The Great Commentary of Cornelius a Lapide: S. Luke
Chapter 23
Ver. 39. — And one of the malefactors which were hanged — (this one, according to tradition, hung on the left hand of Christ) — railed on Him , saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
If thou be the Christ, and Saviour of the world, save Thyself and us, free us from the cross and restore us to life and liberty. Christ chose to undergo the most bitter sufferings from all classes, and to be mocked and blasphemed, not only by the scribes and Jews, but even by the robber, the companion of His punishment. This made His trial the more hard ; for the robber ought to have suffered with Christ and to have taken thought for the salvation of his soul, and to have begged it of Christ ; as we also should beg that we may be quiet under scoffs, derisions, and insults, and be patient in mind and silent in speech.
Ver. 40. — But the other (who is said to have hung on the right side) answering rebuked him. The Syriac says, “ Dost thou not fear, no, not even from God ” (etiam, non, a Deo, non times tu) ? — that is, the scribes and Jews are well and strong and do not fear God, and therefore scoff at Christ; but thou, who art tormented on the cross, oughtest to fear Him, lest He punish thee severely, for blaspheming His Christ so sacrilegiously. This robber showed that he not only feared God himself, for “the beginning of wisdom ” (and salvation) “is the fear of the Lord” (Ecclus. i. 16), but he also exhorted his companion to the same fear. That is, Let the Jews mock at Christ ; we ought to fear God, because we are in the same condemnation — the punishment of the cross, to which we are justly condemned. But Christ, who was innocent, was so condemned unjustly. Again, we should rather compassionate a companion in punishment, especially if innocent, than reproach him ; because we ought to prepare ourselves for death and the judgment of God, where we shall give account for our blasphemy and undergo the heavy punishment of Gehenna. In his words, “ Dost thou not fear God?” he seems to allude to Christ and to confess Him to be God. As if he had said, “ Fear thou the retribution of Christ, whom thou blasphemest, for He is not only man but God also.” For, that he believed this from Christ’s illumination we shall shortly see. So S. Ambrose, and Eusebius, whose words I will produce.
Ver. 41. — And we indeed justly ; for we receive the due reward of our deeds. This was an act of profound and public confession, contrition , and repentance, by which he expiated his former sins.
But this man hath done nothing amiss . The Greek is ἄτοπον, which means out of harmony, unbecoming, incongruous, nothing worthy of the slightest blame or reprehension. Lo ! a free and public confession of, and testimony to, the innocence of Christ, given before the scribes and rulers, who had condemned Him, fearing nothing.
Ver. 42. — And he said unto Jesus , Lord, remember me when thou comest into Thy kingdom . “ The heavenly and divine kingdom, to which Thou passest through the death of the cross, that shortly Thou mayest enter into it by death, and bring into it Thine elect. Wherefore I beseech Thee to bring me also into it with Thyself, and I implore of Thee pardon for all sinners, for whom I very greatly grieve. I offer to Thee, moreover, the torments of this cross, and the death upon it which I willingly undergo. To this end, I wholly resign, dedicate, and consecrate myself to Thee; I would that it were given to me to suffer these and still other torments for Thy faith and love.” These words show his living and ardent faith, hope, love, humility, patience, contrition, and other virtues.
Moraliter . Learn from this the strength, efficacy, and swiftness of the grace of Christ, by which, from the cross itself, He made a man holy, most holy. Wonderful was the conversion of S. M. Magdalene — wonderful that of S. Paul, but much more wonderful this of the thief. For S. Mary had witnessed the words and miracles of Christ ; and S. Paul had felt Him strike him from heaven ; but the thief on the very cross, where Christ was suffering the infamous and atrocious death of a criminal, was converted to Him by heroic acts of faith, love, devotion, &c.
SS. Jerome, Chrysostom, Theophylact, Euthymius, on S. Matt xxvii., Cyril of Jerusalem in his Catechetical Lectures, xiii., Origen, Tract xxxv. on S. Matt, say that this thief had first blasphemed Christ with his companion, for SS. Matt and Mark say in the plural “ the thieves reproached Him,” though SS. Augustine, Epiphanius, Anselm and others think, like Suarez, with more probability , the contrary. These think that one of them was called “ the thieves ” by synecdoche, for S. Luke says that one blasphemed and the other confessed. If one of them blasphemed first, so much the greater miracle that conversion by which he suddenly changed blasphemy into the confession and praise of Christ.
