When Hope Began for a Dying Thief

What follows is an excerpt of the book Heaven, How I Got Here: The Story of the Thief on the Cross by Pastor Colin Smith told from the perspective of the thief.

 

 

Hope began for me in the strange words of Jesus that at first had filled me with hate: ‘Father, forgive them, they do not know what they are doing.’

Forgiveness! If Jesus could offer forgiveness to His torturers, perhaps He would offer forgiveness to me. At first this had sounded like the very weak­ness I despised, but at that moment it seemed to open a glorious and unexpected window of hope.

Get your copies of Heaven, How I Got Here: The Story of the Thief on the Cross and Heaven, So Near – So Far: The Story of Judas Iscariot this month for a gift of any amount.

Forgiveness was scarce in the legalistic, moral world my mother spoke of so often. To her, the universe was an unbreakable system of cause and effect, regulated by a rules-oriented God. ‘Do good, and all will be well. Do bad, and you had better watch out.’ There was no hope for a person like me in that.

If you honestly measure your life by the commandments of God, I suspect you will come to the same conclusion. Reaping what you sow is not good news for any of us. Forgiveness is.

If Jesus remembered me when He came into His kingdom, there might be some hope for me. But what would be in it for Him? I couldn’t think of anything. If He took an interest in me, it would not be because of anything I had done or anything I could offer. If He remembered me at all, it would be an act of undeserved mercy and kindness.

But that was exactly what He offered to the soldiers who crucified Him. He showed them mercy and kindness. Would He do the same for me?

 

Get your copy of Heaven, How I Got Here and Heaven, So Near – So Far this month for a gift of any amount.

 

Hear Pastor Colin talk about the thief’s story: Why No One Is Good Enough to Enter Heaven