Apr 20, 2007 4 min read

Scripture reading: Luke 23:32-43. Text: “Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him (Jesus) to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals – one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, ‘FATHER, FORGIVE THEM, FOR THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING.'” – And: “One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: ‘Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!’ But the other criminal rebuked him. ‘Don’t you fear God,’ he said, ‘since you are under the same sentence? WE ARE PUNISHED JUSTLY, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. BUT THIS MAN HAS DONE NOTHING WRONG.’ Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. Jesus answered him, ‘I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.'” Luke 23:32-34 and 39-43. The melodies of the hymns of the Holy Week are still in our ears and the major events of Good Friday and Easter are still remembered. If the sermons preached during the Holy Week were prepared well and the messages you heard were taken to heart, hopefully they started to grow as a seed planted in good soil. This time, as we meditate on the first and second words of our Lord he had uttered on the cross, let the correlation between them help us to understand even better what Christ had done and what we are doing.

“FATHER, FORGIVE THEM, FOR THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING . . . WE ARE PUNISHED JUSTLY . . . BUT THIS MAN HAS DONE NOTHING WRONG.”

We find three types of people here: 1) Those who are not aware of their criminal actions. 2) Those who know that they are guilty and 3) The innocent who is unjustly punished. What do we find hidden in the circumstances and background of the people around and on the cross?

How keen is our guilt-awareness? How soon do we realize our mistakes? Our guilt-awareness should be connected to our sensitive conscience. When we stifle that special inner spiritual “red flag” that serves as a warning, we are not only guilty for doing something wrong but also for eliminating our guilt-awareness.

How good are we using seemingly acceptable excuses and present mitigating circumstances? (The devil made me do it!) The bad example, the misleading influence, the pressing need and urgency, the wrong priority and the irresistible temptation are the real culprits or should our weakness be blamed?

How severe or lenient should the punishment be? What is the best way to rehabilitate a sinner? Does a cruel punishment serve as a deterrent measure or rather hardens the criminal’s heart? Or, does a lenient punishment help the evildoer to change his/her mind or rather invites him/her to repeat his/her crime again? Does the stiff or lenient punishment defeat the purpose? How can we be sure that the punishment fits the crime? Does a person’s genetic code (DNA or RNA) predispose him or her to become a felon? Retaliate or rehabilitate is the way to help a sinner?

What is the correlation between spirituality and morality? This is the point where the church and the world do not see eye to eye. As the liberals and moralists say, it is sufficient to be “generally good,” because people can make distinction between right and wrong without being warned. We are convinced, however, that if somebody is a believer and is taking his/her faith seriously, it definitely refines that person’s perception concerning good and evil, helpful and harmful, constructive and destructive. Faith nurtures love, and love is one of the best guides and healers.

Physicians emphasize preventive medicine for it is easier to avoid a disease or abnormality than to treat it later after it has developed. This holds true in the spiritual, moral and social life as well. Religious literature, sermons, TV evangelists, and even advertisements ask people to repent, turn to God, read the Bible and follow Christ. “Had I known it” is not an acceptable excuse before God.

Apostle Peter had spelled out for every generation Christ’s redemptive love and sacrifice: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” 2 Peter 2:24.

The Rev. Alexander Jalso is a retired United Presbyterian minister living in Brownsville.