Who were the other two men on the crosses?

Bible Study, Reflective Bible Study

Who were the other two men on the crosses with Jesus? They were us.  You and me. They were everyone who has ever heard the name of Jesus. It’s a simple story.  Quite short.  Twelve verses.  In Luke’s Gospel. And yet, it tells the story of every one of us. Let’s see why it’s so important that we know their story. And through them, our story.

Introduction

Who were the other two men on the crosses?

I’ve heard different things about what these two men did.  

Some say they were common thieves.

Others that they were guilty of murder.  

But if we read the verses for ourselves,
we’ll be totally confused!

We see different words depending on the Gospel read.

Further, we see different words depending on the translation used, for instance the NIV versus the KJV versus The Message.

Even further, we see different words depending on which version of the translation, for example the 1984 NIV versus the 2010 NIV.

See what I mean? What are we supposed to make of that?

Does it matter?

Well, yes, it does. Read on to find out why.

Summary

Discusses the varying translations of the Bible that describe the two men crucified alongside Jesus, highlighting discrepancies in terms like “criminals,” “robbers,” and “transgressors” across different versions and translations.

Theological Interpretation: Explores the theological significance of these two men, suggesting they represent all of humanity and our relationship with Jesus, with one man recognizing Jesus and the other insulting him.

Greek and Hebrew Analysis: Delves into the original Greek and Hebrew words used to describe the two men, examining their meanings and implications for understanding the biblical text.

Salvation Message: Emphasizes the message of salvation, illustrating how one of the men on the cross was promised paradise by Jesus, symbolizing the hope for forgiveness and redemption through faith.

 The two men crucified alongside Jesus represent a broad spectrum of sinners, reflecting the varied interpretations of their crimes across different Gospels and translations. Their stories illustrate the contrasting outcomes of salvation and rejection, with one man’s plea for remembrance leading to Jesus’ promise of paradise, while the other continues to insult Him.  Ultimately, these two individuals symbolize all of humanity’s potential paths—either towards redemption through faith or away from it through denial of Christ.

What does the Bible say about the other two men on the crosses?

We begin with the 1984 NIV translation. I only included the relevant verses, since the various Gospels record much more about the crucifixion than just the verses on the other two men. I also underlined the portions giving the crimes committed

Since John didn’t record anything about the other two men, let’s first look at what Luke wrote, since he used a different Greek word than Matthew or Mark did.

The other two men on the crosses, as recorded by Luke. 1984 NIV translation.

The Crucifixion – Luke

23:33-43 pp — Mt 27:33-44; Mk 15:22-32; Jn 19:17-24

…

Lk 23:32 Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed.

…

Lk 23:39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!”

Lk 23:40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

Lk 23:42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’”

Lk 23:43 Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”

So, in English we read the word criminal. We’ll circle back and see the Greek word in the original text shortly.

The other two men on the crosses, as recorded by Matthew. 1984 NIV translation.

The Crucifixion – Matthew

27:33-44 pp — Mk 15:22-32; Lk 23:33-43; Jn 19:17-24

… 

38 Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 39 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!”

… 

44 In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

Notice, there is an apparent discrepancy here. Matthew and Luke don’t say the same thing. Luke records both men heaping insults on Jesus. But Matthew records Jesus telling one of them that He’ll see him in Paradise. What’s going on?

Is this a problem? An error? Or another case of two people giving varying accounts of the same event? Remember, Matthew was a Jew. Luke was a doctor. They have different points of view. However, there’s not necessarily a conflict here.

How can there be no conflict when one says both insulted Jesus and the other says Jesus granted salvation to one of them? Actually, it’s quite simple. Further, it’s something that every one of us should pray is true. Haven’t we all been mad at God from time to time? Especially before we decided to follow Jesus?

And how many times do people, maybe us, get carried away with what we call “the mob mentality”? Everyone else was heaping insults on Jesus, so both of the men on the crosses did as well. But then, one of the men, so to speak, saw the light. He said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And for that, He was saved.

