Three Men on a Cross - Luke 23:37-43

Luke 23:37‑43  •  2 min. read  •  grade level: 7
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UK 23:37-43{
When Christ was crucified there were two others who were crucified with Him. Those two men were thieves, so it was according to the word of the prophet Isaiah, "He was numbered with the transgressors." Isa. 53:1212Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:12).
The Scripture tells us that one of these men turned to Christ and called upon His name in confession of his guilt, while the other died in his sins, or in other words, with his sins still upon him. The following hymn speaks to the consciences of many.
"There is a stream of precious blood,
Which flowed from Jesus' veins,
And sinners washed in that blest flood
Lose all their guilty stains.

The dying thief rejoiced to see
That Savior in his day,
And by that blood though vile as he,
Our sins are washed away."
Many have proved the virtue of that precious blood from that day to this, while thousands still reject it, and go on to meet God in judgment. How about you?
We trust the following plain statements may be of special interest to some troubled soul.
The man on the left-hand cross had sin in him and on him. He never repented and acknowledged his sin.
1. The Man on the center cross, the Lord Jesus Christ, had sin on Him, but never had sin in Him. He bore on Him the sin of every believer.
2. The man on the right-hand cross had sin in him, but not on him, for his sin was on the Lord Jesus. He confessed the Lord on the cross, was saved and was received into the presence of the Lord that very day. Jesus said to him, "To-day shalt thou be with Me in paradise." Luke 23:4343And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. (Luke 23:43).
3. How wonderful is the grace of God that meets the guilty sinner in all his need, and that blesses him beyond all that he could hope or ask for!
All this could only be through the death of the Lord Jesus and the shedding of "the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." 1 Peter 1:1919But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: (1 Peter 1:19).