Skip to main content

Heaven, How I Got Here: The Story of the Thief on the Cross by Colin S. Smith





Heaven, How I Got Here: The Story of the Thief on the Cross by Colin S. Smith
 http://www.christianfocus.com/item/show/1726/0497f83d357e91161069041054fef09cd04eb453/t_nr

In this dramatic re-telling of the story of the thief on the cross, Pastor Colin S. Smith draws us into the world of Roman rule and the way Jesus met the this criminal on the cross.  With an eye towards revealing the emotional and backstory of the thief and with a lens towards Jesus’ compassion on the cross, Heaven, How I Got Here grabs the reader’s attention from the beginning.  Readers are sure to find much good here including a clear presentation of the good news of Jesus Christ.

Beginning the book Colin brings out a narrative of what the thief on the cross’ life might have been like prior to his painful execution. Initially, the thief tells the story of being raised in a Jewish home, his father was a builder and his mother was the caretaker of the house.  What struck me was how Colin mentioned that the thief’s mother had a ‘ridiculous faith’ and that her foundational teaching came from Exodus 34.6, “God is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.”  This passage was taken up many other times in the prophetic literature, including in Joel 2.  Seizing an opportunity to set the table, Colin goes to tell of how the thief came to understand in injustice by Roman taxation and how this crippled his families livelihood (12-13).

Colin goes onto bring out the interior dilemma held onto by the thief on the cross concerning the cultural idea of Messiah he was taught and Jesus’ actual work.  Colin writes, “Jesus.  I had heard about Him.  The One from Nazareth, claiming to be the Messiah…Well, I thought, ‘If He is able to perform miracles, this is surely the day to produce one.  But it’s always the same with these religious types: great claims, nice thoughts, but no muscle to confront the harsh realities of the word (22).’”  There is a rising sense of disappointment about a Messiah who would come into the world of taxation and bitterness and yet not overturn Roman rule. 

The change of judgment to hope happens as the thief narrows in on Jesus’ words of forgiveness.  Smith writes, “Hope began for me in the strange words of Jesus that at first filled me with hate: ‘Father, forgive them, they do not know what they are doing.’  Forgiveness!  If Jesus could offer forgiveness to His torturers, perhaps He would offer forgiveness to me (37).”  This was the part of the book that was most wonderful to me, the forgiveness offered to the thief, and the compassion and grace offered by Jesus .  His former way of life was one of thinking that God was out to get him but Jesus offer of forgiveness does not come with a package of merits as its condition. 

I really enjoyed this book and think many will be caught up in the narrative life of the thief.  My only criticism is that I think Colin goes a little overboard about trying to explain that salvation is not about our works.  I totally agree but I believe this came out more clearly in the narrative part of the thief’s life.


Thanks to Christian Focus Publications and Cross Focused Reviews for the book in exchange for an honest review.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Rise of the Modern Self by Carl Trueman

  The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self by Carl Trueman Navigating the culture that we take up residence in, with its laser focus on sexual identity, tolerance, and an individualism that raises its head at every corner, Christians need a robust account of how we got to this point in our Western culture without retreating to our churches nor morphing with the latest trends.   Carl Trueman, professor of religion and theology at Grove City College, brings his keen historical research to bear on this issue in his new book, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self.   Part historical survey and philosophical analysis, Dr. Trueman traces the trajectories of key thinkers such as Rousseau, Freud, and Marx, while also incorporating the insights of Charles Taylor and Phillip Rieff to form a cogent argument as to how we got to this point in our history, both in our expressive individualism and sexual freedom outlooks.   The book is surprisingly insightful and yet demands from the reader the pa
Post a Comment
Read more

The Conditioned Mind

The Conditioned Mind: Overcoming the Crippling Effects of Sin and Guilt by Michael J. Mannia Counselor and author Michael J. Mannia knows firsthand how the spiraling of sin and guilt can eat away at life.  His new book, The Conditioned Mind, is a look into how believers can overcome the effects of sin and guilt and live in the freedom that we have in Christ.  Through a careful look into the patterns that we develop and the mindsets that we get ingrained in, Michael is able to offer ways through guilt that bring freedom and healing.  I think this is not only a timely but a book that aims toward bringing real healing to its readers. In the first chapter Michael looks at two needs that we have: our need for love and our need for security.  Love isn’t something optional for the human race, but something it needs at its core.  “Additionally, we need to reciprocate love.  We need to feel loved as much as we need to love others (8).”  Love is a two-way street that inv
Post a Comment
Read more

Passover and Jesus

The Messiah in the Passover , Edited by Darrell Bock and Mitch Glaser Why should Christians celebrate and remember the Passover?   This is a striking question that needs to be understood as well as the historical and theological context of the Passover.   However obscure we sometimes view the Old Testament, there is some significant reasons why we should reach back and study the Passover.   Mitch Glaser in the Introduction states, “When Christians celebrate the Passover, they grow in their understanding of the Old Testament, affirm the Jewishness of the Gospel, deepen our understanding of the Lord’s Supper, and build community with fellow Christians…” (20).   This book is answer to why celebrate the Passover but even more importantly an answer to what the Passover is and what it signifies to us today.   The various contributors of this book, Messiah in the Passover, bring a wealth of ministry experience in relating the Jewishness of both Jesus and the Old Testament to
Post a Comment
Read more