Ultimately, every person who claims to be Christian, who wants to be saved, should hope and pray that this explanation is true and accurate.

Now, back to the words used to describe the other two men on the crosses with Jesus. This time, we see the Greek word translated at robbers. It’s different. Or is it? Once again, we’ll return to the Greek words shortly.

The other two men on the crosses, as recorded by Mark. 1984 NIV translation.

The Crucifixion – Mark

15:22-32 pp — Mt 27:33-44; Lk 23:33-43; Jn 19:17-24

… 

27 They crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left. 29 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 come down from the cross and save yourself!”

Mk 15:31 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! 32 Let this Christ, this King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

Notice, there is no verse 28. At least, not in the 1984 or 2010 NIV translation. Here’s the note on why they did not include it. Some manuscripts include here words similar to Luke 22:37. So here’s Luke 22:37 with some context. This is between the Last Supper and when Jesus prayed on the Mount of Olives, just before His arrest.

The Last Supper – Luke

…

Lk 22:35 Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?”
“Nothing,” they answered.

Lk 22:36 He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. 37 It is written: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors’; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment.”

Lk 22:38 The disciples said, “See, Lord, here are two swords.”
“That is enough,” he replied.

Luke 22:37 is a quote from Isaiah 53:12, which is in a section the NIV titles The Suffering and Glory of the Servant.

Isa 53:12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.

Well, that’s complicated, isn’t it? We read transgressors. But this time, the word is in both the Old and New Testaments. I love it when this happens, because it gives us a really good look at how the Jewish Scripture fits in with Jesus’ life and teachings.

All the words used to describe the other two men on the crosses with Jesus

Let’s see where we are now. We have three Gospels, one Old Testament book of prophecy, and three English words that come from three Greek words and one Hebrew word. Is this going to be messy? Or will it tell us something important? As Christians, we believe every word from God is important. So the opportunity to examine all these things within one contextual setting is sure to be very meaningful.

  1. Criminals – from Luke
  2. Robbers – from Matthew
  3. Robbers – from Mark
  4. Transgressors – from Luke
  5. Transgressors – from Isaiah

Each word will be examined from at least two different sources.

The next portion of this article gets into a lot of detail. Definitions. Analysis of interpretations to see if they’re valid. Stuff like that. Some of you won’t want to get into that kind of detail. If not, that’s OK. Each of the 5 items in the above list are mostly collapsed. If you want to read the gory details, just click on the plus-sign next to the topic heading. If not, you can just read my conclusion without expanding the detailed analysis.

Were the other two men on the crosses criminals, as in Luke?

Were the other two men on the crosses criminals, as in Luke?

Lk 23:32 Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed.

2557 κακοῦργος [kakourgos /kak·oor·gos/] adj. From 2556 and the base of 2041; TDNT 3:484; TDNTA 391; GK 2806; Four occurrences; AV translates as “malefactor” three times, and “evil doer” once. 1 a malefactor.  1Strong, J. (1995). In Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.

† κακοῦργος → λῃστής.

κακοῦργος, “the one who does evil,” “the malefactor,” “the villain,” e.g.: … τάχ· ἂν κακοῖς γελῶν ἃ δὴ κακοῦργος ἐξίκοιτʼ ἀνήρ, Soph. Ai., 1042 f.; … κακοῦργος ἐρευνῆσαι, Xenoph. Cyrop., I, 2, 12. It is common in legal and popular speech, cf. Ditt. Or., II, 669, 17; P. Oxy., XII, 1408, 19; BGU, I, 325, 3; III, 935, 4.

It is used in the same sense in the LXX at Prv. 21:15; Sir. 11:33: πρόσεχε ἀπὸ κακούργου, πονηρὰ γὰρ τεκταίνει. Cf. also Jos. Ant., 1, 270.  2Grundmann, W. (1964–). κακός, ἄκακος, κακία, κακόω, κακο͂ργος, κακοήθεια, κακοποιέω, κακοποιός, ἐγκακιέω, ἀνεξίκακος. In G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley, & G. Friedrich (Eds.), Theological dictionary of the New Testament (electronic ed., Vol. 3, p. 484). Eerdmans.

