In his account of Jesus’s crucifixion, Luke includes a variety of other characters, from government officials to religious leaders to Jesus’s disciples to a couple of criminals who were crucified with Jesus. Some of these characters are depicted as weak, some as cowardly, some as wicked, some as self-righteous, and some as sorrowful.

But, one character stands out. A thief, who was crucified next to Jesus, seems to see clearly exactly who Jesus is, despite the circumstances, and this man asks Jesus to save him.