The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.” There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the jews. One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

–Parallel verses:
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭13‬:‭31‬-‭32‬
[Jesus speaking]
He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

Acts‬ ‭4‬:‭11‬-‭12‬
[Peter speaking to the Jewish rulers]
Jesus is “ ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

Sometimes during times when the world around us seems to fall apart, it requires extra focus to stay on mission. We must ignore the world and its chaos and focus on the mission God has before us. This seems to be what Jesus did here. As he is dying on his cross, in agonizing pain, he is still “on mission” for God. He is looking for those who he can save on his rescue mission.

Some throw out rude jokes about him and others send him twisted gifts (while his body needs water, they send him vinegar). Amidst the torture and pain of his crucifixion, Jesus was still looking and focused on his mission field. We see this in his forgiveness of those who beat him and insulted him and had him crucified earlier; and now we see it in the interaction he had with the criminal on the cross.

And we learn some important things by his confirmation of salvation to the criminal on the cross: 1) No one has done too many wrong things or messed up so badly to be beyond salvation by Jesus. 2) Salvation does not come through good works. It comes through faith in Jesus. 3) When we let go of our pride and the desire to control our own lives and we submit to Jesus in faith (asking for his help) … he saves us!

God’s kingdom is like a man who planted a mustard seed. He took the small seed and planted it, but later it grew into a very large tree. It is the same with our faith. A small amount of pure faith in Jesus grows into a powerful and massive faith over time.

When our faith is built on God’s Chosen Cornerstone, Jesus Christ – it has a SUPER-FIRM FOUNDATION! Nothing can move it or make it falter. He is the only one who can save us on earth and into eternity with God in heaven.

So when I find myself in real tough spots, I should recognize that I am still on mission and my impact for Jesus will only amplify as a result of the challenges.

Lord Jesus, thank you for modeling a complete focus on your God-given rescue mission to save us! Take my faith, small as it is, and grow it in your garden of truth and love. I want to be a faith-powered source for good in this world!