This change of the thief was “ the right hand of the High One ” (Ps. cxviii. 15, 16; dextera Excelsi). It may be asked by what means he was converted. I reply, 1. Outwardly, by the example of the virtues which he discerned in Christ, namely, His singular love, by which he heard Him praying for His enemies, His patience, fortitude, religion, and all virtues. So Theophylact and Euthymius , c. 67, on S. Matt. 2. Inwardly, by the rare and almost miraculous motion and representation of God, by which he knew Christ to be innocent and the King of a higher kingdom and the supreme Lord, in whose power it was to make even a dead man happy ; and therefore that He was the Messiah, the Son of God and the Saviour of the world. So S. Leo (Serm. ii. de Pass.) : “ What exhortation persuaded him to the faith? What teaching instilled it? What preacher kindled it? He had not seen the miracles performed previously ; the healing of the sick had ceased ; the giving of sight to the blind, the recalling of the dead to life, the things that were about to happen had not taken place yet, and he still confesses Christ to be the Lord, whom he saw to be a partaker of his own suffering. Hence came this gift, hence this faith received its answer.” Observe the above words, “the things that were about to happen had not taken place yet,” for they seem silently to reprove those of S. Jerome, on chap, xxvii. S. Matt., “ When the sun disappeared, and the earth was moved, and the rocks were rent, and the darkness rushed down, one thief began to believe and to confess Christ.” This opinion of S. Jerome is stated by S. Chrysostom almost in the same words, in his second Homily “ On the Cross and the Thief,” and by Origen, in tract 34 on S. Matt.
But it is wonderful that these Fathers did not see that this assertion was at variance with the Gospel, because, except the darkness, the other signs happened after the death of Christ, as is clear from the gospel of S. Luke, whilst it is plain from the same gospel that the thief was converted whilst Christ was alive ; for the cessation of the sun’s light, and the darkness are related by S. Luke after the conversion of the thief. S. Cyril teaches the same as S. Leo ( Cat. Lect. xiii.) saying, “What virtue illuminated thee, O thief? Who taught thee to love contempt, and that, when thou wast affixed to the cross ? O light undying, lighting the darkness ! ” S. Augustine follows out at length the same idea ( Serm . xiii. de Temp.); S. Chrysostom (Hom. de Latrone , and Serm . 1 de Cruce et Latrone ). Suarez also ; who adds that it was possible that the thief, before he was imprisoned, may have heard Christ preach, or have seen His miracles, or heard of them, and, perhaps, have believed in Him. S. Vincentius, in his Sermon on the Good Thief, says, that he was converted by the shadow of Christ, when the sun in its decline, and the shadow of the cross, touched him. So the shadow of S. Peter healed the sick. Acts iii. Others add that the virgin stood in the midst, between the thief and Christ, and obtained this grace for him, and that Christ showed Himself to him when he was dying, as truly crucified, as they who are crucified are shown to the people. Add, that he saw the heavens and the earth darkened, and the day changed into night, because of the Cross and death of its Creator.
The extraordinary holiness of this thief appears from his great faith, hope, and love. Faith by which he believed in Christ as the king of kings, though he saw him as the vilest of men, nay as a crucified thief. Hope, by which he sought from Christ to be admitted into His kingdom. Love, by which he rebuked the blasphemy of his companion. He openly confessed, and defended the innocence of Christ against the Jews and His most bitter enemies, when all the others, even the Apostles themselves, fled for fear and deserted Him. His confession, therefore, was heroic. S. Greg, (xviii. Moral, chap. 13): “On the cross, the nails fastened his hands and feet, and nothing of him remained free from punishment, but his heart and tongue. God inspired him to offer the whole to Him, of that which he found free in himself, to believe with his heart to righteousness , and to confess with his lips to salvation. In the hearts of the faithful there are, as the Apostle testifies, three chief virtues, faith, hope, and charity, all of which the thief, filled with sudden grace, both received and preserved on the cross.”
S. Augustine ( Serm . de Feria 3, Of the Pasch ; and Book 1 On the Soul and its Origin, chap. 9) : “ To this faith I know not what can be added. If they trembled who saw Christ raise the dead, he believed who saw Him hanging with himself on the cross. Assuredly Christ found not so great faith in Israel, nay, in the whole world.