Imagine if you will…a young man who makes a choice to leave his parents’ home to pursue what he thinks is the dream of a lifetime. Once he leaves home, however, his dream becomes reality and pride keeps him from returning home. Now when challenges come up, he takes the easy way out and those poor or wrong choices become a lifestyle of sin and degradation. 

Perhaps, however, after wandering from place to place for several years, a moment of clarity finally sets in and he realizes that leaving home wasn’t the best lifestyle choice. Perhaps this prodigal son turns around and while on the path home, he finds his dad is still waiting to welcome him back. 

But maybe he never did “get it.” Maybe he made so many wrong choices that the law was now trying to catch up with him and a large crowd was a great place to hide. But this particular crowd wasn’t just any crowd. This young man was one of a very large crowd who gathered on a hillside and witnessed lessons in leadership given by a man to 12 other men while they fed a few loaves of bread and some fish to a crowd of thousands.

He had heard the rumors about this teacher; you couldn’t help but hear them. There were arguments and accusations by religious leaders and lawmakers but because this man was already on the wrong side of the law, maybe he inwardly smiled or even outwardly laughed. Nevertheless, one day the law caught up with him and the unknown young man would now forever be known by reputation and lifestyle only – a thief – but he would one day make one last earthly decision that had eternal consequences the likes of which he never could have imagined. That one day, when Jesus bore the sins of the world, a thief on a cross would be forever known and forever forgiven.

The Gospels of Matthew and Mark record only that the two others crucified that day are hurling insults at Jesus. John records only that there are two other thieves. However, Dr. Luke, ever the detail-oriented gospel writer, adds that one of the thieves begins to hurl insults at the other thief. Then this thief turns to Jesus and asks to be part of His kingdom.

Prior to this day, everyone looked forward with faith. Today would be the day when everyone would look back at “The Old Rugged Cross.” Jesus says, “It is finished.” The price is paid. God’s wrath is satisfied.

A life of wrong choices led this thief to a place where he was an eyewitness to the payment for the consequences of his sin: the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. But God, in His mercy, gave this unnamed thief a front row seat into the glorious kingdom of God. Leaving a safe home as a child to wander aimlessly on his own, this nameless prodigal young man was once again home to no home like any he had ever known – and was given a new name – child of God.