Jesus Loves Criminals
Luke 23:33-43
Skip Heitzig
Luke 23 (NKJV™) | |
33 | And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. |
34 | Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." And they divided His garments and cast lots. |
35 | And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God." |
36 | The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, |
37 | and saying, "If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself." |
38 | And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. |
39 | Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us." |
40 | But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? |
41 | "And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong." |
42 | Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom." |
43 | And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." |
New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved.
A lengthy seventeen-year study in Washington, D.C. by psychiatrist Samuel Yochelson shows that crime cannot be traced to environment, poverty, or oppression but to people making wrong moral choices. Corresponding to that is another report showing that the lack of proper moral training by parents has a direct correlation to crime, especially to children in their formative years. But when parents and their offspring fail, Jesus can step in to rescue.
Jesus loves people—all people: prostitutes, drug addicts, abusers—and you. This profound truth is at the very heart of the gospel. Jesus loves the unlovable and touches the untouchable, and during His time on earth, He was compassionate and merciful toward people from all walks of life. What would it be like if you personally encountered Him? Join Pastor Skip Heitzig in this series to learn more about God's radical love for you and fall more in love with the living Savior.
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People die differently. Some die peacefully and others restlessly, some confidently and others fearfully, some joyfully and others angrily. People die differently because people live differently; the way we live is often reflected in how we die. One group of people with a lot of time on their hands for thinking about such things are criminals in jails across the nation. The United States has one of the highest confinement rates in the world, second only to Russia. Nearly 2.5 million Americans are in prison, and 20 to 25 percent of our population has a criminal record. Up to 75 percent of those who spend time in prison will break the law again after their release and end up back behind bars. Dealing with and loving criminals is a real issue for all of us. In Luke 23, we witness the foxhole conversion of a wicked man on his deathbed. Coming to grips with the extent of God’s grace is hard, but grace is the heart of the gospel. We see it here as the King was crucified among the crooks.
We begin by observing Jesus in the company of criminals (see Luke 23:33). The Greek word used to describe them means evil-working men. Matthew and Mark tell us that they were bandits, those who not only stole but also hurt or killed those they stole from. It is likely that they were associated with Barabbas, whose place Jesus took on that middle cross. They were also probably Jewish, based on what they said while dying. It was not accidental or incidental that Jesus died between two common criminals—it was intentional. Seven centuries earlier, Isaiah predicted the death of the Messiah by foretelling that He would be “numbered with the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:12). Why did Jesus allow this? One, it showed divine humility; Jesus is the friend of sinners. It also showed our human opportunity; these two men, both guilty of the same crime, both dying the same death, both cursed the same Lord. Both were as close to the Lord as the other, and yet only one was saved, while the other was lost. Proximity and opportunity do not guarantee eternal destiny. Divine humility is demonstrated by being the friend of sinners. Do you have any sinning friends? Do you converse with them or condemn them? Why is this important?
Both criminals reviled Jesus but only one recanted (see Luke 23:39-42). From the book of Matthew, we know that the crowd, made up of priests, elders, and soldiers, mocked and jeered, and that “even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing” (Matthew 27:44). Suddenly, though, something happened—a massive transformation that led to a 180-degree turn in one of them. His jeering went silent, and in a moment of crystal clarity unlike anything he’d ever experienced before, he rebuked his friend for not fearing God and asked Jesus to remember him. Perhaps it was Jesus’ compassionate prayer of forgiveness or the sign above His head. Maybe, as the crowd jeered that Jesus had saved others but couldn’t save Himself, the robber realized that Jesus could save him. Whatever it was, he had an epiphany; Jesus’ purity contrasted with his own wickedness. When was your epiphany about Jesus? What happened in your life to produce the fear of God?
