I’ve always been fascinated by the fact that Jesus wasn’t the only one hanging on a cross that fateful day – two others shared His gruesome fate. Their stories, though kinda overshadowed by Jesus’, hold some pretty interesting insights into why His death and resurrection were such a big deal. Took me some digging through the Bible to really get a sense of who they were, but, honestly, the more I read, the more I realized their tales were full of twists and turns that aren’t immediately obvious…
Top 5 Bible Verses About Who Died With Jesus
Personally, I was searching for answers too, that’s why I dived headfirst into scripture – it’s amazing what you can find when you take the time to look.
Here’s a photo that, honestly, kind of puts everything into perspective for me… These few bible verses I found, they’re like pieces of a puzzle, slotting in together, and giving me a better understanding of what actually went down.
Picture by BibleBreathe.com about Who Died With Jesus
The Crucifixion of Jesus – A Story That Still Haunts Me
The Stuff That Went Down Before They Crucified Him
I vaguely recall reading about this Jesus dude who got crucified and always wondered – who were those unlucky folks that got crucified alongside him? Anyways, I dived deeper and found out that what led up to the whole crucifixion shebang was just as important.
Apparently, the night before, Jesus got sold out by some guy named Judas and the Roman authorities took him in. Then, they hauled him over to this high priest Caiaphas’ pad, where they put him on trial, or whatever.
The Bible goes like this,
“And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?” (Matthew 26:62, KJV).
Jesus kept quiet ’cause he knew his fate was pretty much sealed, you know?
They Crucify Him
Okay, so Jesus is led to the cross, and there’s these two thieves – the “two malefactors” or whatever the Bible calls ’em. One of ’em suddenly feels bad and asks Jesus if he could look out for him when he gets to heaven or something.
The Bible says,
“And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43, KJV).
This part gets me – it’s like Jesus was still full of love even when he’s suffering and stuff.
These two thieves kinda get overlooked, but they’re just regular people with their flaws and all, just like us, and that’s who Jesus died next to.
The Crucifixion Is Like, a Big Deal for Christians
The whole Jesus-getting-crucified thing is like, super important in Christianity – God’s son died to take away humanity’s sins. The apostle Paul said it pretty well,
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16, KJV).
It’s just, God loves us, like, a lot, and the crucifixion reminds us just how far he’s willing to go to save us and all.
My Take on the Two Thieves Crucified with Jesus
Trying to Make Sense of the Biblical Account
I was just thinking about the whole Jesus crucifixion thing, and those two thieves that were right there with Him kinda stuck out to me.
You don’t really hear much about them, but it’s like, they’re actually pretty important to the story.
It says in the Bible:
“And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death.” (Luke 23:32, KJV).
Apparently, these guys were some kinda thieves or robbers – who knows, maybe they stole food to survive or something – anyway, they were about to die right next to Jesus.
What Really Gets Me is How Those Thieves Reacted to Jesus
This is the wild part: those two thieves had some serious differences in how they responded to Jesus.
One dude straight up mocks Him, saying,
“If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.” (Luke 23:39, KJV).
But the other one pretty much tells him to shut up, saying,
“Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.” (Luke 23:40-41, KJV).
That second thief – he seems like the more self-aware one, ya know? He recognizes Jesus didn’t do anything wrong.
Trying to Wrap My Head Around the Theology of It All
This story is seriously deeper than you’d think.
It’s all about choices, man – do we go with Jesus, or reject Him like that first thief?
I mean, C.S. Lewis put it pretty straightforward:
“There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, in the end, ‘Thy will be done.'”
Those two thieves are basically those two types of people – rejected or accepted. It’s crazy how our choices have real, actual consequences that last forever.
My Encounter with the Two Thieves
Photo modified by BibleBreathe.com. Original photo by Mario Amaral on Unsplash
Uncovering the Identities of the Thieves
I was digging into the story of the two thieves that were crucified alongside Jesus and this one thing kept popping into my head – we don’t know their names from the Bible. But, somehow, through tradition and whatnot, we got to know them as Dismas, the so-called ‘good thief’ and Gestas, the ‘not-so-good’ one.
