Dig Deeper into Our Stories: The Thief.
One of my favorite parts of writing historical fiction is researching so I can build an accurate picture of the characters' lives. In this series, I share some of the insights I've gathered. Check out the book links below to hear your favorite Bible characters share details from their lives..
If you stumbled on this list in another route besides a link in a book, I invite you to check out Our Stories: The Thief here.
Protagonist Bio
The Bible gives us very few details about the thief. In this story, he is portrayed as a young Jewish man who chose a life of sin.
Matthew refers to the thieves as robbers or bandits (Galatians 2:20, 2 Timothy 2:11, Romans 6:3-14, Colossians 2:20, 3:3) . Too often, we are taught through these passages that we must work to kill the desires of the flesh and display the fruit of the spirit Have you ever seen a dead man working to stay dead? Outside of the horror genre, it doesn’t happen. Dead is dead.
Colossians 2 makes it abundantly clear that Paul is not talking about works of legalism. So, what does it mean to be crucified with Christ?
To answer that question, let’s take a step back. Why did Jesus die? 1 John 2:2 tells us he died as the propitiation for our sin. According to dictionary.com, “propitiation is the act of gaining the favor of or making things right with someone, especially after having done something wrong.” We all have sinned (Romans 3:23 ). The penalty of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Since we could not pay the price for our sins, Jesus took our punishment for us. He made things right with God, freeing us from the penalty of sin.
As if that wasn’t enough, God, in his abundant Mercy and Grace, “has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love” (Colossians 1:13). We are no longer residents of this world nor bound to its law of sin and death (Romans 8:2). We have been transported into the Kingdom of Grace, where we, through Jesus Christ, have obtained the rights of citizenship (Philippians 3:20).
But wait, there’s more! Not only did Jesus pay the penalty for our sins and transport us into His Kingdom, He causes us to become a new creature. When we are crucified with Him, everything that is of us dies and we are resurrected into a new life, free from the bondage of sin (Romans 6:3-6). We are a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 6:4). Imagine a caterpillar. It hangs out on the plant for several weeks, feasting on the tender leaves. Then, it spins a cocoon. A couple weeks later, it doesn’t emerge as a caterpillar with wings. Inside that cocoon, the caterpillar turns to mush. Everything caterpillarish dies. It then reforms into a new creature. The butterfly looks different than the old creature. It eats differently and moves differently. It is totally new.
The same thing happens when we are crucified with Christ. Everything about us that is of the sin nature dies. We begin the process of aligning our thoughts and desires to Jesus Christ (Colossians 3). As we set our minds on things above (Colossians 3:2), our desires will change. As we understand who we are in Jesus Christ and how He treasures us (1 John 3:1; Colossians 3:12) , we will carry ourselves differently. When we realize the victory He has given us (1 Corinthians 15:57; 1 John 5:4), the sins that once held us will lose their grip. We emerge a new creation, crucified with Him and raised with Him in newness of life (Romans 6:4).
Spend time reflecting on being crucified with Christ and resurrected to new life in Him. How does this change you? Jot your thoughts in a journal.
Pray:
Jesus, thank You for taking my sins on the cross, and raising me up to be a new creature. Help me set my mind on You and live a life worthy of the calling to which You have called me.
Dig Deeper
Scripture References:
Jesus teaching in the temple
- Matthew 21:23-23:39
- Parable of the two sons in the vineyard Matthew 21:28-32
- Mark 11:27-12:44
- Luke 20:1-21:4
Crucifixion
Thieves crucified with Jesus
A skeleton with a nail in the heel was found in Jerusalem.
- Here is the initial archeologist’s report: http://cojs.org/crucifixion_bone_fragment-_21_ce
- Discussion of further study of the skeleton: https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/crucifixion/roman-crucifixion-methods-reveal-the-history-of-crucifixion
- Note: the author of the second study proposes that the hands of the crucified man were not nailed to the cross. Instead, his arms were tied. The Bible states that Jesus had nails in his hands. These truths do not necessarily negate each other. Methods may have changed over time or for different offenses. We must resist the urge to make archeological evidence fit the Biblical narrative. The Bible stands as Truth on its own merit.
Other skeletal remains of crucified men:
- England: https://www.livescience.com/crucified-roman-era-man-found-uk
- Italy: https://www.livescience.com/62727-jesus-roman-crucifixion-found.html
Crucifixion was designed to produce maximum pain for the maximum amount of time.
- Originally, prisoners were tied to the cross for a day or so, then removed, alive.
- Later, they were left longer as a form of execution.
- Variations emerged with nailing the hands or feet, or both.
- A seat was added to the upright beam that kept the prisoner from slumping fully down and cutting off air flow. He would land on the seat then reflexively push himself up again, prolonging his fight for life.
- There are records of criminals talking to the soldiers three days after being hung on the cross.
What do BCE and CE mean?
Connect with Me:
If you enjoyed Our Stories: The Thief, then check out Our Stories of Relentless Obedience.
Would you love to connect with your favorite Bible characters over lunch?
Then make a sandwich and start reading.
In Our Stories of Relentless Obedience, you will meet Rahab, Noah’s wife, Caleb, Peter, and more. Make sure you have your tissues nearby because they hold back nothing of their pain and failures as they learn of God’s faithfulness to His people.
Cry, hide, and rejoice with them as they tell their stories of confusion, loss, victory, and relentless obedience. You’ll find that their lives weren’t much different than yours.
Our Stories start with and stay true to scripture then stir in reliable historical context and a healthy dose of sanctified imagination to weave a tale that will stay with you for months after you close the book.
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