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b'I\\u2019m a people watcher who loves hanging out at restaurants, observing the crowd around me. As people pass by, I wonder who they are and sometimes try to guess their story. I do the same with Bible characters\\u2014so many of their stories seem far too incomplete.\\nThere were two criminals crucified at the same time as Jesus, and Luke records their brief interaction. The one who interests me isn\\u2019t the one who was promised paradise with Jesus; it\\u2019s the other guy. Luke reveals the man was yelling insults at Jesus, quoting the man saying, \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Aren\\u2019t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d (Luke 23:39).\\nThose were bold words coming from a man on the cusp of death. Clearly, he had heard of Jesus and the rumor of Him being the Messiah. But why hurl insults? His angry comments were so offensive the criminal was rebuked not by Jesus\\u2026but by the other criminal.\\nThere is so much we don\\u2019t know. The man\\u2019s name, crime, background, age, and family are all left unspoken. We assume both criminals died at some point, and most assume one criminal will see Jesus in paradise and the other won\\u2019t.\\nI hold out hope for the angry criminal\\u2014hope that he watched the man who received the promise of eternal life in Jesus and had a last-moment change of heart. It could have happened. Such is the nature of salvation. We are saved not by good works but by belief in the work of Christ on the cross. \\u2022 Mike Hurley\\n\\u2022 Is salvation really so simple as trusting in the work of Christ? (Check out our \\u201cKnow Jesus\\u201d page for more information.) \\n\\u2022 Why do you think Luke didn\\u2019t record any other details about the two criminals? \\n\\u2022 Read Ephesians 2:8-9. Why is it important that salvation from sin and death isn\\u2019t based on what we do? \\nFor it is by grace you have been saved, through faith\\u2014and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God\\u2014not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\nLuke 23:39-43'