Expository Thoughts (continued)
suffered, his sufferings were undertaken voluntarily. As king and prophet he opened the gates of life to the penitent thief and foretold that man's entry into paradise. As priest he intercedes in this prayer for those who crucified him.
34. They divided up his clothes by casting lots. Our Lord evidently was crucified naked. The shame of such a posture in death must doubtless have added much to the misery of the punishment of crucifixion.
38. THE KING OF THE JEWS. Observe that our Lord was crucified in the end as a king. He came to set up a spiritual kingdom, and as a king he died.
LUKE 23:39-43
THE DYING THIEF
The verses we have now read deserve to be printed in letters of gold. They have probably been the salvation of myriads of souls.
Multitudes will thank God to all eternity that the Bible contains this story of the penitent thief.
We see, firstly, in the history before us, the sovereignty of God in saving sinners. We are told that two malefactors were crucified together with our Lord, one on His right hand and the other on His left. Both were equally near to Christ. Both saw and heard all that happened, during the six hours that He hung on the cross. Both were dying men, and suffering acute pain. Both were alike wicked sinners, and needed forgiveness. Yet one died in his sins, as he had lived,