In the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ crucifixion, the two men executed alongside him are often described as “thieves” or “robbers.” However, the Greek term used in the Gospels is lēstai (λησταί) and it carries a more complex meaning than petty theft. In the political and historical context of first-century Judea, lēstai often referred to the rebels, insurrectionists, or bandits associated with resistance movements against Roman occupation. This suggests that the men crucified with Jesus were not simply criminals in a common-law sense, but likely participants in anti-Roman uprisings.
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This is Part 2 of the series A Political Execution: Beyond Atoning Sacrifice
(Read this series from its beginning here.)
Crucifixion was a punishment Rome reserved for slaves and enemies of the state—those who threatened imperial order. Thieves and ordinary lawbreakers were rarely crucified. The fact that Jesus and the two lēstai were executed together indicates that the Roman authorities viewed all three as subversive figures. This interpretation aligns with the charge placed over Jesus’ head in Luke’s gospel, “King of the Jews.” It was a political accusation implying sedition against Caesar, not a religious or moral offense.
The presence of insurrectionists beside Jesus deepens the political dimension of his death. It situates the crucifixion within Rome’s broader campaign to suppress unrest in Judea, where nationalist and messianic movements frequently arose. We are considering Luke’s version of this story this week. Yet in the Gospel of John, the figure of Barabbas, who was released instead of Jesus in John’s version of the story and is described as an insurrectionist, further supports this context. Jesus’ execution was not an isolated event but part of Rome’s crackdowns on perceived revolutionary threats.
Interpreting the two lēstai as political rebels rather than as simple thieves reframes the crucifixion scene. It underscores the political volatility of Jesus’ ministry and the extent to which his message of God’s kingdom was perceived as a challenge to the status quo of imperial power. In this light, Golgotha becomes not merely a site of criminal punishment, but also a symbol of Rome’s suppression of dissent and the revolutionary hope embodied in Jesus.
This interpretation has the potential to shift our focus away from the cosmic efficacy of Jesus’ death to how everything accomplished by Rome in Jesus’ death was undone, triumphed over, and reversed through the resurrection.
One of my favorite scholars on this topic is the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas. She is an African-American Episcopal priest, womanist theologian, former interim president of Episcopal Divinity School, and the Canon Theologian at the Washington National Cathedral. In her book Stand Your Ground: Black Bodies and the Justice of God, Douglas lays out a convincing line of reasoning that grounds God’s saving work in Jesus’ resurrection rather than in Jesus’ death and dying. We’ll consider Douglas’ reasoning and insights in Part 3.
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