This is a fictional account of two thieves who really did exist long ago. We don’t have much information on their family, their circumstances, their specific crimes, their “rap sheet.” We just know that they were executed by the State. As criminals go, these two thieves are legendary, and like legendary characters, we don’t even know for sure what their real names are, but some sources say they were called Dismas and Gestas. What I plan to do is contemporize them in a way that hopefully makes us relate more to them (without being inspired to choose a life of crime ourselves, however.)
Gestas was a bit like Jack Dawkins in “Oliver Twist.” Charles Dickens calls Dawkins the “Artful Dodger” and describes his thusly: “His mind is cunning, his fingers are sly, and he’s quick on his feet.” Gestas has a bark that is worse than his bite, and he never seriously hurt anyone. He’s a whiner, though, and does not have many friends. Dismas and Gestas occasionally work together. In this hypothetical, Gestas represents the “brains,” and Dismas the “brawn.”
Gestas is a hustler, a would be playa but he doesn’t have game. He’s always pitching some con, trying to rope a pigeon. Gestas grew up on the streets. He always tried to score big, but never quite could, whether boosting cars, selling drugs, or pimping. He dreamed of making it someday, but it never happened. Unlike Dismas, Gestas finished school, but he could not get it together.
Dismas was a generally nicer person than Gestas, except when he was angry or drunk, and then you’d best keep your distance. At six feet and 275 pounds, he could easily squeeze the life out of someone. Dismas could act, or react, without thinking. Sometimes, he could be positively cruel.
One day, Gestas heard on the street that a guy who owned a chop shop was looking for a 2021 Honda Civic. Usually, Gestas worked alone, but stealing a car was a bit trickier than a smash and grab, so he tracked Dismas down. Dismas agree to help. They cruised the streets at 5:00 a.m. until they found a Crystal Black Pearl, Type R Civic. Gestas had stolen an electrical device that allowed him to clone the code from the owner’s key fob the day before. Usually, Gestas would slip into the car, disarm it, and drive it away while Dismas would keep watch. On this occasion, however, the owner of the Honda happened to look out his window and saw the dome light on in his car. He raced out to confront Gestas. Dismas ran to help Gestas and the owner swung at him. Dismas hit him back as hard as he could and the owner slumped to the ground. They then took off in separate cars.
A snitch on the street heard that the Civic owner was a cop, and looking for some juice with his parole officer who was attempting to send him back to jail, he fingered Gestas who flipped on Dismas. But they both got charged with first degree homicide, and a jury sentenced them both to death.
The day before they were sentenced to death, a chaplain visited the condemned prisoners. He spoke to them quietly and told them that while the execution would go ahead as planned barring some unforeseen hitch, Jesus would forgive them if they confessed and asked for forgiveness. Gestas laughed sarcastically. “If this Jesus guy really cared about me, why is he letting me take the rap for something my partner did. Does that seem fair to you? You can stuff it. I don’t need any help.”
On the other hand, Dismas was scared. So was Gestas, but Gestas was better at hiding his fear. He knew that unlike Jesus, he (Dismas) was guilty and deserved death. He leaped at the chance to face his Maker with a clean conscience and just before he died, he asked the slain police officer’s family to forgive him as well. It was never his intent to seriously hurt anyone. He just “blew up.” The chaplain assured him that he would, on his profession of faith, be ushered into heaven. When Dismas asked the chaplain how he knew that with certainty, the chaplain told him about another their named Dismas who was promised by Jesus that he would be in paradise the very day he died. In fact, the penitent thief was the only person in history specifically promised paradise by Christ, Himself!
The real Dismas and Gestas lived in Jesus’ day. In fact, they actually met Jesus on one occasion.
