The criminals on the cross to the left and right of Jesus in The Gospels

[Lik3]

I was thinking about the criminal on the cross, namely the criminal on the left side of Jesus. I know that according to Scripture, he didn't have the belief that the one on the right did. My questions are what are the differences between heaven and paradise or are they the same thing, since the criminal on the right did? I have wondered if the guilty criminal on the left had repented or stayed in unbelief as he was dying on the cross. The end would have been dire since he, according to scripture, did not have the belief that the one on the cross to the right did. Could it have been possible that he did in fact repent before he took his last breath? I don't think scripture says that, but did he blaspheme Jesus for his lack of belief? Are all unrepentant sinners blasphemous as well as believers were since we are now in the Body of Christ? It seems to me that the guilty party since he did not believe blaspheme Jesus, so is all forms of unbelief blasphemous?

John 19:17-18
So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. 17 Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.

Mark 15:27-32
27 They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. [28] [a] 29 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 come down from the cross and save yourself!” 31 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! 32 Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

John 27:38-44
38 Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 39 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” 41 In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. 42 “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

Luke 23:38-42
38 There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the jews.

39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.[d]”

43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

 

[VanillaSunflowers]

I think the two thieves on either side of Christ during his crucifixion hold deeper meaning than just the salvation that was afforded for the faith of the one.

Remember Matthew 25 and the verses that speak of the final judgment? Starting at verse 31:When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.

Both thieves knew of Jesus. Both violated God's 8th commandment. But do you notice?The thief on the right knew of Jesus' ministry and asked him to remember him in paradise. So too did the thief on the right. But he asked Jesus to save himself and the two of them. That thief did believe Jesus could save as well. He just didn't ask Jesus to do that for him in that moment like the thief on the right did.

Maybe after he heard Jesus' promise to the thief on the right the left thief did repent. Only God knows. However, I think the parable of the placement of two thieves, two sinners violating the eighth commandment, on either side of the Savior has greater meaning than we imagine.

 

[Lik3]

Thanks. I definitely need to look up the commandments, especially the eighth one come to think about it. Thank you for your insight.

 

[DPMartin]

If you notice, Jesus always looked for faith, belief if you like, and where ever He found it, even when it was a gentile that wasn’t to be given that which He gave at that time, He honored that faith. If the faith/belief isn’t there, then there were no recipients according to the will of God. The thief that acknowledged Jesus and His Kingdom received what Jesus came to give. The thief that did not acknowledge Jesus did not receive. If you don’t acknowledge what is necessary to sustain life you won’t receive the necessity to sustain life. If the newborn pup doesn’t acknowledge it’s mother’s milk, it will not survive.

 

[RaphaCam]

Tradition states that the thief on the left, Gestas, never repented. This is symbolically important, given that in that way we see the contrast between two sinners: the one in his right repenting and trusting his life on the Lord, the other, in his left, despising him. In the same position that these men were in relation the cross, they will arise in the Final Judgement: the good thief (St. Dismas) by his right hand (counted among the sheep), while the bad thief will be at his left hand (counted among the goats).

The words of St. Bede:

But the two robbers crucified with Christ signify those who under the faith of Christ undergo either the pains of martyrdom, or the rules of a still stricter continence. But they do this for eternal glory, who imitate the actions of the thief on the right hand; while they who do it to gain the praise of men, imitate the thief on the left hand.

This is actually why the Byzantine-styled cross (☦) has diagonal feet: its right (the right of the crucified, our left) points to heaven, while its left points to hell.

 

[VanillaSunflowers]

Thanks. I definitely need to look up the commandments, especially the eighth one come to think about it. Thank you for your insight.

You're most welcome.
In God's Peace,
VS

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:16

 

[JackRT]

Some historical information can be helpful. The Romans carried out an extremely harsh "justice". Crucifixion was by law reserved for only rebellious slaves and political agitators of the lowest social classes. Only the Romans were allowed this form of execution but the Jews did not lose their right to execute by stoning for blasphemy until AD 39. Pilate was severely criticized for his frequent excesses including crucifixions without trial and extreme brutality and was in fact actually removed from office for these excesses. Crucifixion was designed to be as painful and as humiliating as possible both for the victim himself and any onlookers. The victim was naked and onlookers were kept well away from the site. No one was permitted to provide any sort of comfort to the victim. Depending on the actual form of crucifixion and on the physical condition of the victim, death could take as long as a week. Burial was seldom permitted --- only one is known to history. The body was usually discarded into a shallow grave to be consumed by the carrion birds and wild dogs. Tens of thousands perhaps hundreds of thousands were executed in this way.