There was a man upon this earth

Two thousand years ago

Who was a thief, and he got caught;

To prison he did go.

The punishment was quite severe

Back in those olden days:

They nailed him to a cross,

Harsh punishment for evil ways.

***

This thief was hung upon a cross

Beside our Savior who

Was Jesus Christ, our precious Lord,

Dying for me and you.

And as he hung there by our Lord,

Somehow he came to see

Who Jesus was, the Son of God,

Who offered him mercy.

***

This thief was not the only one

They hung beside the Lord.

A thief hung on His other side;

They’d both against Christ roared.

But then the thief I’m telling of

Rebuked the other one,

Because he then began to see

That Jesus was God’s Son.

***

This thief, he said to our dear Lord:

"Oh, please, remember me

When You come into Your kingdom";

So penitent was he.

He knew he needed mercy from

This One he hung beside.

"Today you’ll be with Me

In Paradise," Christ to him cried.

***

This was God’s plan for that one man

Who stole and robbed on earth.

God chose this one to hang by Christ,

A reason for his birth.

The Lord used him to show the world

How merciful God is.

The thief repented and believed;

Then Paradise was his.

***

This thief, he had no time

To get baptized and serve the Lord;

Yet he would be in Paradise.

On him was mercy poured.

And that one man’s life on this earth

Provides such hope for all;

Such hope for those who from their heart

On Jesus’ name do call.

***

We do not know, but do you think

This thief had family who

Were saddened by his life of crime?

Perhaps they were praying, too?

If they had only known God’s plan,

Amazed they would have been

By what impact this life would have

By what took place back then.

***

His ministry while on this earth

Was short, of that we’re sure;

Yet this thief’s story has been told

A zillion times or more.

We think that years of ministry

Is so much better than

A short one, but how can we know

What God has in His plan?

***

To me, it seems as though this thief

Has not been spoken of

As having a great ministry,

One given from above;

But when we’re in eternity,

I think that we will see

That what he did before he died

Has blessed humanity.