The Good Thief was on one side and the Bad Thief on the other. Even right up to the end, Jesus found himself in the tension of opposing forces that were tugging at him… one understanding exactly who he was, the other tempting and taunting him.

One showing reverence, humility, and deference… understanding that being in the presence of divinity is not something you take lightly. Another, challenging him, saying: ‘if you really are who you say you are, then save yourself and us’.

Opposing forces. Total and complete opposites. And there is a great tension between them.

It seems that just about every character in the Gospel falls into one of these two categories: some are Good, while others are Bad. 

The apostles were Good.

The Pharisees were Bad.

The people who were healed by Jesus… Good.

The Roman centurions… Bad.

And so on…

I’d like to suggest, however, that we put aside this black and white characterization for a moment and consider that we all have a Good Thief and a Bad Thief inside of us. And that Jesus is right there, situated in the tension of those opposites, just as he was all throughout his life. He is the mediator, the one in the middle within us, just as he was when he was hanging there in the middle of those crucifixes on top of that hill.

The Good Thief in me wants to believe, to give myself fully to Christ, to surrender to his will and to trust, to stop chasing all the things that consume me, and to become a true and worthy disciple. But the Bad Thief in me wants what he wants. He knows better, but still he keeps on doubting, hiding, rejecting, betraying, and thieving. 

Is there a Good Thief inside of you? Is there a Bad Thief?

I recently heard that elephants in the circus are trained to never run away by chaining them to stakes in the ground when they are very young. They’re not strong enough to escape. As they grow up though, they become easily strong enough to just walk away, pulling up the stake as they go. But, they don’t know they can do that. They believe in their hearts that they are chained to an unmovable stake.

The Bad Thief in us is chained to a stake. What are the stakes in your life that you are chained to and from which you struggle to escape?

Jesus understands this tension. He knows it all too well.

Perhaps, more than anything else, he showed us that we can be free. Fully free. He did not have to die on a crucifix, but by doing so and then returning to us alive, he showed that there is no stake in the ground that can ever hold us fast, that can ever keep us chained. 

Because of him, we can be free.