Una inesperada conversión | Lucas 23:39-43 | Pr. Sugel Michelén

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Brothers, I kindly ask you to please go to your Bibles, to the Gospel of

Luke, Luke chapter 23, and we are going to read

verses 39-43. The Word of the

Lord says: “One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling insults at Him,

saying: Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us! But the other answered, and rebuking him said: Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong. And he said: Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom. And He said to him: Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in

paradise.” In December of the year 1849, the Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky

was arrested and accused of participating in subversive political activities against

the regime of the Tsar, which at that time was Nicholas I. He was condemned to

death by a firing squad along with other prisoners, but just before being

executed, his execution was suspended by order of the

Tsar, who decided to pardon Dostoevsky,

although he was sentenced to hard labor in Siberia, and it was quite a harsh

sentence. After serving his sentence, it was then that Dostoevsky wrote some of the most influential works

in world literature; *Crime and Punishment*, *The Brothers

Karamazov*, *The Idiot*, *The Gambler*. The world would have missed out on

some of the most extraordinary novels in

literature if the Tsar of Russia had not pardoned Dostoevsky right as he was about to be

executed. Well, my brothers, the world would have lost much, much

more if Luke had not included in his

gospel this account of the unexpected conversion of one of the thieves who

was crucified next to Jesus and the absolute forgiveness he received

at that moment for all his sins. It was not a mere

pardon that this man received; it was the

gift of eternal life, it was the absolute forgiveness of all his

sins. This is one of the most moving, most hopeful stories in the

Bible; because it is a story that reminds us that the grace of God has no

limits, the grace of God knows no bounds in reaching a sinner, transforming him into a believer, and

bringing him to paradise. Both Matthew and Mark mention in their respective gospels

the fact that Jesus was crucified between two thieves, but only Luke tells us

that one of them converted. And although from our point of view

this conversion is extraordinary, it is totally unexpected, the reality is, my

beloved brothers and friends who are visiting us, the reality is that this conversion is not

very different from that of any other repentant sinner. In any

other circumstance, even though some often

refer to this character as the good thief, I have never known a good

thief; that is not precisely the description that Luke gives us of him in the

gospel. In verse 32, Luke calls him

“criminal,” that is, a doer of

evil, a man devoted to doing wrong; this was a man dedicated to doing

evil; all kinds of evil to the point that

he was ultimately condemned to die by crucifixion. An interesting fact is that as far as we know, neither Jewish law nor

Roman law condemned theft to death, so we can assume that

in addition to being a thief, this man had committed other, more serious crimes,

perhaps similar to those of Barabbas, the man who was replaced by Jesus;

who, aside from being a thief, we are told in the gospel was a seditionist and

a murderer. We know, because Jesus says so,

that the thief comes only to kill and destroy; there is no good

thief. In fact, at one point in the account, we see that he himself had to

acknowledge that his condemnation was just, and I will read from the Reina Valera:

“We indeed suffer justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds.” This man was not

defending himself; he knew what he had done, he knew that his lifestyle had led him

to that cross. On the other hand, we also know that he had been a blasphemer,

without natural affection. In the text we read at the beginning of this service in Matthew

chapter 27 verse 44, it tells us that at the beginning of the crucifixion, the two

thieves were insulting Jesus just like everyone else. Neither of the

two thieves was better than the other. They may have heard about the

miracles that Jesus had performed during His ministry; it is even possible that they had witnessed some; perhaps

one of them had even heard Him preach the gospel on some occasion. But the hatred of these men for all

that is good, their lack of fear of God, moved them to mock Christ and blaspheme

against Him without mercy. The two thieves, both of them, had hearts so

darkened that they were incapable of empathizing with Jesus despite being in the

same circumstance. So I insist, my brothers, this was not a good thief, and it is

important that we remember that for what follows in the rest of the

story. Like the other, he was an unrepentant criminal, he was a blasphemer who

had lived his entire life turned away from God, completely despising His

moral law. This man was a public danger to the

society, but something extraordinary happened in the

heart of this man that transformed him in such a way that he could carry out one

of the most surprising acts of faith found throughout the Bible, and truly I dare to say one of the most extraordinary acts of

faith found in the entire history of the church, verse 42 “And he said to Jesus:

Remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Look, my

brothers, if there was a moment when Jesus was less credible, it was at that

moment. Hanging on that cross, Jesus looked like anything but a king and a

savior. Both were agonizing with no chance of surviving that

torture. But still, this man asks Christ in prayer to remember him

when He returns to establish His kingdom—what a

prayer! What happened inside this man? I mean, how did this

dramatic change occur in him? From the moment the crucifixion began and he

was blaspheming and insulting Jesus to this moment when he asks what he asks—what happened there? Well, here is where this story,

though in some aspects very unusual, resembles that of anyone

who converts to Christ; here is where we begin to see points of

contact. The word convert means to turn

from our sins, to turn from our sins towards God; that is what it

means. And every time a sinner

converts, that happens by the power of the Holy Spirit working in our minds

and in our hearts through the truth of the word of

God. Every time God transforms an unbeliever into a believer, it is through His

truth working in the mind and heart by the power of the Holy

Spirit. It says in James 1:18, “He of His own will brought us forth by the Word

of truth.” Who took the initiative? God. What did He do of His own will? He made us

born again. And how? By the Word of truth. And in 1 Peter chapter 1

verse 23, Peter says practically the same thing: “we were born again,” that is, God

produced in us the new birth. Notice that it is a passive voice; we did nothing to be born again, just

as you did nothing to be born of your parents, for your parents to conceive you, we did

absolutely nothing to be born again. God birthed us again, and how did He do it? Peter says, “Not of corruptible

seed but of incorruptible, through the Word of God which lives and abides

forever.” God used His Word, His Truth to

transform the heart of this man and make him understand at least

two things, two things, my friend who is here this morning, that you need to understand if

you want to be saved. First, what his true condition was before God.

Notice once again his words in verse 40: “But the other answered, and

rebuking him said: Do you not even fear God, being under the same

condemnation? Do you not even fear God?” The truth is that he also had not

had that kind of fear, but God did a work; his eyes

were opened, his conscience was awakened to the reality of God’s justice

and the coming judgment. “How is it possible that you continue insulting Jesus?” this man says to the other. He

is dying in total innocence. But you and I are guilty; you and I deserve to be

on this cross; you and I deserve the righteous wrath of

God.” Suddenly, this man understood the enormous danger he was

in. That is why notice that his prayer has absolutely nothing to do with the

present. He did not ask the Lord like the other one, “Save yourself and

us,” nor did he even say, “Lord Jesus, please let this martyrdom end

quickly.” No, he was looking beyond; he was looking to the other side of death,

and for that reason, he asks Jesus to remember him when He comes to establish His kingdom. My friend, no one can be saved

until they see themselves as a condemned sinner. Jesus says that the healthy

do not need a doctor, but the sick do. No one, no one, no one makes a medical appointment to tell the doctor in the consultation, “Doctor, I just came to tell you

that I feel great.” No, the healthy do not need a doctor, but the sick do. And let me

tell you something, my friend, you do not have to have committed the same crimes as this man to be in that same

condition. Romans chapter 3, verses 10 to 12 say that in this world there is

not one single person who is righteous, not one who does good, not one who seeks God. There is not a single person in

the whole world, according to God's criteria, who does good and is just, not one

at all. We all continually sin against the two most important commandments. What are

the two most important commandments of the law? “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all

your strength, and with all your mind. And your neighbor as yourself.”

We do not do that even for a

microsecond of our existence. You and I, my friend, live violating the law of

God every second, every microsecond of our existence, my friend, every time

you and I breathe, we sin because we do not live for the glory

of God but for ourselves.

