When Jesus Made a Huge Mistake

Rethinking grace, judgment, and salvation through the lens of Jesus’ own behavior

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When I was a kid growing up in the evangelical church, there was an occasion when a young man known in our community but not part of our congregation tragically died after coming off his motorbike.

The pastor of my church got up and shared the news with the congregation and saw fit to add these words: “Unfortunately, this young man was not saved. We can only hope in the split-second before his head hit the concrete that he accepted Jesus as his Lord and savior.”

Even as a child, I recognized something grotesquely insensitive about these words. But, as I looked around, everyone seemed to be nodding in agreement.

You see, in my tradition, “getting saved” was the most important decision that anyone could make. It was the difference between an eternity in Heaven with Jesus, or a eternity spent burning in the depths of Hell. And the way that a person “got saved” was by praying, what we called, “The Sinner’s Prayer.”

There were three elements to the sinner’s prayer:

1. “Thank you, Jesus, for dying on the cross to pay the price for my sins.”
2. “Sorry that I am such a miserable, wretched sinner that you had to die for my sins.”
3. “Please be my Lord and savior and come into my heart.”

Or words to that effect. It’s an awful lot to pray in the time between coming off a motorcycle and hitting your head on the ground. Regardless, in my tradition, if you prayed this prayer, that was the difference between you being a Christian and a non-Christian — saved or unsaved.

Therefore, it was understood that it was our job, as Christians, to try to get as many other people as possible to pray this prayer and accept Jesus into their hearts so that they, too, would get to go to Heaven one day when they died.

Obviously, people who were close to death were much more receptive to this message because, hey… who doesn’t wonder — worry even — about what might happen after they die. A deathbed conversion was the ultimate. It was like shooting a hoop in the last second of a basketball game to win the match.

So, as good evangelical Christians, it was especially incumbent on us to speak to dying people and encourage them to “make their peace with God” by praying the sinner’s prayer. It would be viewed as highly irresponsible — nay, a complete failure — if a Christian failed to save someone who was knocking on death’s door.

That’s what Jesus would want, right?

Actually, no.

When Jesus had the opportunity to “save” a man who was close to death, he didn’t follow the script. Let me explain.

What are you doing, Jesus?

The Bible tells us that nearly 2000 years ago, on a hill outside the city of Jerusalem, at about 9 o’clock in the morning, a wooden cross was erected. And on that cross was nailed Jesus Christ.

With nails through his hands and his feet with a crown of thorns upon his head, Jesus was crucified.

On that same day, two criminals were also crucified with him. We do not know much about these men, but since the citizen class of Roman society was seldom subject to capital punishment, these men were likely of low social status — almost certainly non-Romans, possibly slaves.

We do not know what they had done wrong, but we do know that crucifixion was generally reserved for violent offenders, the most wicked of criminals, rebellious slaves, those guilty of high treason, despised enemies, deserters, and traitors. One thing we know for certain is that these two criminals were getting the punishment they deserved.

The Bible tells us that these criminals and Jesus talked to each other: The first criminal hurled insults at Jesus and mocked him. The second criminal, in a moment of clarity, recognized who Jesus was and believed in him. He turned and rebuked the other criminal, saying, “Don’t you fear God? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

Jesus answered, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

What the heck, Jesus? Did you just give this man a free pass? Here is a man in his last few hours on earth, and Jesus fails to close the deal in the way that good evangelicals understand salvation.

Here is everything Jesus did wrong…

Failed to mention the man’s sins

In traditional evangelical teachings, the acknowledgment of sin is considered the crucial starting point for salvation. You know the drill: “You’re a sinner, I’m a sinner, we’re all sinners! Now let’s get to the good part where you say sorry and invite Jesus into your heart.”

Everyone knows that any salvation pitch must start with human sin, right? So, why did Jesus skip the sin talk? After all, if ever there was a man who needed to understand his own depravity, it was a man being killed by crucifixion.

Instead, Jesus responded to the criminal’s plea with a promise of paradise. There was no mention of past wrongs, no guilt trip — just an assurance of forgiveness and eternal life.

From this interaction, you must conclude that it’s possible for someone to be “saved” without even mentioning sin or punishment or even saying “sorry.” It challenges the conventional wisdom that salvation hinges solely on acknowledging our sinful nature and seeking forgiveness. Instead, this man’s salvation seems to be entirely dependent on God’s grace.

Tell me something. What did this man do that Jesus would grant him salvation? Did he live a righteous life? Did he keep the Ten Commandments? If he did, then how did he end up on a cross? Do you think this man was saved because he read the scriptures and visited the synagogue regularly? Did he start an awesome ministry, giving up hours of his free time to serve? Did he even ask for forgiveness?

No, no, no, no, no.

The truth is, he didn’t do anything. He couldn’t do anything. In a fleeting moment of time, he turned to Jesus and recognized that, somehow, Jesus could help him. And that was all it took.

Failed to mention substitutionary atonement

Not only did Jesus fail to mention sin, but he also failed to mention how he was apparently dying to take away our sins at that very moment. I would have thought that might have provided some solace to the dying criminals alongside Jesus. Yet, strangely, he doesn’t mention it.

What are we to make of that?

It begs the question: What if Jesus’ purpose wasn’t solely about dying for our sins in the way we’ve come to understand it? What if there’s more to his life, death, and resurrection than just a cosmic transaction to satisfy divine justice?

I mean, when you look at Jesus’ teachings and actions throughout his life, it’s clear that he was about more than just paying a penalty for sin. He healed the sick, welcomed the outcasts, challenged the religious authorities, and preached a message of love, compassion, and radical inclusion. His entire life was a testament to God’s kingdom breaking into our broken world — a kingdom characterized by grace, mercy, and justice.

So, maybe Jesus’ death wasn’t just about atoning for our sins but about ushering in a new way of being — a way of living in a relationship with God and one another that transcends legalistic notions of sin and punishment.

Failed to lead the man in the Sinner’s Prayer.

Let’s take a moment to ponder Jesus’s biggest “mistake” of all, according to traditional evangelical teachings. He didn’t get the man to “Ask Jesus into his heart.”

When faced with the opportunity to lead the repentant criminal in reciting a sinner’s prayer of sorts, Jesus did not take it. There was no formal declaration of faith, no recitation of specific words, and no checklist of requirements to fulfill. Just a simple exchange between a dying man and the Son of God.

Jesus ignores all the formulas. Instead of guiding the criminal down the familiar route of confession and repentance, Jesus simply responded with, “Sure, you can come to heaven! I’ll see you there!”

This confirms what I have suspected all along: The bar is remarkably low when it comes to being welcomed by God.

The Last Word

Jesus is a lousy evangelist by evangelical standards… which is kind of ironic, given that he is the one that evangelists evangelize about.

But maybe we ought to take a leaf out of Jesus’ book.

He didn’t use guilt. He didn’t use shame. He didn’t use formulas, scripts, or religious dogmas. He didn’t use the fear of punishment or even the promise of reward.

He simply said yes to anyone who turned to him.

As for the young man who came off his motorcycle, I suspect that he landed safely in the arms of God.

Dan Foster is the author of “The Bible is Your Story: What the characters of Scripture reveal about the patterns shaping your life.”

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