The Spirit of God illuminated the mind of this criminal, who took hold of Christ by faith, and, link after link, the chain of evidence that Jesus was the Messiah was joined together, until the suffering victim, in like condemnation with himself, stood forth before him as the Son of God. While the leading Jews deny him, and even the disciples doubt his divinity, the poor thief, upon the brink of eternity, at the close of his probation, calls Jesus his Lord! Many were ready to call him Lord when he wrought miracles, and also after he had risen from the grave; but none called him Lord as he hung dying upon the cross, save the penitent thief, who was saved at the eleventh hour. {3SP 158.2}

Guds Ånd oplyste denne forbryders sjæl. Han omfattede Kristus i tro, og led efter led i den kæde af begivenheder, som bar vidnesbyrd om, at Jesus var Messias, viste sig for ham, indtil den, som led på korset og var under samme dom som han selv, stod for ham som Guds Søn. Medens de fornemste jøder fornægter ham, og endog hans disciple tvivler på hans guddommelighed, kalder den arme røver, som er på evighedens bred ved slutningen af sin prøvetid, Jesus sin herre. Mange var rede til at kalde ham herre, da han gjorde mirakler, og også efter at han opstod fra graven; men der var ingen, som kaldte ham herre, da han hang på korset, uden den angergivne røver, som blev frelst i den ellevte time.