Next, we observe the converted criminal and Jesus’ promise of heaven to him (see Luke 23:43). Jesus used the word assuredly because what He said was so hard to believe! No one was ever given a more explicit assurance of forgiveness and heaven by Jesus than this man. This man was not baptized and never went to church or did one good work, and yet this turned out to be one of the greatest demonstrations of justification by faith in all of history. Here was a criminal who had rebelled against authority, who stole and pillaged, and Jesus promised him heaven. Four things occurred in this man’s conversion: 1. He confessed his guilt (see Luke 23:40-41). He showed that he understood both aspects of Jesus as Savior: that Jesus loves us, but we will perish unless we repent. 2. He trusted Jesus by acknowledging Jesus as Lord and King. By asking Jesus to remember him when He entered His kingdom, the man acknowledged Jesus’ sinlessness and power over death—and therefore His supremacy. 3. He made it personal (see Luke 23:42). He asked Jesus to remember him. He understood that God has no grandchildren, only children—that no one can have someone stand in for them when it comes to salvation. 4. Lastly, he did all of this publicly. While the crowd mocked, soldiers laughed, elders scorned, and the other criminal blasphemed, he courageously demonstrated his faith in front of everyone. What happened that day happens every day. Everyone has a choice in how to respond to Jesus: to mock or to believe. Finality changed the thief’s theology. And anyone, criminal or not, has that same opportunity, perhaps like never before or never again. Read Titus 3:4-7 and Ephesians 2:8-9. Work on memorizing them; write them down and put them where you’ll see them every day. Remember the thief’s path: acknowledge guilt, trust in Jesus, make it personal, and make it public.
Adapted from Pastor Skip’s teaching
The Big Idea
God’s sovereign work of grace is assured in the person and work of His Son. Will you receive Jesus or revile Him?
Figures referenced: Voltaire, Gandhi, Martin Luther, John Knox, Max Lucado, Jeffery Dahmer, Perry Noble
Greek words: kakourgos
Cross references: Isaiah 53:12; Matthew 10:28; 11:19; 27:38, 44; Mark 15:27, 32; Luke 7:34; 23:33-43; John 1:12; Acts 9; 2 Corinthians 12:2-4; Titus 3:5
Topic: Salvation
Keywords: crime, criminals, prison, jail, thief, robber, sinner, humility, eternity, salvation, forgiveness, grace, faith, works, heaven, paradise, conversion, fear of God, transformation
Date | Title | Watch | Listen | Notes | Share | Save | Buy | |
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6/28/2015 completed
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Jesus Loves People, BUT... Romans 2:1-11 Skip Heitzig |
Info Message Summary In this last message of our series Jesus Loves People, we want to bring equilibrium to the series itself. It’s true that God loves people. It’s equally true that He hates evil and the practice of it. Today we want to show how both the wrath of God and the love of God are integral parts of the nature of God Himself. This is crucial so that we don’t distort Him to the world and mislead people eternally. Let’s consider three requirements for representing the God who loves people. |
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6/7/2015 completed
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Jesus Loves Addicts Luke 4; Matthew 11 Skip Heitzig |
Info Message Summary When a person ingests a substance or engages in an activity that provides temporary pleasure and then such acts become compulsive and interfere with ordinary life responsibilities, he or she is said to be an addict. Addictive behavior is widespread and is one of the reasons many addicts turn to Christ for help. Jesus has a special message for them and a special plan to help them. As the body of Christ to our generation, shouldn’t the church be part of that plan? |
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5/17/2015 completed
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Jesus Loves Terrorists Acts 9:1-16 Skip Heitzig |
Info Message Summary One magazine noted that "religious terrorism is the communism of the 21st century, the most serious international threat to human rights." I am aware that the title of this sermon is a strange one, and it's even stranger to think we should be told to love terrorists. Today we consider the stark reality of terror in our world and what a proper biblical response to it is, and we see the conversion of a terrorist who became Christianity's most celebrated cleric. |
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4/26/2015 completed
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Jesus Loves Murderers Luke 23:33-34 Skip Heitzig |
Info Message Summary A Jewish proverb reads, "Blood that has been shed does not rest." And yet there is rest that is possible for even the worst murderers of all time—those who killed Jesus Christ—if they would be willing to receive it. In two verses of Scripture, we will examine how Jesus loves murderers, even those who murdered Him. |
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4/19/2015 completed
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Jesus Loves Prostitutes Luke 7:36-50 Skip Heitzig |
