Not Of This World

Lyrics   |   Scripture

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One day, as I was reading my Bible like I so often do, a verse caught my attention in a completely new way:

“For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Romans 10:13

I don’t know how many times I had read this verse before. But that day, it suddenly felt incredibly alive. It was as if it were speaking directly to me. And immediately, I felt this deep desire to turn it into my next song. And what story could possibly fit this verse better than the story of the repentant criminal who hung on the cross beside Jesus?

I have to admit, I really struggled with writing the intro. At first, I wrote it from Jesus’ perspective. But somehow, it just didn’t feel right to me. So I rewrote the entire thing and told the story from the perspective of the repentant criminal instead. And from that intro, the actual song eventually came to life.

But let’s begin with something Jesus said on the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” That statement is incredibly powerful. Because if we’re honest, that kind of response is anything but human. It literally comes from another world. It is divine.

Just consider everything Jesus had already endured by that point:

Gethsemane: Jesus experiences deep anguish and inner pain because He knows what lies ahead. He prays in such agony that His sweat falls to the ground like drops of blood (Luke 22:44).

Judas’ betrayal: One of His closest companions betrays Him with a kiss and hands Him over to His enemies.

The arrest: Although Jesus is innocent, He is arrested and treated like a dangerous criminal.

Being abandoned: His disciples flee in fear. Peter, one of His closest companions, denies Him three times.

False accusations and an unjust verdict: People bring false witnesses against Him. Although He is innocent, He is condemned.

Mockery, beatings, and humiliation: Jesus is mocked, spit on, beaten, and humiliated. People even ridicule His identity as the Son of God.

The scourging: Roman soldiers whip Jesus. A Roman scourge was not an ordinary leather whip, but a brutal instrument of torture with multiple straps, often fitted with pieces of bone or metal. The blows tore open the skin and caused severe injuries. Jesus endures immense physical pain and further humiliation—even though He is completely innocent.

The crown of thorns: They place a crown of thorns on His head, put a robe on Him, and mock Him as the “King of the Jews.”

The road to Golgotha: After the scourging, the beatings, and a night without rest, Jesus is physically exhausted. Yet He is forced to walk to the place of execution outside the city and carry His cross. Every step brings more pain. His wounds, exhaustion, and blood loss make it increasingly difficult to continue. When He can no longer carry the weight, the soldiers force Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross for Him. Jesus continues on to Golgotha - the place where He is going to die.

The crucifixion: When Jesus arrives at Golgotha, He is nailed to the cross. His hands and feet are pierced before the cross is raised. There He hangs in unimaginable pain. Every breath becomes agony. Above Him, a sign is placed that reads, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” He is crucified between two criminals while the people continue to mock and ridicule Him. They challenge Him to save Himself if He truly is the Son of God.

But Jesus does not respond with hatred. Not with curses. Not with revenge. He prays for the very people who are doing all of this to Him:

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

Luke 23:34

In the midst of His own unimaginable suffering, Jesus shows forgiveness and love. Personally, these words move me so deeply that they bring tears to my eyes.

The Bible doesn’t tell us how the two criminals beside Jesus reacted to those words. But I can imagine that what He said must have caught them completely off guard. Perhaps His words were met with hatred and disbelief by one of them. But perhaps they went straight to the heart of the other. Because something happened to this man. Something changed within him. He recognized who was hanging beside him: Christ. The King. A King whose kingdom is not of this world.

What exactly caused him to change his mind, we don’t know. The Bible doesn’t tell us. But we do know that his attitude changed. He recognized his own guilt. He even said it out loud, acknowledging that he had been justly condemned. And then he gathered all his courage. He turned to Jesus - the man he himself had previously mocked - and humbly asked Him to remember him when He came into His kingdom.

He had nothing to offer. He could no longer change his past or make right what he had done. There was nothing he could do to cancel out his guilt or earn his salvation. But that was exactly the point—he didn’t have to. He turned to Jesus with his guilt and placed all his hope in Him. He called on Him. And Jesus -rich in grace and mercy - answered him: “Today you will be with Me in paradise.”

The repentant criminal made the most important and best decision of his life. Jesus gave him eternal life. And Jesus has the authority to do that, because He is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through Him. Jesus was sent by God into this world to seek and save the lost. He did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. He lived without sin. He was perfect and without guilt. And on the cross, He took our sins upon Himself so that we could have eternal life through Him.

It is almost impossible to imagine everything He had to endure for us. Giving your life for others would already be an incredible sacrifice. But to give your life under such horrific circumstances - for people who rejected, mocked, and hurt you - is something else entirely.

And that is why I want to ask you something: Do you know Jesus? And if not, what is holding you back?

The repentant criminal recognized that the man hanging beside him was the King of a kingdom that is not of this world. He recognized in Him the way, the truth, and the life. He recognized his own guilt and knew that he could not save himself. There was nothing he could do to earn his salvation—not through any deed, any achievement, or even the best of good works. All he could do was turn to Jesus in faith and trust in His grace. And Jesus saved him.

“For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”