There Was A Thief Poem by Randy McClave

There was a man on the cross
And he was a thief,
He was never baptized or had communion
He had no religious belief.
Never had he any confirmation
Or ever spoke in tongues,
No mission trips, or volunteerism
Never before did he thank God at the top of his lungs.

There he was on the cross
Was the thief which all did see,
He never had sought out salvation
And to pray he now couldn't bend his knee.
He never had a mission
He never had any church clothes to wear,
And he never thought about being saved
He never did say the sinners prayer.

There he was hanging on the cross
A thief who was in agony and in pain,
Jesus didn't heal his body or smite his scoffers
Or his suffering or torment did he drain.
Yet he was a thief who walked into heaven
With Jesus because of his believing,
He had nothing to offer, but his belief in Jesus
Once a sinner known for his thieving.

There was a thief who hung on a cross
He had nothing more than his belief in what Jesus had said,
He was not a religious person
Nor by ego or by arrogance was he led.
There were no shiny lights or crafty words
When the thief said remember me when you come into your kingdom today,
The thief whom was hanging from the cross
Walked into heaven even when unable to fold his hands to pray.

Randy L. McClave