Encounter Four. Two Thieves. (Includes Discussion Questions At The End)

How will I INTRODUCE the message?

A REAL FAKE

As his identity was unknown for a long period of time, the “unsub” (an “unknown subject” in F.B.I. speak, also called a “John Doe”) was called the “Skywayman” by the law and the press, because of his posing as an airline pilot. (In scene 11, Abagnale meets a Pan Am P.R. guy. He’s nervous, jumpy because there’s another piece about the “Skywayman” in the New York Times...)

Abagnale himself puts it like this: “I had enjoyed a misguided and regrettable run as one of the most successful con artists the world has ever known. [...] The New York Times, in its coverage, referred to me as ‘The Great Impostor’.” (book “The Art of the Steal”, page 6)

In his book “Stealing Your Life”, he calls his criminal career a “foolish teenage infatuation with perpetuating swindles” (page 12).

Or still: “My escape [from an Atlanta prison] made the front page of one New York paper, ‘Frank Abagnale, known to police the world over [...] and who once flushed himself down an airline toilet to elude officers, is at large again…’ the story commenced.” (book “Catch Me If You Can”, page 204)

The former police chief of Houston once said of me: “Frank Abagnale could write a check on toilet paper, drawn on the Confederate States Treasury, sign it ‘U.R. Hooked’ and cash it at any bank in town, using a Hong Kong driver’s license for identification.” (book “Catch Me If You Can”, page 91)

(Nowadays, some banks require all non-customers — people that don’t have an account with them — that come in to cash a check to leave their fingerprints in ink on the check. When somebody objects, the teller does not accept the check. According to F.B.I. statistics, this single security measure reduces check fraud instantly by 50%!)

Notice the movie’s tagline, “The true story of a real fake”!

ANOTHER FAKE PILOT!

Thomas Salme, a maintenance engineer who became a Boeing 737 pilot by flying a few nights in a flight simulator and printing a fake airliner pilot license. Amazingly enough, he flew passengers for thirteen years without any incidents.

Thirteen years of back and forth from Sweden to everywhere else in Europe. Nobody noticed until a couple of months ago, when Salme was caught by the police as he was getting ready for takeoff. He was in the cockpit of a Boeing 737, with 101 passengers at Amsterdam's Schipol airport. He admits that it was all a crazy idea:

I got the crackpot idea to apply as a co-pilot at a real airline so I made myself a Swedish flying permit with a logo out of regular white paper. It wasn't laminated and looked like something I'd made at home. It was surprisingly easy. The documents look different everywhere in Europe. An Italian airline doesn't know what a Swedish license looks like. And you can forge all the IDs you need. I'd train there for two or three hours at a time—at least 15 to 20 times over one and a half years.

Despite putting the lives of thousands at risk, Salme only got fined a couple thousand dollars and was banned from flying for a year. Thinking twice about it, it's kind of reasonable. Despite being crazy enough to pull such a stunt, it's not entirely his fault. After all, how can a company and the flight agencies involved be so absolutely inept? How can they accept a simple printout and put a random guy in the cockpit of a passenger plane without running any background checks? A simple computer search would have probably turned out enough information to stop this from the beginning. I can imagine Frank Abagnale Jr. pulling this stunt in the 60s, but now? There are no excuses.

What is the main idea of the message?

Jesus tells us exactly what we must do to go to heaven. This encounter between Jesus and the two thieves proves God has a PLAN for your salvation!

People have come up with their own plans of salvation.

A list of funny ideas.

God could have come with a different plan. BUT . . . NOTHING other than God’s plan will work! Here’s why . . .

• GOD’S PLAN deals with our sinful nature. We cannot deny this!

• GOD’S PLAN deals with our spiritual helplessness in ourselves. We must admit our need of the Savior.

• GOD’S PLAN deals with our attempts to save ourselves. There is no other plan!

• GOD’S PLAN deals with our sinful nature.

How will I organize my exposition of the passage?

1. Jesus carries his own cross.

2. Two “others” are crucified with him. All three will die that day!

3. KING OF THE JEWS!

4. His robe was auctioned off in a bet.