It had been a long night and an arduous day. Jesus was dragged through town; He endured the torture, pain, and agony of being lied against and condemned for a sin He did not commit. The Saviour of the world was treated like a common criminal by the people who had hailed Him as the King just a while before.

He faced the courts of Annas, Caiaphas, Herod and Pilate and having a sentence of death pronounced over Him, the people led Him to the place of the skull and placed Him between two thieves. They were all to die the slow and painful death on the cross.

The thieves were receiving just compensation for their actions, and Jesus paid the ultimate price for man’s redemption. How were the people to know? Jesus just prayed that the Father would not lay their sins to their charge because they were unaware of what they were doing. They were actors in a preordained script.