Is criminal the right word? Since malefactor isn’t a common word today, let’s see what it means, according to dictionary.com.

malefactor:

    1. a person who violates the law; criminal.
      a person who does harm or evil, especially toward another.

All the definitions lead to a broad answer. A violation of the law is anything from a misdemeanor to a felony. Or the even broader range of a slap on the wrist to a felony with special circumstances. The same is true for one who does evil. Therefore, our criminal is potentially guilty of breaking any law in the books.

We don’t have a precise definition at all from the word Luke used.

Were the other two men on the crosses robbers, as in Matthew?

Were the other two men on the crosses robbers, as in Matthew?

Mt 27:38 Two robbers were crucified with him

By the way, in the 2010 NIV, the English translation of the Greek word below is rebels.

3027 ἀρχιλῃστής, λῃστής [lestes /lace·tace/] n m. From leizomai (to plunder); TDNT 4:257; TDNTA 532; GK 798 and 3334; 15 occurrences; AV translates as “thief” 11 times, and “robber” four times. 1 a robber, plunderer, freebooter, brigand. Additional Information: For synonyms see entry 2812, kleptes.See entry 5856 for comparison of synonyms.  3Strong, J. (1995). In Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.

When Jesus was crucified, and was thus punished as a political rebel against Rome, two others condemned as λῃσταί suffered with Him (Mt. 27:38 ff. and par.). The title on the cross marked Him as one of them, and indeed as one who aimed at the crown, as more or less all Zealot leaders had done from the time of the first Judas (→ 258, Mt. 27:37 and par.). His crucifixion as a λῃστής was at the request of His own people (Mt. 27:21 ff.), which decided against His Messianism and in favour of that of the Zealots, and which thus elected war against Rome and its own crucifixion instead of the peace which the Messiah of God brings (cf. Lk. 19:42 with 19:38 and 2:14; → Χριστός). How far this decision affected the judgment of Judaism on Him is nowhere more clearly seen than when Celsus calls Jesus a λῃστής and thus seeks to dismiss Him as a false Messiah.  4Rengstorf, K. H. (1964–). λῃστής. In G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley, & G. Friedrich (Eds.), Theological dictionary of the New Testament (electronic ed., Vol. 4, p. 262). Eerdmans.

λῃστής, οῦ, ὁ lȩ̄stēs robber, bandit
Mark 11:17 par. Matt 21:13 / Luke 19:46: “You have made it [my house] a den of robbers” (in which one is plundered, robbed; cf. Jer 7:11 LXX); Mark 14:48 par. Matt 26:55 / Luke 22:52: “Have you come out as against a robber … ?” Of the two robbers, who were crucified with Jesus, Mark 15:27 par. Matt 27:38; Matt 27:44. In the parable of the Samaritan mention is made of the man who “fell among robbers,” Luke 10:30, 36. In John 10:1, 8 λῃστής stands with κλέπτης (thief) and both are contrasted to ποιμήν (shepherd). John 18:40 emphasizes that Barabbas was a robber. In 2 Cor 11:26 Paul mentions “dangers from robbers.” K. H. Rengstorf, TDNT IV, 257–62; TWNT X, 1163f. (bibliography); Spicq, Notes I, 486–92.  5Balz, H. R., & Schneider, G. (1990–). In Exegetical dictionary of the New Testament (Vol. 2, pp. 351–352). Eerdmans.

As with criminals in the first passage, robbers is too generic to narrow down the scope of what it means. Maybe it’s simple robbery. But maybe it’s robbery with physical kharm, as in the Good Samaritan. Possibly even robbery with death(s) involved. Once again, there’s a very wide range of possibilities.

I used an additional source because the second one, the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, went into Jesus allegedly being sentenced to death as a political prisoner. They use evidence from sources other than the Bible itself to reach that conclusion. The idea of Jesus being a political rebel is far removed from both prophecies in the Old Testament and Jesus’ own actions and words in the Gospels. Therefore, I consider it an outlier, and difficult to justify in the full context of the Bible.

