Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today we mark, celebrate, and remember the crucifixion, death, and burial of our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ. All four evangelists describe in detail these events and not only that which is directly related to the Saviour, but also details that could appear to some as superfluous. All of the Gospel readings that pertain to these events, with all of their details, were repeated several times throughout the past two days. Of course, the church rubrics assign such attention to the Gospel readings because every word, every detail has a deep meaning personally for each one of us.

Today let’s focus our attention on the two thieves that were crucified with our Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Apostles and Evangelists Matthew, Mark, and John write that Christ was crucified amongst two criminals, but only Luke relates the details that one of them mocked the Saviour, while the other repented and asked that to be remembered by the crucified Lord in the Heavenly Kingdom.

The Holy Hierarch Cyril of Alexandria notes that it is not by chance that Christ was executed with thieves. Among the Jewish priests there was such hatred towards Christ that it was not enough to kill Him on the cross, but it was necessary to also humiliate Him to the extreme, and therefore He was crucified with the most awful malefactors. We do not know the reason for which these two men were executed, but the good thief himself witnesses to the fact that such a punishment was merited. In their explanations of the Gospel, the Holy Hierarchs Cyril and John Chrysostom note that these attempts to further humiliate the Lord were not crowned with success. The Jews hung Christ on a cross between two villains hoping to destroy His authority, but instead of this, against their own desire, they brought about the realization of the prophecy which said that Christ would be “numbered with the transgressors” (Isaiah 53: 12).

In the beginning the Lord God created man according to His image and likeness, hoping that with time he would progress and join himself to God, that is, to truly become God like. Today we see how far man can fall from this ideal. The Jewish elite, which had such a deep knowledge of Holy Scripture, were blinded to such an extent by their hatred that they not only did not recognize Jesus Christ as their Saviour, but also, through their very own actions, contributed to the fulfillment of prophecies that confirmed the truth of the messianic ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is not only to fulfill the words of the Prophet Isaiah that Christ was crucified between two thieves, but also to show His extreme condescension and His most deep love for mankind. Since it became impossible for us to ascend to the spiritual heights for which we were created, God emptied Himself and joined Himself to us by becoming a most real man. To show that He came to save every person, not only the righteous, He spent His time here on earth not exclusively amongst the pious, but also with sinners and publicans, and in the last hours of His life was “numbered with transgressors”. Having become as it were a member of the rank of thieves, our Lord Jesus Christ turned towards repentance one of the malefactors and opened to him the way into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Today let’s remember that Christ was crucified, died, and buried in a tomb for the sake of our personal salvation. Let us not despair of our sins, for Christ died among the most awful thieves, showing us that through repentance, every person can find the path leading into the Kingdom of Heaven. Let us not judge others because of their sins, even our enemies, for Christ accepted a humiliating death on the cross not only for our sake, but also for their sake.

priest Alexis