Getting to Know the Thieves – Were They Revolutionaries?
Now, there’s a bunch of historians out there who claim that those two might not’ve been your run-of-the-mill thieves – they could’ve been rebels fighting the Romans. It’s no secret that the Romans loved to crucify folks who rose up against ’em. If that’s the case, it kinda flips the story on its head, doesn’t it? Maybe those two were in it for the cause, not just for themselves.
The Deal with the Thieves Not Getting a Name in the Bible
The Bible just says,
“And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left.” (Mark 15:27, KJV).
But the fact we don’t get to know their names – that’s on purpose, I reckon. The focus is on Jesus and what he went through. These two guys were just… there, standing in for humanity, demonstrating how Jesus was different. His entire vibe was innocence and righteousness – and those thieves just kinda served as a backdrop.
In the end, the whole naming business is pretty inconsequential, when you think about it. It’s all about the choices those dudes made – one tried to make amends and showed faith; the other just chose not to give a damn, I suppose. Then there’s this one time when Jesus said,
“Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43, KJV).
And for some reason, those words hit close to home – maybe ’cause we’re all kinda like one of those two guys. Redemption’s always on the table if you want it.
My Take on What Went Down between Jesus and the Thieves
What Jesus Said to the Thieves
Reflecting on the crucifixion, I’m still trying to wrap my head around the conversations Jesus had with the thieves hanging next to him – I mean, it’s kinda mind-blowing.
I reckon one of the thieves, totally consumed by desperation, lashes out at Jesus, saying, “If thou be Christ, save thyself and us” (Luke 23:39, KJV).
The other thief, who I’ll call the “penitent thief,” basically tells his mate to shut it and then asks Jesus for mercy – which, I gotta say, takes guts.
The Thief’s Plea for Mercy
The Bible says it like this:
“Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom” (Luke 23:42, KJV).
This request, simple as it is, speaks straight to our deepest human desires: being seen, heard, and remembered – pretty basic, yet profound stuff.
The thief, in his final moments, turned to Jesus, hoping for some kinda salvation – I mean, who wouldn’t, right?
Why Jesus’ Response to the Thief Matters
What Jesus says back is straight-up breathtaking.
“Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43, KJV).
In that instant, Jesus gives the thief the ultimate game-changer: forgiveness and salvation – talk about a 180.
Pondering the exchange between Jesus and the thieves, it hits me that it’s never too late to ask for forgiveness and start anew.
Just like the thief, who managed to snag redemption at the last minute, we can find hope in Jesus too, regardless of our situation.
What the Deaths of the Thieves Really Mean
Comparing How the Thieves and Jesus Died
Looking back at Good Friday, it’s striking how differently the deaths of Jesus and the two thieves played out – I mean, they were all crucified, but that’s pretty much where the similarities end.
Those two thieves, the Bible says they
“one on the right hand, and the other on the left” (Luke 23:33, KJV),
basically got what was coming to ’em – it’s kinda clear they did some messed-up stuff and had to pay the price. On the other hand, Jesus was in a whole different league, never having done a thing wrong in his life and, according to the Scripture,
“bare our sins in his own body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24, KJV).
So, like, in his case, his death wasn’t some kind of judgment – he wasn’t being punished for anything he’d done – but a deliberate sacrifice to save our butts from all the stuff we’d messed up.
The Symbolism of Those Thieves
Throughout Christian history, folks have interpreted the whole thief thing in all sorts of ways. Some people think those thieves stand for two ways people can go in life – one representing folks who, like that first thief, told Jesus off, basically rejecting God; and the other representing folks who try to follow God, like the other thief who begged Jesus for mercy.
So in a way, those thieves on the cross become kinda like our possible spiritual selves or something – it’s like, will we go against God, or seek Him out, hoping for his forgiveness? I think that makes sense.
Something C.S. Lewis said sticks out,
“There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, in the end, ‘Thy will be done'”.