Yes, there were zealots who wanted Jesus to overthrow the Roman government, but the evidence is quite clear that was never Jesus’ intention. In fact, two passages with Jesus’ own testimony to the Roman government make the case in no uncertain terms. The second passage indicates the Romans didn’t go along with the rebellion claims either.

I put in the entire passages so you can see what transpired. Pay special attention to the underlined verses.

Jesus Before Pilate

18:29-40 pp — Mt 27:11-18, 20-23; Mk 15:2-15; Lk 23:2, 3, 18-25

Jn 18:28 Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. 29 So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?”

Jn 18:30 “If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.”

Jn 18:31 Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”
“But we have no right to execute anyone,” the Jews objected. 32 This happened so that the words Jesus had spoken indicating the kind of death he was going to die would be fulfilled.

Jn 18:33 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

Jn 18:34 “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”

Jn 18:35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”

Jn 18:36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

Jn 18:37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.
Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

Jn 18:38 “What is truth?” Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him. 39 But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?”

Jn 18:40 They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in a rebellion.

Notice three things there.

  1. Pilate asked the Jewish leaders what charges were brought against Jesus. They responded that Jesus was a criminal. More on that after the list is done.
  2. Jesus said His kingdom was not of this world. In other words, He’s not a political threat to the Romans.
  3. Pilate told the Jews that there was no basis for any charge, criminal or political, against Jesus.

Now, about that word criminal. Yes, it’s the same English word. However, it’s not the same Greek word. Instead, it’s the root word for Greek word Luke used. Both were translated as criminal. But here’s what this new Greek word meant.

2556 κακός [kakos /kak·os/] adj. Apparently a primary word; TDNT 3:469; TDNTA 391; GK 2805; 51 occurrences; AV translates as “evil” 40 times, “evil things” three times, “harm” twice, “that which is evil + 3458” twice, “wicked” once, “ill” once, “bad” once, and “noisome” once. 1 of a bad nature. 1A not such as it ought to be. 2 of a mode of thinking, feeling, acting. 2A base, wrong, wicked. 3 troublesome, injurious, pernicious, destructive, baneful.  6Strong, J. (1995). In Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.

2805 κακός (kakos), ή (ē), όν (on): adj.; ≡ DBLHebr 8273, 8288; Str 2556; TDNT 3.469—1. LN 88.106 bad (immoral), wicked, wrong (Mt 21:41); 2. LN 65.26 bad, pertaining to difficult or harsh (Lk 16:25); 3. LN 20.18 harmed, ill effects (Ac 28:5); 4. LN 72.22 incorrect, wrong (Jn 18:23)  7Swanson, J. (1997). In Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament) (electronic ed.). Logos Research Systems, Inc.

The Greek word has more of a moral context. The fact that the Jewish leaders used this word when speaking to the Romans does not indicate they were looking for a charge of rebellion against the Romans.

Furthermore, Luke’s gospel specifically says neither Herod nor Pilate accepted the rebellion argument of the zealots.

Jesus Before Pilate and Herod

22:67-71 pp — Mt 26:63-66; Mk 14:61-63; Jn 18:19-21
23:2, 3 pp — Mt 27:11-14; Mk 15:2-5; Jn 18:29-37
23:18-25 pp — Mt 27:15-26; Mk 15:6-15; Jn 18:39—19:16

Lk 22:66 At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them. 67 “If you are the Christ,’” they said, “tell us.”
Jesus answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe me, 68 and if I asked you, you would not answer. 69 But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.”
Lk 22:70 They all asked, “Are you then the Son of God?”
He replied, “You are right in saying I am.”
Lk 22:71 Then they said, “Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips.”