But God not only opened his eyes to see the magnitude of his sin but also so that in the midst of the pain and the

agony of the cross, this man would be able to see the glory and majesty of

the one who was crucified beside him. In verse 41, he says, “This man has

done no wrong.” This man has done no wrong. The Spirit of God revealed to him the absolute

innocence of Christ; He was not a blasphemer as the priests and rulers said. That crucified one was

the King of Israel; He was the Savior of

sinners. “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Do you see

brothers? There is no doubt there, not the slightest hint of

doubt. This prayer is not a just-in-case.

“Well, I don’t know, Lord, but if that’s true…” I know I have told this

story before, but I remember the first time I heard the gospel, it was a just-in-case prayer. I told God, “Look, God, honestly, I don’t know if you

exist, I don’t know if what these evangelicals say is true; in fact, I don’t even know if

you are hearing me. Maybe I am here like a fool talking to no one, but just in case you are there, please

I want to know you.” That is the kind of just-in-case prayer. No, this is not a

just-in-case prayer: “Lord, I accept that you are a king; I have

full certainty that you possess a kingdom, that you will establish it someday

on earth, and when that happens, remember

me.” What a prayer! Despite the crimes he had

committed, even though at the beginning of the crucifixion he was insulting Jesus

just like everyone else, this man believed he would be accepted into that kingdom if

he asked Jesus. This dying

thief did not have much opportunity to manifest the fruits of his conversion,

but in the short time he had, he evidenced that he had a vigorous and

strong faith. Let me ask a question; let’s think for a moment about two

swimmers. The first has been able to stay afloat for 20 minutes in

the midst of a raging sea, in the midst of a stormy sea, the other swimmer has

been able to stay afloat for 3 hours swimming in his pool.

Which of the two is a more vigorous swimmer? Not the one who lasted 3 hours, but the

one who lasted 20 minutes in a stormy sea.

Well, this man's faith allowed him to stay afloat

trusting in Jesus in the midst of a horrible

agony, with death staring him in the face. Now remember what I was saying

a moment ago: that whenever a person converts, always, it is through the

truth of God working in their mind and heart by the power of the Holy

Spirit. The million-dollar question: Where did this thief derive the truths

he needed to place his faith in Christ at that

moment? Did anyone come with a Bible to preach to him? What happened?

Well, if we adhere to the biblical account, we will see that the Holy Spirit

opened his understanding through the things this man saw and heard that day, starting with the testimony

of Christ Himself. The Lord had been mocked,

beaten nearly all night long. They had crowned Him with thorns, and

as we read at the beginning of this service, they struck Him with a reed so that the thorns would dig

deeper into His brow. When Christ arrived at the cross, He was a mass of

blood, and even after being crucified, they continued to mistreat Him,

they continued to insult Him, and don’t forget that the thief was there.

And we can assume that this malefactor was attentively observing Jesus' reaction to all that avalanche of

hate, to all that avalanche of cruelty, of contempt, that had been poured out against

Him. Notice verse 27: “A great multitude

of the people followed Him, and women were mourning and lamenting for Him, but Jesus turned to them and said: Daughters of

Jerusalem (and it must have been in a loud voice; probably the thief heard it),

do not weep for me; weep rather for yourselves and for your children in

this moment of agony.” Jesus was concerned for the future of His

Nation. If they do these things in the green tree, He says, what will they do in the

dry? And then in verse 33, He says, “And when they came to the place called Calvary, they crucified Jesus there, and the

malefactors, one on the right and the other on the left. And Jesus said (and the verb

there implies something repetitive, Jesus said and said and said), Father, forgive them; Father,

forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And the thief was listening.

