One of the most soul-stirring scenes in all of Scripture is painted at Calvary, where Love Himself hung suspended between two dying men between a thief hardened in mockery and another broken by mercy. The Gospel according to Luke captures this moment with divine precision:
“Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, ‘If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.’”
But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, ’Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.’”
Then he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.’
And Jesus said to him, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.’”
— Luke 23:39–43 (NKJV)
This scene is soaked in mystery and mercy. While the thieves conversed~one in scorn, the other in sincerity. Jesus said nothing at first. Silent, yet sovereign. He listened as one mocked and the other pleaded. And it is here that something extraordinary happened: the second thief, in his final moments, saw what many religious scholars never saw~he saw the Christ, the King, the Lord of glory.
“Aren’t You the Christ?” the unrepentant man sneered.
But the other replied, “Do you not even fear God?” He saw Divinity cloaked in weakness. He saw a King crowned with thorns.
And then came the words that changed eternity for one dying soul:
“Lord, remember me…”
Not “Teacher,” not “Prophet,” not “Good man”—but Lord.
He called Him Lord.
Scripture declares,
“Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
— Romans 10:13 (NKJV)
This man, this thief, had never walked the aisles of a synagogue. He had not memorized the Torah. There is no record of prayers offered, offerings given, or Sabbaths observed. But on that cross, grace found him. Mercy met him. Christ, who is the very life (Colossians 3:4), became his salvation.
There was no altar call. No ritual cleansing. Only a broken whisper:
“Lord, remember me…”
And Jesus, gentle Savior, Lamb of God—responded, not with judgment, but with promise:
“Today…” Not tomorrow. Not after probation. Not after purification.
“Today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
O, what glorious assurance! The moment you call Him Lord, you are ushered from death to life, from sin to sonship, from guilt to glory.
The prophet Isaiah declared:
“For the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King; He will save us.”
— Isaiah 33:22 (NKJV)
In Christ, the Judge becomes the Redeemer. The Lawgiver becomes Grace Incarnate. The King becomes the ransom for thieves.
So I say, with trembling joy: if you have not yet called Him Lord, do so today. There are no preconditions. No resumes of righteousness required. Only faith. Only surrender. Only the cry of a heart that dares to believe:
“Lord, remember me…”
And He will.
He always does.