The Golgotha Trialogue

The above quote was Jesus’ response to a plea from a criminal who was crucified next to him. There were two in fact– one on His left and the other on His right. In Roman times, criminals were crucified for committing the most heinous crimes so it can be understood that the personalities involved criminals.

The conversation between the three at Golgotha is a very interesting one that resulted in a Christ promise to admit one of the two to his bosom in paradise after all was over. But why? The idea itself is consistent with the very reason why Christ died on the cross in the first place. So that anyone who believes in Him and His word, qualifies for the safety of His bosom. This begins with the preaching of the Gospel(the message of salvation) which is why Christ sanctioned the great commission just before His final departure. This in fact what happened on the cross. Just before He was put on the cross He makes a statement to some women who were waiting for Him:

“Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. 29For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30 Then “‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”’ 31For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

Effectively delivering a sermon on the end times even in the midst of the worst affliction that can be bestowed on a man. Shortly after they finally nailed him to the cross and probably hurled him up for doing nothing wrong. Instead of being angry over injustice and cursing the assailants;

34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

Demonstrating the forgiveness and praying for your enemies he had previously taught. The loudest sermons are those lived and the Christ was the kind that lived what He preached. Then comes the dichotomy of jeer and cheer and the rebuke of the believer;

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”40But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” 42Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 Jesus answered him,

“Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

There in that small scenario lies a snapshot of the whole salvation enterprise in its totality. Two criminals on the cross with Christ were real criminals and therefore in the words of one of them, deserved the crucifixion they were getting.

“All men have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God” – Romans 3:23

The foundation of the Christian faith is simply that all have sinned and essentially fallen out of favor with God. We have estranged ourselves from His holy safety We are therefore all condemned to death– no different from the two thieves on the cross;

“ For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” – Romans 6:23

Christ had previously said in his ministry;

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. – John 3:16

He had taught and established as Paul will later explain in his epistles that faith and salvation is through faith in Christ alone. It is those who believe in Him that will have eternal life. So that when the two criminals found themselves in His presence, they both were granted an equal opportunity for salvation. This is important because we see that there are two kinds of people who hear the Gospel as in the case of the parable of the sower(Mathew 13). There are those who no matter what happens will never believe. It is a choice because faith in God challenges those who enjoy their sin and prefer to persist in it. In the apologetics ministry, one of the most useful methods used to understand who we are sharing the gospel with is to ask them whether they would believe if they found out that Christianity is true. Surprisingly, most of the answers are NO. It is clear that the many arguments some put up against Christianity are simply excuses to make themselves comfortable in their sin. Romans 1 explains this in startling detail and the reader is encouraged to read the entire chapter along with all the scriptures embedded in this article. Indeed Christ had also taught previously that those who come to Him had been hand-picked by the Father(John 15:16, John 6:37, Ephesians 1:4-5, Ephesians 1:11 John 6:44, Romans 8:29 -30). Whiles t

There is a second lesson encoded in the scenario and it is about last-minute salvation. Many have inquired if one would be saved if they finally decide to accept Christ on their death bed IE the last moments of their lives. The answer is yes and it is based on the salvation of the thief on the cross. Both men had death staring at them in the face. There is no better time for one to make a turn around because there is nothing else to reach out to. Typically; a dying man cares very little about who saves him. This is why many have come to Christ when they were in prison and others when they were at their wits' end. But Christ had previously taught this in his ministry with the parable of the vineyard workers in Mathew 20:1-16;

a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. Having agreed to pay a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard to work. At nine in the morning, he hired another group of workers to work in the same vineyard. He hired another group at noon, another set at 3PM, and yet another group of workers at 5PM. When the day ended which is usually at 6PM, he paid all the different groups the same wage. Naturally, those who worked from the early morning were not happy and they grumbled(Compare the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32). The vineyard owner had only one thing to say;

“ I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

Christ enforces the lesson

“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” – vs 16

The vineyard owner demonstrated sovereignty (an important attribute of God and an important – Colossians 1:16–17 )over his wealth and property. He could do what he liked with it and he knew it. In his sovereignty, he decided that it did not matter when one comes to the vineyard. As long as they are connected to the vine or are working in the vineyard, they will be rewarded any way he sees fit. If we considered the likes of Judas who was with Christ all through His ministry and finally missed it because in his heart he never really believed, we can see how he became the last even though he was the first and the criminal who deserved eternal death became first even though he came late and barely did any work at all. It is not how much work one does or how long one does it that guarantees eternal life. There on the cross lies the Christian doctrine of salvation by grace alone guarded by the sovereignty of God.

The key lessons in this portrait of Christ’s salvation on the cross have roots all over His ministry. This is in fact the power of the Gospel; its core theme cannot be lost on anyone unless they deliberately choose to distort and misdirect it. The salvation of God is available to all; it takes only belief. It does not matter when one believes but it does matter that one believes now. James 4:14 teaches no one knows if they will live to see another day. Besides, God in his wisdom had ensured that no one knows exactly when Christ will return (Matthew 24:36-44 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3, 2 Peter 3:10, Revelation 3:3). All will hear the Gospel but much like the parable of the sower(Matthew 13), some will reject and it and in fact mock and the preacher just as they mocked Christ Himself. It is in fact possible to walk with Christ and even eat His miraculous bread and fish and be satisfied. It is possible to follow Him only also for His bread and nothing else. For as we have seen, many love the gifts in place of the giver. It is how they may miss it and as we approach the end of days, believers must ensure that they have truly believed and also ensure that no matter how difficult their lives get, they will get the Gospel to others even though they reject and mock. The Lord who knows the end from the beginning is aware of who His followers are and had predestined them IE handpicked for his own purposes. The two criminals on the cross epitomized the two groups and paint a vivid picture of Christ’s whole salvation enterprise.