Verse 42
His request that Jesus remember him was a call for salvation. He claimed nothing deserving of Jesus’ mercy but simply asked for grace in spite of His guilt. It anticipated a distant time when Jesus would return, raise the righteous dead, and establish His kingdom on the earth. The man’s view of Messiah was that He was divine, not just a present political deliverer. Evidently this man had heard Jesus’ teachings about the kingdom.
". . . the second criminal is a perceptive person who contrasts sharply with the imperceptive people who are calling on Jesus to save himself. . . .
"The criminal is the last person who turns to Jesus for help during Jesus’ ministry; he is also the one person who understands and accepts the path which Jesus must follow to fulfill God’s purpose: through death to enthronement at God’s right hand." [Note: Tannehill, The Narrative . . ., 1:126, 127.]
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