What it all means Theologically
If we start thinking about this stuff theologically, we start to see how the idea of “substitutionary atonement” comes in. I mean, Jesus dying wasn’t some random tragedy; it was like this planned, thought-through thing, aimed at taking care of the fact that we were guilty and we deserved some kind of punishment for our wrongdoings.
And the fact that those thieves died the way they did (by their side) also kinda backs up the Bible saying we would all die because we sinned, and that there had to be a price for redemption. As it is said in the Bible,
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23, KJV).
The thief situation serves to remind us how fundamental this life can be, placing right in front of our faces that really rough understanding of how God loves without condition to the degree that He has no qualms giving the most valuable person to save us all.
The Burial of the Thieves
The Biblical Account of the Thieves’ Burial
Thinking back on the stuff that went down before Jesus died, I find myself wondering about them two thieves that got crucified with Him. Their bodies was probably taken down from the cross and tossed in some common grave or other. I mean, the Bible doesn’t say exactly what happened to ’em, but it’s likely that’s what went down.
The Bible says,
“And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose” (Matthew 27:52, KJV).
Now, this don’t specifically mention the thieves, but it gives us an idea of what might of happened to ’em after they bit the dust.
The Significance of the Thieves’ Burial in Christian Tradition
In the Christian tradition, them thieves’ burial is often seen as like, a symbol of how different their fate was from Jesus’. I mean, the thieves got chucked in some common grave, but Jesus, He got a proper burial from this rich dude, Joseph of Arimathea. He was a follower of Jesus and wanted to show his respect.
As the Bible says,
“When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus’ disciple” (Matthew 27:57, KJV).
What Joseph did, it shows the respect and all that Jesus deserved, even after He died.
The Contrast Between the Thieves’ Burial and Jesus’ Burial
It’s pretty wild when you think about the difference between them thieves’ burial and Jesus’. I mean, the thieves was buried in obscurity, like no one even remembers ’em now, but Jesus, He got this heroic burial, like He was some kinda king or something.
As Dietrich Bonhoeffer, this German theologian dude, once said,
“The difference between the dying thief and the crucified Christ is not one of moral behavior, but of attitude towards the future, towards the absolute future.”
This quote, it’s like… it shows how different them thieves’ fate was from Jesus’. The thieves was defined by the stuff they did wrong in the past, but Jesus, He was looking towards the future, all confident and stuff about His resurrection and how He was gonna conquer death and all.
In the end, them thieves’ burial is like a reminder of how sweet the gift of salvation is that Jesus offers us. When we think about Good Friday and all that, let’s remember the difference between the thieves’ fate and Jesus’, and let’s be all grateful for the hope of eternal life that Jesus gives us, ya know?
What Do You Think?
What’s your interpretation of this verse? Drop a comment and let’s get into its full meaning. Your insights could lead to an interesting discussion!
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Frequently Asked Questions About Who Died With Jesus
Who were the two thieves crucified with Jesus?
To be honest, thinking about those two guys kinda puts me in a somber mood. They’re referred to as robbers or rebels in the Bible – one of ’em showed some remorse and believed in Jesus, whereas the other just mocked Him, and you can tell he’d long since given up on being a good person.
What were the names of the men crucified with Jesus?
I was reading about this the other day… so the Bible says there’s these two thieves, one on either side of Jesus on the cross. Now, people have kinda given ’em the names Dismas and Gestas over time, but if you actually read the Bible, it doesn’t mention their names – just what they did.
Who died on the cross with Jesus and what were their stories?
It’s pretty intense, thinking about it… so you got these two thieves, often called Dismas and Gestas like I mentioned, and they’re right there with Jesus on the cross. One of ’em has this moment of clarity, is all ‘Jesus didn’t do anything wrong’, and Jesus is all ‘You’re gonna be just fine, buddy’, but the other dude? He’s just being super cruel, even in his last moments – it’s a pretty wild contrast.
Matt Turner
I’m Matt, and I love breaking down Bible verses in a way that’s easy to understand and apply to everyday life. My goal is to help you connect with God’s Word and find practical ways to live it out. Whether you’re new to the Bible or just looking for some fresh insights, I’m here to walk with you and share what I’ve learned along the way.