Lk 23:1 Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate. 2 And they began to accuse him, saying, “We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Christ, a king.”
Lk 23:3 So Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
“Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied.
Lk 23:4 Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.”
Lk 23:5 But they insisted, “He stirs up the people all over Judea by his teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here.”
Lk 23:6 On hearing this, Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean. 7 When he learned that Jesus was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.
Lk 23:8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform some miracle. 9 He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10 The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him. 11 Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate. 12 That day Herod and Pilate became friends—before this they had been enemies.
Lk 23:13 Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, 14 and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. 15 Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. 16 Therefore, I will punish him and then release him.’”

Notice, there’s no verse 17.  Some manuscripts of Luke’s Gospel include words similar to Mk 15:6 – Now it was the custom at the Feast to release a prisoner whom the people requested.

Lk 23:18 With one voice they cried out, “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!” 19 (Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.)
Lk 23:20 Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again. 21 But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
Lk 23:22 For the third time he spoke to them: “Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him.”
Lk 23:23 But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. 24 So Pilate decided to grant their demand. 25 He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will.

Let’s begin by examining the Greek word translated as subverting, as in “We have found this man subverting our nation”.

1294 διαστρέφω [diastrepho /dee·as·tref·o/] v. From 1223 and 4762; TDNT 7:717; TDNTA 1093; GK 1406; Seven occurrences; AV translates as “perverse” four times, “pervert” twice, and “turn away” once. 1 to distort, turn aside. 1A to oppose, plot against the saving purposes and plans of God. 2 to turn aside from the right path, to pervert, corrupt.  8Strong, J. (1995). In Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.

1406 διαστρέφω (diastrephō): vb.; ≡ Str 1294; TDNT 7.717—1. LN 31.71 mislead, cause to turn away from a belief (Lk 23:2+), for another interp, see next; 2. LN 88.264 pervert, cause to turn away from correct behavior (Mt 17:17; Lk 9:41; 23:2; Ac 13:10; 20:30; Php 2:15+), for another interp, see prior; 3. LN 13.46 turn away from, to cause a state of unbelief (Ac 13:8+), note: there may be overlap in the verses and entries.  9Swanson, J. (1997). In Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament) (electronic ed.). Logos Research Systems, Inc.

The reality was, back then the Romans didn’t care if Jesus was subverting the Jewish nation or not. All the Romans cared about was not having a rebellion against them.

The Jewish leaders did say, He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar. However, if the Romans perceived a problem, it probably would have already been known. After all, taxes were collected from Jews by Jews, who then gave it to their Roman masters. It’s hard to imagine problems of any consequence that weren’t already known.

Finally, the Jewish leaders finished with, claims to be Christ, a king. Since the Romans didn’t fear this charge as evidenced by earlier passages, there was no reason to act on it.

Were the other two men on the crosses robbers, as in Mark?

Were the other two men on the crosses robbers, as in Mark?

Mark 15:27 They crucified two robbers with him,

Well, at least we can keep this one simple. The Greek word used in Mark is exactly the same as the one used by Matthew.

Were the other two men on the crosses transgressors, as in Luke?

Were the other two men on the crosses transgressors, as in Luke?

Lk 22:37 It is written: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors’; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment.”

459 ἄνομος [anomos /an·om·os/] adj. From 1 (as a negative particle) and 3551; TDNT 4:1086; TDNTA 646; GK 491; 10 occurrences; AV translates as “without law” four times, “transgressor” twice, “wicked” twice, “lawless” once, and “unlawful” once. 1 destitute of (the Mosaic) law. 1A of the Gentiles. 2 departing from the law, a violator of the law, lawless, wicked.  10Strong, J. (1995). In Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.

1406 διαστρέφω (diastrephō): vb.; ≡ Str 1294; TDNT 7.717—1. LN 31.71 mislead, cause to turn away from a belief (Lk 23:2+), for another interp, see next; 2. LN 88.264 pervert, cause to turn away from correct behavior (Mt 17:17; Lk 9:41; 23:2; Ac 13:10; 20:30; Php 2:15+), for another interp, see prior; 3. LN 13.46 turn away from, to cause a state of unbelief (Ac 13:8+), note: there may be overlap in the verses and entries.  11Swanson, J. (1997). In Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament) (electronic ed.). Logos Research Systems, Inc.