This malefactor was there all the time contemplating the majesty of Jesus

wrapped in a singular and marvelous meekness,

concerned for His people and praying for all those who had

attacked Him. But then there were the

insults, and God in His sovereignty, which controls

everything, worked in such a way that all the insults against

Jesus were wrapped in a mantle of

truth. Unbeknownst to them, my brothers, the enemies of Jesus evangelized the

thief. Look at verse 35: “And the people stood there watching, and even

the rulers sneered (children, this means they mocked and insulted Him), saying: He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, His chosen one.” In fact,

in Matthew, in the parallel passage, it says, “He saved others, but he cannot

save himself.” And do you know what, my brothers? Even that was true, because Christ at

that moment could not save Himself; if Christ came down from the cross, His kingdom

would have a king but no subjects, because all of us would be left

condemned. No, Christ could not save Himself. Either He saved Himself or He

us, even that was true. “The soldiers also mocked

Him, coming up and offering Him vinegar and saying, If you are the king of the

Jews, save yourself. There was also an inscription above Him that said, This

is the king of the Jews, and one of the malefactors who were hanged there hurled insults at Him, saying: Are you not the Christ? (that is, are you not the Messiah? are you

not the promised Savior?) Save yourself and

us.” Do you see, my brothers? How God used all these words spoken with

resentment and in an ironic and mocking tone

to impact the conscience of this man and convince him that Christ was

all of that. The Son of God, the Christ, the Savior, and the King of

Israel. That is why he was able to make such an

unusual prayer: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your

kingdom.” Remember me. This man had to know that

no human being survives a crucifixion, especially in the state in which Jesus was.

How could he believe that

Jesus would truly establish a kingdom on earth? Well, the only possible answer

is that this man believed Jesus had power over

death. We know from the Gospels that the news that Jesus

had raised Lazarus had spread throughout Jerusalem, so it’s not unreasonable to assume

that this man came to the conclusion that Jesus would rise from the dead to reign someday over

the earth. Now, what we do know for sure is that this man believed

from the heart that the cross was not the end of the

story. This man believed that the cross was the way to the

throne of truth. Brothers, I ask the Lord to help us put ourselves in

that scene, at that moment. This is unusual. This is the most

impressive act of faith that any human being has ever done

in all of history. This is unusual: “Remember me when you come

into your kingdom.” And do you know what Jesus' response was?

“Truly I say to you, today (Today) you will be with me in

paradise. Not in the

purgatory, not sleeping in the grave as some

believe. Today,

today,

not in a distant future. Who knows

when, my brothers, when the heart of this blasphemous criminal

stopped beating, he opened his eyes in the

glory because the Savior of sinners was beside him paying his

debt. My brothers, the cross is the tree of

life that opens the doors of

paradise. What do we learn from this story? I tell you it is a

very moving, very

impressive, very hopeful story. Well, let me limit myself

to at least four lessons we can derive from this story. First, that Jesus is a

powerful and willing Savior. That is obvious; Jesus is a

powerful and willing Savior. If ever there was a man dying in

despair, it was this crucified thief. Not only had he lived most of his life doing wrong, but he had decided to die as he had lived; that had been his decision. That

morning, when this man got up to head toward the place of

his execution, he was determined to die

being as bad as he had lived. The least this man expected

was to be that day in the

paradise. As we have said, on the very day of his execution, he was still a hardened blasphemer; his wickedness was

very great, his circumstance was very difficult; but Christ is a great Savior, and even while agonizing on

that Cross, He was able to overcome any obstacle in the heart of

this man so that he would willingly surrender to

Him. Look, my friend, I don’t know what might be preventing you from coming to Christ in repentance and faith, but let me

tell you something: if Christ was able to save this man while he was hanging on a cross, how much more now that He has risen from

the dead and is seated at the right hand of the Father. Ask Him to

save you; this was a very simple prayer and it was

answered. You don’t have to have an impressive verb for God to

hear you. Ask Him to save you, ask Him to transform your heart, ask Him, ask Him

now, ask Him, my friend, to have mercy on you, to forgive your

sins; because there is no obstacle in the world that can prevent the salvation of a sinner who comes to Christ crying

for mercy. Jesus is a great Savior and is always willing to

save. As soon as this man cried out, his request was

answered. “Today you will be with me in paradise.” He did not

wait for him to suffer a little more for his sins; the moment this

man asked for mercy and forgiveness, mercy and forgiveness were granted to him.

