Last Second Salvation Series

Listen to the perspective of a condemned man: “When I meet people now, if they try to make a big deal about me having been on death row, I sometimes gently remind them that we’re all on death row. The difference is that here the state’s gonna do it, and at some point you’re gonna know the date and the hour, but that’s the only difference. I mean, if you’re walking around here…you’re on death row, ‘cause you’re going to have to leave here. You’re going to lay down and they’re going to throw dust in your face” (2001, Page 77).

2. A caustic man. As we come to the next scene and hit “pause,” we see a caustic man. We know from Matthew 27:44 that both of the criminals started out the day hurling insults and casting blasphemies at Jesus. They simply sang their part in the cacophony of mockers gathered around the cross that morning. They were condemned and now had been crucified, and all that pain and agony made them caustic. The man named “Bitter” unleashed his bitterness on the one who had done no wrong.

It doesn’t seem right that these two would taunt and mock the one on the middle cross. Jesus was not responsible for what they were going through. And yet, we often do the same, don’t we? When we allow bitterness to take root in our lives, we lash out at God, thinking that He’s to blame. Struggles and difficulties force us to become either bitter or better. We can grow through them or we can choose to shrivel up and become caustic toward others and toward God.

I love the contrast in this picture. While the two terrorists lash out at the Lord, Jesus did not yell at them or scold them. He just took it. He was able to do that because He understood their anger, their pain, and their frustration. He knew that sometimes people in pain can get bitter.

Are you in pain this morning? Do you feel like God doesn’t understand? Are you mad at Him? Do you find yourself being caustic with others? If so, tune into this clip from the cross. There is no loneliness, no rejection, no betrayal, no stress, no physical pain that you will ever go through that Jesus hasn’t experienced. Listen to Hebrews 4:14-16: “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Many of us carry hurt, pain, suffering, and an unforgiving spirit much longer than we should. One day, two monks were walking through the countryside when they came across an old woman sitting at the edge of a river. She was upset because there was no bridge, and she could not get across on her own. The first monk kindly offered, “We will carry you across if you would like.” “Thank you,” she said gratefully, accepting their help. So the two men joined hands, lifted her between them and carried her across the river. When they got to the other side, they set her down, and she went on her way.