We have something very general. However, it does narrow things down to a focus on turning away from, transgressions related to the Jewish Law.

Were the other two men on the crosses transgressors, as in Isaiah?

Were the other two men on the crosses transgressors, as in Isaiah?

Is 53:12 was numbered with the transgressors.

6586 פָּשַׁע [pashaʿ /paw·shah/] v. A primitive root [identical with 6585 through the idea of expansion]; TWOT 1846; GK 7321; 41 occurrences; AV translates as “transgress” 17 times, “transgressor” nine times, “rebelled” six times, “revolt” six times, “offended” once, “transgression” once, and “trespassed” once. 1 to rebel, transgress, revolt. 1A (Qal). 1A1 to rebel, revolt. 1A2 to transgress. 1B (Niphal) to be rebelled against.  12Strong, J. (1995). In Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.

This is very general. Impossible to narrow down.

However, since this is one verse out of Old Testament prophecy, the surrounding verses in the passage give incredible context. There’s no disputing what this is about.

The Suffering and Glory of the Servant

Isa 52:13 See, my servant will act wisely;
he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.

Isa 52:14 Just as there were many who were appalled at him—
his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man
and his form marred beyond human likeness—

Isa 52:15 so will he sprinkle many nations,
and kings will shut their mouths because of him.
For what they were not told, they will see,
and what they have not heard, they will understand.

Isa 53:1 Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

Isa 53:2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

Isa 53:3 He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Isa 53:4 Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.

Isa 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.

Isa 53:6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

Isa 53:7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.

Isa 53:8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
And who can speak of his descendants?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was stricken.

Isa 53:9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.

Isa 53:10 Yet it was the LORD’S will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.

Isa 53:11 After the suffering of his soul,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.

Isa 53:12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.

This is about Jesus as the One who will pay the price for the sins of God’s people. And what are those sins? They are transgressions from The Law. From God’s Law. And with that context, we can now know everything we need to know about the other two men on the crosses with Jesus.

Am I going to tell you now? Sorry. Hopefully you know. But it’s coming later if you’re not sure.

Another piece of the puzzle – who got crucified?

One other useful piece of information has to do with why people were crucified – as opposed to some other form of punishment by death.  It had to do with their low social status.

Finally – notice there was one man on Jesus’ right, and the other on His left.

With these things in mind – let’s look deeper into how these two men can represent all of us.

The other two men – One on the right, the other on the left.

One on the right. The other on the left. Does that sound familiar? It should.

The Sheep and the Goats

Mt 25:31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

Mt 25:34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

Mt 25:37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

Mt 25:40 “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

Mt 25:41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

Mt 25:44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

Mt 25:45 “He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

Mt 25:46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

One on the right.  The other on the left.

The sheep on His right.  The goats on His left.

The ones on the right are given the inheritance of the kingdom prepared for them.  The ones on the left are told to depart.

By the way, that’s just like all of us. Each of us will either be on the right or on the left. There are no other possibilities.

Low social status

Righteousness Through Faith

Ro 3:21 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

Ro 3:27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. 28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. 29 Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30 since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

We all fall short of the glory of God.  

Compared to Him – we are all of an incredibly low “social” status.  Whether we are a thief, a murderer, or something else – we compared to Jesus, we are no different from each other.

The words of the men

A Tree and Its Fruit

Mt 7:15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Mt 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”

It’s not what we say that matters. It’s whether we truly followed Jesus. Followed Jesus in a way that’s evident and has something to show. For more on that thought, please see Are we supposed to Believe God, Believe in God or Follow God?

Are the other two men on the crosses really us?

Amazing as it may seem, these two men really do stand for each of us.

Let me tie this together, in case you haven’t quite seen it.

I think the right & the left – as well as the low social status should be obvious enough.

The words though – they also cover all of us.

“Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!”

This is the person who knows who Jesus is – and has rejected Him.  Pretty straightforward.

“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’”  

 This is the one that’s maybe not so obvious.

The man who said “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’” is told, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” 

But I think there are some “mysteries” behind Jesus’ response.

