeking to stifle conviction, he had plunged deeper and deeper into sin, until he was arrested, tried as a criminal, and condemned to die on the cross. And now, all sin-polluted as it is, his life history is about to close. He calls to mind all he has heard of Jesus, how He has healed the sick and pardoned sin. The Holy Spirit illuminates his mind, and little by little the chain of evidence is joined together.
Luke 23:42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. 43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.
May God add His blessing to the study of His word. “Good night” and God bless!