He Was Counted Among The Rebels - The One Year Book of Discovering Jesus in the Old Testament

He Was Counted among the Rebels

The night he was arrested, Jesus told his disciples, “The time has come for this prophecy about me to be fulfilled: ‘He was counted among the rebels.’ Yes, everything written about me by the prophets will come true” (Luke 22:37).

This prophecy about Jesus from Isaiah 53:12 was also foreshadowed in the experience of Joseph. Falsely accused of attempted rape, Joseph was put into prison. Sometime later, Pharaoh’s chief cup-bearer and chief baker offended their royal master, and they were put into prison along with Joseph. While there, they each had dreams about the future, which Joseph interpreted. Joseph told one, “Within three days Pharaoh will lift you up and restore you to your position as his chief cup-bearer.” But to the chief baker he said, “Three days from now Pharaoh will lift you up and impale your body on a pole” (Genesis 40:13, 19).

Just as Joseph, though completely innocent, was cast into prison, so Jesus was falsely accused, lied about, and unjustly sentenced to death. There Jesus was flanked by two notorious culprits. Luke 23:39 records that one of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!”

The other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” Then he turned to Jesus: “Remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:40-43).

Just as Joseph was the means of blessing to one companion but the pronouncer of judgment to the other, so Jesus gave life to the repentant thief while the other thief perished.

Joseph asked the cup-bearer to “please remember me” to Pharaoh because he was innocent. The thief asked Jesus to remember him when he came into his Kingdom because he knew he was guilty. Christ, the truly innocent One, had taken on his guilt. He was counted among the rebels, so that even rebels can be counted innocent.

Because of my sin, I was counted among the rebels. But Jesus, you have taken my place there. You were counted among the rebels so that one day I will be counted among that vast crowd, too great to count, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb.