And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
This verse comes from the Gospel of Luke's account of the crucifixion of Jesus, where he was executed by Roman authorities alongside two criminals. Both criminals were dying on crosses beside Jesus. Luke records that one mocked Jesus, but the other rebuked him and turned to Jesus with this single, desperate request: "Remember me when you come into your kingdom." The man had no time, no ability to make amends, no way to do anything at all — he was dying. Jesus responds immediately, promising him paradise that very day. It is the shortest conversion story in the entire Bible, and one of the most extraordinary statements Jesus ever made.
Jesus, I am more like that thief than I usually want to admit — coming to you with nothing earned and nothing impressive to show. Thank you that "remember me" was enough. Help me to stop striving for what you have already freely given, and teach me to rest in the miracle of being known by you. Amen.
No sermon. No sinner's prayer rehearsed in a pew. No years of trying to be better. Just a dying man, in agony, with absolutely nothing left to offer, asking to be remembered. And Jesus says yes — immediately, completely, without hesitation. If you want to understand what the Christian faith is actually built on at its foundation, this might be the clearest picture in all four Gospels. It is not built on effort, credentials, or accumulated virtue. It is built on this: a name spoken in desperation, and a God who answers. The thief couldn't be baptized. He couldn't go home and make things right. He couldn't tithe or serve or show up next Sunday to prove he meant it. He had nothing left to give — and that turned out to be no obstacle at all. That should quietly unsettle any system of spiritual achievement we've constructed around ourselves. And it should reach anyone who feels like they've blown it past the point of return, that it's been too long or they've gone too far. The man on the cross had no leverage. He didn't ask for justice — he knew better than that. He just asked to be remembered. And somehow, impossibly, wonderfully, that was enough.
The thief asks only to be "remembered" — not forgiven, not saved, not given a second chance. What does that particular word choice tell you about what he understood about who Jesus was, even from a cross?
This story offers no opportunity for the thief to do anything after his request — no repentance tour, no restitution, no changed life visible to anyone. Does that challenge or comfort the way you think about the relationship between faith and works?
Some people feel they have done too much, waited too long, or wandered too far for faith to still be available to them. What would you say to that person, drawing specifically from this story?
The thief's request was deeply personal and relational — "remember me." How does thinking of your relationship with God in terms of a person who remembers and knows you change the way you pray or approach him?
Is there someone in your life right now who feels too far gone — from God, from you, from any kind of hope? How might this story shape the way you engage with them?
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Romans 10:9
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
Matthew 7:8
Remember me, O LORD, with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people: O visit me with thy salvation;
Psalms 106:4
These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
1 John 5:13
And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
1 John 5:11
Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
1 Corinthians 6:10
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
Acts 16:31
How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
Romans 10:14
And he was saying, "Jesus, [please] remember me when You come into Your kingdom!"
AMP
And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
ESV
And he was saying, 'Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!'
NASB
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
NIV
Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”
NKJV
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”
NLT
Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you enter your kingdom."
MSG