First – we don’t know what this person did.  But in order to get the response that he did from Jesus, there had to be at least a mustard seed size faith within the man.  Consider the passage below. It took place after Jesus’ resurrection and before He returned to Heaven. He spoke the words to the eleven remaining disciples. Remember, Judas killed himself. Check out the underlined words.

Mk 16:15 … “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

There is also belief. Faith.  The words by themselves don’t necessarily mean anything.  It’s what is in the heart that matters.  Jesus knew what was in this man’s heart when he asked to be remembered.  Implicit in this remembrance was forgiveness.

Someone saying these same words, while believing in their hearts that Jesus wouldn’t save them – maybe because what they did was too bad to be forgiven – would have the words, but not the faith.  Would they have received the same answer?  I don’t believe so. Otherwise, there’s a reward for lying to God. I cannot believe that.

And maybe that’s why the Bible doesn’t say what these men did.  It certainly would have been easy enough to put it in.  

The problem then would be that a line of sorts would have been drawn in the sand.  Anything worse than what the forgiven man did, might have been considered unforgivable.  For instance, if he was identified unequivocally as a thief, some would say that a murderer would not have received the same response from Jesus.  Had he been identified unequivocally as a murderer, some would say that a mass murderer would not have received the same response.  And on and on.  No matter what was identified, someone would come up with something worse, and say that Jesus would not have forgiven that person.

The Bible makes it clear there is only one unforgivable sin. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Therefore, any sin other than that one is forgivable. Not automatically forgiven, but forgivable. The other two men on the crosses with Jesus showed us that.

There’s one final thing to point out here. Way back in Isaiah, God set the stage for Jesus to be crucified with others. Other transgressors. The other two men on the crosses. So it wasn’t just by accident or a coincidence that they were there. It was for us. Planned for us by God, who wants to save us.

But do we want to be saved? Which one of those two guys do we want to be?

Conclusion – Who were the other two men on the crosses?

Consider these verses about faith –

The Healing of a Boy With an Evil Spirit – Mark

9:14-28; 30-32 pp — Mt 17:14-19; 22, 23; Lk 9:37-45

…

Mk 9:23 “ ‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.”

Mk 9:24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

…

And

Sin, Faith, Duty

…

Lk 17:5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

Lk 17:6 He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.

…

How is your faith?

There’s one final thing to point out here. Way back in Isaiah, God set the stage for Jesus to be crucified with others. Other transgressors. The other two men on the crosses. So it wasn’t just by accident or a coincidence that they were there. It was for us. Planned for us by God, who wants to save us.

But do we want to be saved? Which one of those two guys do we want to be?

Image by Ambroz from Pixabay

Footnotes

  • 1
    Strong, J. (1995). In Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.
  • 2
    Grundmann, W. (1964–). κακός, ἄκακος, κακία, κακόω, κακο͂ργος, κακοήθεια, κακοποιέω, κακοποιός, ἐγκακιέω, ἀνεξίκακος. In G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley, & G. Friedrich (Eds.), Theological dictionary of the New Testament (electronic ed., Vol. 3, p. 484). Eerdmans.
  • 3
    Strong, J. (1995). In Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.
  • 4
    Rengstorf, K. H. (1964–). λῃστής. In G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley, & G. Friedrich (Eds.), Theological dictionary of the New Testament (electronic ed., Vol. 4, p. 262). Eerdmans.
  • 5
    Balz, H. R., & Schneider, G. (1990–). In Exegetical dictionary of the New Testament (Vol. 2, pp. 351–352). Eerdmans.
  • 6
    Strong, J. (1995). In Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.
  • 7
    Swanson, J. (1997). In Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament) (electronic ed.). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
  • 8
    Strong, J. (1995). In Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.
  • 9
    Swanson, J. (1997). In Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament) (electronic ed.). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
  • 10
    Strong, J. (1995). In Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.
  • 11
    Swanson, J. (1997). In Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament) (electronic ed.). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
  • 12
    Strong, J. (1995). In Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.

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