And the same will happen to you today if you come to Christ in repentance and

faith. But we also learn from this story that salvation is by grace; indeed, that salvation is by

grace, grace. It is that good disposition of God toward sinners that moves Him to grant us freely not only the favor we do not

deserve but a favor that is absolutely contrary to what we do deserve. That is

grace. Paul says in Ephesians chapter 2, verses 8 to 9, a very well-known text, that salvation is by grace, through

faith, not by works, so that no one may

boast. What good did this man have that could have moved Christ to heed his request?

Absolutely nothing; he didn’t have it before his conversion, nor did he have time to do

anything after converting. This thief did not have time to

be baptized; I am not saying that baptism is not important. What I am saying is that

baptism does not save anyone. This thief did not have time to

be baptized; this thief never belonged to a church. I am not saying that

it is not important to belong to a church. If you convert today and die within 15

minutes, there is no problem, but if you stay alive, become a member of a local church.

Now, this man did not have time; he never took the Lord’s Supper, he never had the opportunity to do any good to

anyone. But despite all that, Jesus, I repeat, did not promise him

purgatory. Jesus promised him that on that very day they would be together in the

paradise. My friend, neither you nor I have anything that we can present before an infinitely holy and just God, nothing

that makes us deserving of His favor; no one deserves to be saved. Now we all do

deserve to be condemned. “All,” says the Prophet Isaiah, “for we all

are like filthy rags, and all our righteousness is like a filthy cloth before Him; there is none righteous, no,

not even one; there is none who seeks God; there is none who does good, not even one.” So, the only thing we

can do is humbly accept the gift, a gift that God offers us out of

pure grace in the Gospel, placing our trust in Jesus, who being

innocent died in place of sinners so that those sinners would be justified in the tribunal of

God. The thief on the cross was forgiven and accepted into heaven that very day

solely because he believed, only because he placed all his trust

in Jesus. That is the good news of the Gospel, that salvation is only by

grace, it is only through Christ, it is only through faith, not by works, so that

no one may boast. But we also learn from this

story that the Word of God is powerful to save. We learn from this story that

the Word of God is powerful to

save. I was thinking before coming to church, and we

prayed to the Lord, my wife and I, not only for this preacher but for the whole church

“Lord, help us to believe that what you say is true, and you say in your Word that it

is powerful, it is powerful to save, to bring people from death to

life, to open the eyes of the blind.” The word of God is powerful, my

brothers. This man only received a few crumbs

of the Gospel presented in a totally

inappropriate manner and in the most

inadequate circumstances, but those crumbs were enough to change

his heart of stone into one of

flesh. Paul says in Romans 1:16 that the gospel is the power of God for

salvation, and in 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 21, Paul says it pleased God to save believers

through the foolishness of preaching, the preaching of His Word. And now Paul

clarifies why the Jews seek signs. I want to go to a church where I see miracles; I want to go to a church

where the lame walk, where the blind see, then I will truly believe that God

exists. No, no, that is what the Jews asked for: signs, miracles. The Greeks

wisdom. I want a grandiloquent oratory, something that I cannot

understand. But we preach

Christ crucified; for the Jews, it is certainly a stumbling block, and for the Gentiles, it is foolishness;

but for those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and

wisdom of God. My brother, keep preaching the

Gospel to your family and friends, even if they reject it now, even if they mock you now.

Because the gospel can overcome the most obstinate of men and transform them completely at the

very core of their personality. And if you want proof, look at yourself in the

mirror; He did it with you if you are a believer, He did it with me, and He can do it

with them too.

But this story also teaches us

that the believer's hope is to be with Christ in the

paradise for all eternity. That is the hope, to be with

Christ in paradise. I imagine that on the day of

Jesus’ crucifixion, there were people watching the scene whom this thief had

robbed, and they were there saying, “How

good, justice has finally been done.”

The Lord’s promise must have been

scandalous to those people.

