That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” (Luke 2:8-15 NLT)
At the end of his life Jesus hung dying between two criminals. We don't know the crime but one confessed that they were getting what they deserved. So I have to think the deed was more than stealing a loaf of bread. Perhaps they were highwaymen that robbed and killed travelers - as those who left the victim for dead in the story of the Good Samaritan. And it is highly unlikely they had previously encountered Jesus. Maybe they had been his disciples for a time and then fallen away - highly doubtful. But they had just spent the last hours of there lives walking up the same road and now hanging on a similar cross as Jesus. They would have heard his words. Words that gave his mother into the care of another. Words that prayed, "forgive them for they don't know what they are doing". Words that admonished the daughters of Jerusalem to pity themselves and not him for what would soon come upon them. In any case, for one of them, Jesus become more than just another man suffering a common fate. In the matter of a couple of hours, the one criminal,
- Acknowledged his own guilt
- Recognized that Jesus was guiltless
- Was aware that Jesus could help him after death
- Appealed to Jesus to remember him in His kingdom
- Received assurance that he would be with Jesus
Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him. When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let him save himself if he is really God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine. They called out to him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” A sign was fastened above him with these words: “This is the King of the Jews.” One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!” But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:32-43 NLT)
Jesus, first helpless as a baby and second helpless as a condemned man, impacted the lives of ordinary men for time and eternity. He entered life making a difference and left it doing the same.
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