Info Message Summary It was Blaise Pascal who noted, "There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus." In our text today, we find a woman, the city prostitute who acutely felt the need to have the vacuum of her heart filled. She discovered that Jesus loved her with a wholesome love—the kind of love every woman is searching for. |
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4/12/2015 completed
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Jesus Loves Atheists John 18:28-38 Skip Heitzig |
Info Message Summary Yes, Jesus loves people who don't believe in Him or who aren't sure what they think about Him. Pontius Pilate was the cynical Roman governor of the district of Judea. He was unsympathetic to religious Jews and religion itself. He had no room for the superstitious claims of prophets, priests, or would-be messiahs. He was a secular pragmatist concerned about Roman order and personal advancement. Pilate also represents how Jesus loved and handled atheists—and how we should. |
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3/29/2015 completed
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Jesus Loves Traitors Matthew 26 Skip Heitzig |
Info Message Summary The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a traitor as "one who betrays another's trust or is false to an obligation or duty." On this Palm Sunday, I've chosen to consider in contrast the two traitors seen side by side in the New Testament accounts of the Passion of Christ. Though we may see some similarities in Judas and Peter, they are separated by one giant factor—the cross of Jesus Christ, the one thing that still offends most people. |
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3/22/2015 completed
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Jesus Loves Haters Matthew 5:43-46;Luke 9:51-56 Skip Heitzig |
Info Message Summary One of the worst things to ever hear or say are the words "I hate you." And since Jesus is the One who God sent to show love to the world, how He handled haters is significant. Today we will explore and hopefully apply two important lessons. Hatred can flow in two directions: hatred towards you and hatred from you. Jesus shows us what to do about both. Get ready by turning to two passages: Matthew 5 and Luke 9. |
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3/15/2015 completed
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Jesus Loves Homosexuals - Part 2 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Skip Heitzig |
Info Message Summary Be assured that I didn't select the topics in this series because I am equating homosexuals with murderers; nor am I suggesting that addicts or homeless people are to be seen the same as terrorists. It’s simply that the church has historically been unkind to these groups, and we believe it is time to make the statement that Jesus loves all people. In today’s text, we see it clearly: everyone has some kind of past, and everyone can be freed from sin. |
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3/8/2015 completed
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Jesus Loves Homosexuals - Part 1 John 8:1-11 Skip Heitzig |
Info Message Summary There is not a hotter or more controversial subject being discussed today in our country than homosexuality. Voices are loud and tempers run hot whenever this subject is mentioned. Although the text before us doesn’t deal specifically with homosexuality, it does show us how Jesus approached a woman caught in sexual sin and what He had to say to those who were quick to condemn her. |
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2/8/2015 completed
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Jesus Loves the Broken John 5:1-16 Skip Heitzig |
Info Message Summary Just about everyone who has ever lived has experienced a broken heart to some degree or another. But then there are others who have been affected so adversely by events in their lives that they can be described as broken people. We can respond by questioning why God allows bad things to happen or by loving the broken in His name and thus being part of the solution. |
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2/1/2015 completed
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Jesus Loves Doubters Matthew 11; John 20 Skip Heitzig |
Info Message Summary Jesus never turned away the questions of a sincere searcher. I have personally wrestled with issues of faith and doubt on a number of occasions. Oswald Chambers quipped, "Doubt is not always a sign that a man is wrong; it may be a sign that he is thinking." Today we will see how Jesus loved two doubters—both of whom were friends of His. |
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1/25/2015 completed
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Jesus Loves People Mark 10:21;Philippians 1:8-10 Skip Heitzig |
Info Message Summary Welcome to our new weekend series, Jesus Loves People! For the next many weeks, we will observe how Jesus' love for people was displayed and conveyed to a cross section of society. We will see Him as He loves the most religiously devout folks to the weak and doubting, from the prostitutes to the priests, from the bewildered to the brokenhearted. We will marvel at His love for thieves, murderers, and atheists. In each message, we will consider how we as God's people can show authentic love to people within each group. |
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