The Two Others

Jesus was crucified on hill long ago. He died with two other men and today I hope to help you consider their story for it may help you write your own. You see the Bible tells us that one of the men being hung on a cross just like the Lord Jesus’ was railing on Him, making fun of Him and taunting Him. He was bitter and angry at the world and had nothing to hope for. The other man also condemned to die had a different mentality, he realized he was there justly and that Jesus was not. He asked Jesus to forgive Him of his sins. All three men died that day. Jesus is in Heaven but what about the other two?

The Bible says that we are all sinners and that the penalty for sinning is death. Physical death will happen to all of us as it did those men on the crosses next to Jesus long ago. Both of them were sinners, as too am I and you who are reading this. The only one who ever lived a perfect and sinless life was Jesus. You see He didn’t have to die for Himself as He never sinned. Death that day was defeated by the Lord, because He didn’t need the payment for Himself, He gets to apply it to all who trust in Him for salvation.

One man to His left and one man to His right. Their physical position was not relevant as frankly their performance in life. You see one sin or many, large sins or tiny sins, we are all guilty and in need of a Savior. So what happens when their physical bodies finally gave out and they died?

The one who didn’t repent, the one who kept teasing and tormenting the Lord is forever in Hell. Not because he was mean or even because he taunted Jesus right before he died, but instead because he rejected the Lord and refused to believe in Him. You see Jesus is the only thing that matters when it comes to salvation. Your life has condemned you just as it has this man. If you die without Jesus you will share his fate, one forever in Hell being tormented continuously. That is no way to spend eternity.

The other man who repented and asked the Lord to remember Him that day, is in Heaven. He isn’t there because he was sympathetic to the Lord or nice at the end. No, just like the other man his performance was irrelevant, as sins condemned him just as much as the man who went to Hell. So what is the difference you ask? Jesus. The difference is the one accepted Jesus and the other rejected Jesus. The only acceptable payment for your sins is the one available through Jesus. Jesus is the only way to Heaven, because He’s the only one who can pay our sin debt for us.

When your body dies and it will, there are only two places you soul which will live forever can go. One is with the Lord in Heaven and the other is without the Lord, in Hell. Hell isn’t a joke, nothing to scoff at. It was created as a reward for Satan, to punish him and his demons for ever for their disobedience and wickedness. You don’t want to go there, even if you think you do.

So are you still like the first of the men to die next to Jesus that day on a hill long ago? Are you still mocking the Lord and railing against Him every chance you get? Do you think you will beat the system? Have you even considered what happens to you when you die? I wonder how many who follow you, will in turn follow you right off a never ending cliff straight to Hell. You need to wake up while you still can.

I pray you will be like the second man. The man who died a sinner, but forgiven. He wasn’t forgiven because he earned it. He was forgiven because he trusted in Jesus alone for his salvation. This is why Jesus came to earth 33 years before He ultimately died on the cross. He came as a baby, to live a perfect life and pay the sin debt for you and me. One we could never pay on our own. Our job is pretty easy. We just have to humble ourselves, admit we’ve messed up, realize the penalty for those errors is eternal death and then ask the Lord Jesus who died for us, to forgive us. Doing that would make us like the second man.

Jesus birth, we celebrate tomorrow at Christmas, wouldn’t mean anything if He didn’t then die for us, the thing we celebrate at Easter. He conquered death three days later by raising from the grave. He paid the price and then rose to Heaven where He is currently seated at the right hand of God the Father. He’s preparing a home in Heaven for all who believe in Him for their salvation. This is the reason we celebrate Christmas. Are you ready to truly celebrate Christmas now? If so, repent of your sins and admit to the Lord you need Him to forgive you. I pray you will. If you do, please let me know so I can rejoice with you and perhaps help lead you in your new journey as a follower of Jesus.

Merry Christmas!