But one of those present sees something different. It must have seemed foolish to those who heard it. Twisted in pain, beaten to a bloody pulp, Jesus does not look much like a savior. But Jesus doesn't look like he is going anywhere. The powers have him pinned to a tree.
Death is only moments away.
It was a scene in which the world acted the way the world normally acts, with brutality and violence and resentment and mockery. It was a scene of bitterness and frustration. But the thief saw something different. He saw a different kind of response to that world. Here, as Paul once said, is God reconciling the world to himself.