“Today you will be with me in paradise.” Did you notice

that the greatness of this promise does not lie in the word

paradise but in the pronoun

with me? That Jesus offers paradise to a criminal is already quite

scandalous, but that hanging from a cross He dares to say that paradise is

the paradise because he is going to be there is the height of

absurdity. Unless he was who he said

he was, the second person of the Trinity who

became man to come to save us by dying for us on a

cross. My brothers, the hope of the Christian is not heaven,

the hope of the Christian is Jesus who is in

heaven. That is why Paul says in Philippians, “Our hope is in the heavens.” No,

it is not heaven; it is in the

heavens. To depart and be with Christ, that is our

hope, to depart and be with Christ. At this very moment, I see

there the family of Doña Normandia who went to be with the Lord a few

days ago; she is not asleep; her soul is in

Glory the same day she died. Paul clearly states in

2 Corinthians chapter 5 verses 6-8, “There are only two options: either I am

present in the body and absent from the Lord (speaking of Christ in His human nature), whose human body

is in heaven (he says) or I am present in the body and absent from Christ or I am

absent from the body and present with Christ.” Only two options; to depart and be with

Christ. My brothers, that is the blessed hope that Christ bought for His own at the price of His blood, and do you know what?

My friend, that can be your hope today if you repent and

believe. Now it is not too late, but it could be tomorrow.

In fact, it is likely that God left this story in His Word among other things to free us from

despair on one hand or the madness of postponing repentance on the

other. From despair because in such a difficult moment as this, and being

on the brink of death, this man found salvation; what sinner can

despair? No matter what life he has lived, what sinner can despair upon

reading that this thief converted while hanging on a cross? And at the very

threshold of the gates of

hell. But take into account that this is the only

account that appears in the entire Bible where someone converts at the brink of death, a single

example. Young people, you

think you have your whole life ahead of you; that is a

deception. No matter what age you are, no one has the slightest idea of when or

how they will die, no one, no one. Don’t forget that beside Jesus

there was another thief who died in the same hardness

and in the same wickedness in which he had lived because do you know what? Generally, men

die as they live

generally. Don’t despise the opportunity that God is offering you today; you are here in this

comfortable place quietly listening to the message of the Gospel; that is a

privilege, don’t despise it, because as time goes by your

heart hardens more and more and

more. The conversion of this dying thief is not the rule; it is the

exception. My friend, you have had today a privilege far greater than that of

this thief; he believed when Christ was dying on a cross; we know

that He rose again. He believed having heard a few truths said in a mocking tone;

you have comfortably heard this message, and who knows

how many messages, how many times you have heard this glorious gospel of the

glory of Christ? Hundreds of times throughout your

life. Do you know one thing? On the day of judgment, the faith of this dying thief

will add more weight to your condemnation if you die in your sins and

in the hardness of your heart, this thief will testify against you.

Ah, but Christ continues to be a great Savior; He keeps saving sinners

through faith and repentance. The Scripture says that He will not cast out anyone who comes to Him, no one, not a single

person; no one will arrive in hell saying, “I knocked, I knocked, and no one opened for me.” No, no, no, no, no, no, no

no, my friend, do not despise this offer, this offer of grace that He

gives you in His Word. Because if you come to Christ today, trusting solely in Him, the

Scripture guarantees you the same as what Jesus promised this man in his

agony. When your time comes to depart, you can have the complete

assurance that you will close your eyes in this world of pain and

misery only to open them in that place where nothing can cloud the vision

of the glory and beauty of our blessed,

precious, exalted Lord and Savior

Jesus Christ. Oh, it is my prayer that the Lord opens your eyes this

morning so you can see yourself as you are in the presence of God, a sinner in need of forgiveness and mercy. But

that you can see Christ as He is, as a Savior full of grace and compassion who has promised forgiveness and eternal life to

all who come humbled, embracing His grace. My friend, the doors of salvation are wide open

today; come in

through them, enter, enter

now. Because tomorrow is completely uncertain, because eternity is eternal, and

because there is no refuge more secure, more blessed, or more delightful

than the blessed grace of Jesus. Come in, my friend, and come

now. Come now, repent of your

sins and trust in Jesus.

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