Bad Thief, Good Thief

Morning readings: Psalms 84; 148, 1 Kings 11:26-43, James 4:13-5:6, Mark 15:22-32

“Those crucified with him also heaped insults upon him.”                                                                                                 - Mark 15:32b

The gospels tell us that when Jesus was crucified, two bandits – sometimes called thieves but likely convicted as insurrectionists since crucifixion was reserved for enemies of the Roman state – hung on crosses to either side of him. In Luke's gospel one of them defends Jesus against the mocking of the crowd and the other bandit, but in Matthew and Mark they both join with the crowd.

Are we more inclined to prefer the version with the "good" thief? Which do we think is a more likely

scenario? Most of the time, most of us try to get through life the best we can. Some days – when our children are sick, our marriage is troubled, our job search is going poorly, our parents are ailing, our health is failing – that best doesn't look too good to other people. During those times we all could benefit from people cutting us a little slack. And very often during those times we need to remember (and sometimes fail) not to take our frustrations out on others. Though we aren't being crucified, own fears and frustrations can blind us to the struggles of those we think are behaving badly or worthy of scorn. The sad truth is we tend to lash out at others when we recognize our own failures in them.

None of us wants to be a bad thief, but before we can be the good thief we have to be honest about our own shortcomings. Once we find the strength that is present in true humility – not the kind that shames us but the kind that frees us – we are more compassionate with ourselves and others. Let's not wait until we come face-to-face with Jesus to find that humble strength. Today we can admit our burdens are sometimes more than we can bear with grace, and lay them at the foot of the cross. Without that weight, just maybe we can help lift someone else up too.

Evening readings: Psalms 25; 40