And when Jesus was scourged, he delivered Him to the Jews to be crucified, and two robbers with Him; one by name Dismas, and the other by name Gestas. And when they came to the place, they stripped Him of His garments, and girt Him about with a linen cloth, and put a crown of thorns upon His head. Likewise also they hanged the two robbers with Him, Dismas on the right and Gestas on the left. And Jesus said: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. And the soldiers parted His garments among them. And the people stood waiting; and their chief priests and judges mocked Him, saying among themselves: He saved others, now let him save himself; if he is the Son of God, let him come down from the cross. And the soldiers mocked Him, falling prostrate before Him, and offering vinegar with gall, and saying: If you are the King of the Jews, set yourself free.
And Pilate, after sentence, ordered a title to be written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin letters, according to what the Jews said: This is the King of the Jews.
And one of the robbers who were hanged, by name Gestas, said to Him: If you are the Christ, free yourself and us. And Dismas answering, rebuked him, saying: Do you not even fear God, who art in this condemnation? For we justly and deservedly have received those things which we endure; but He has done no evil. And he kept saying to Jesus: Remember me, Lord, in Your kingdom. And Jesus said to him: Verily I say unto you, that today shall you be with me in paradise.
Gospel of Nicodemus, Ch. 10. Compare with Luke 23:43 loc. cit.
Note: The Gospel of Nicodemus is not a Biblical book. Nor is it a “missing book,” since there are no missing books to the Bible. It is a book written by an unknown author or authors that hitchhike on the good name of the real Nicodemus. The early church did not recognize it as inspired.
People in jail in Jesus’ day were not nice people. There were political prisoners, of course, who wanted to drive the Romans out of Judea and Samaria, and there were some relatively innocent people who were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. But then as now, there were kidnappers, people extorting or bribing others, murders, rapists, sabbath-day breakers and so on. Roman justice could be swift and sure, and many people in jail were quickly dispatched. But Jesus was interested in people who were in prison (Matthew 25:31-40). He knew there were dangerous people in prison, but He still cared for them nonetheless.
I found it interesting that when looking at famous medieval paintings of the crucifixion, Dismas always looks towards Jesus and Gestas looks away from Jesus. I’m not an art major, but I suppose this was common practice back then, representing a subtly in the accounts that was conventional in that period of art. Incidentially, the name Gestas means “to complain” or “to moan.” The name Dismas means “sunset.”
The moral of this story is that God receives all who come if they are sorry for their sins and ask for forgiveness in Jesus’s name. God can forgive someone with blood on their hands if they are truly sorry for their sin, while another person who merely pilfered a candy bar in this life might not see paradise because of an unbelieving, unrepentant heart. This seems unfair to the world,but it is one of the unfathomable mysteries of God.
Dismas whose name means “sunset” was the penitent criminal who hung next to Jesus. Chapter 10 of the gospel of Nicodemus reads as follows:
David Pafford writes:
So what can we say about Dismas if that was his name? Perhaps his life was one of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He started off on the wrong side of the tracks. He got in with the wrong crowd. His was a life that forced him to make some tough choices that led to a life of crime. But above all that there is one thing we don’t need to assume about him. This criminal accepts himself for who he is and Jesus for who he is. His is a life of sin that leads him to a moment where he encounters the crucified God. It’s a life of decisions that leads to a justified punishment for which he dies. Death itself isn’t as scary as dying if your at peace with your eternal destiny. But imagine facing death for one whose life has been characterized as destructive, criminal or even murderous. You’d either be resigned or wide eyed and out of your mind as you faced down your future. All we hear in the gospel is a small prayer. “Remember me in your Kingdom Jesus.” Here at the moment human history changes in the place skull there is no baptism. No come and see discipleship. There is just peace to a man who has not known peace. Even in death, Jesus gives a man who has nothing to offer eternal life. Here they hung together suffering a similar fate, Dismas reminds us that we are all criminal with regard to our sin. Christ calls us crucify our agendas, selfish and evil desires with him. In that sense humanity gets to choose which thief we really are, the impenitent or the penitent. Then the moment human history changes is also our moment when our individual history changes. Regardless of what we’ve done, whether we have been in incarceration for our entire lives, we were a screw up, or whatever our lot at the end of our life, when we think its over and God won’t take us back because we’ve simply racked up too many offenses, He takes us. And He does it without a caveat.
