Faith From A Cross: Luke 23:40–43

A condemned criminal hangs on a cross next to Jesus.

He, like all who are crucified, has been brutalized. He’s been stripped of his clothes and deprived of dignity. He’s bleeding profusely due to long, sharp nails having been driven into his hands and feet. He’s thirsty, hungry, lonely, and is dying a slow, painful death of asphyxiation.

The longer his weight is held by nothing but his outstretched arms, the harder it becomes for him to breathe—his lungs straining, his body weakening. Yet even as he hangs there, gasping for every breath, suffocating slowly, he still finds the strength to speak...

You've been out of breath before. You know what it's like—trying to speak when your lungs are burning, when every word takes effort. In those moments, silence feels easier. You wait. You catch your breath. You recover. But the man on the cross? He has no such relief. There is no catching his breath. With each passing moment, the gasping grows more desperate, the pain more intense. And still… he speaks.

After chiding the first criminal, he looks over at Jesus and sees for himself that Jesus has been brutalized. He sees that Jesus has been stripped of his clothes and deprived of dignity. He’s bleeding profusely due to long, sharp nails having been driven into his hands and feet—and due to a spear being thrust into his side. He sees Jesus thirsty, hungry, lonely, and gasping for air—holding on to life.

He also sees and hears the soldiers hurling insults at Jesus, notices the crowds looking at him with pity. He can also see many hanging their heads in anguish, weeping bitterly in sorrow as they look upon Jesus—dying and defeated.

Yet, noticing all of this, he still lifts up his shaky voice and yells out…

“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom…”

Not if you come into your kingdom and survive this ordeal—but when.

Even seeing what is being done to Jesus on the cross, seeing all of this… this criminal still believes that Jesus will—not might, but will—bring his kingdom.

Wow! What faith!

It is a faith that stands apart—a faith perhaps unmatched.

There are many examples of faith throughout the Gospels—

but Jesus wasn’t hanging on a cross when his disciples boldly dropped everything and followed him…

Jesus wasn’t hanging on a cross when Jairus, a leader of the synagogue, humbly fell down at his feet, imploring him to save his daughter.

Jesus wasn’t hanging on a cross when thousands followed him into a desert with no food, water, or supplies—trusting him to provide.

Jesus wasn’t hanging on a cross when the multitude greeted him with shouts of Hosanna! as he entered Jerusalem…

This criminal, however, sees Jesus hanging on a cross—gasping for air, holding on to life.

He sees Jesus at his very worst—and yet believes that Jesus has yet to do his very best: bring in his kingdom.

What faith!

Jesus isn’t hanging on a cross today,

but may the faith of this criminal inspire us to also have a faith that believes what seems unbelievable—

and a faith that hopes when all seems hopeless… a faith that holds fast, trusting that the Kingdom of God will come—even when all seems lost.