The third word uttered by Jesus on the cross was the fruit of his preaching on discipleship. Crucified with him were two criminals. Hearing the crowds taunting Jesus to come down from the cross, if he was the Son of God, one of the criminals shouted at Jesus to save him as well. When nothing happened, he started cursing Jesus. The other criminal rebuked him, professing Jesus' innocence. To Jesus he asked to be remembered when he came into his kingdom. This one acknowledged Jesus publicly before others, while at the same time repenting of his own sins. In his preaching Jesus had said that anyone who acknowledged him before others will be acknowledged by Him before his Father. Fulfilling that promise, Jesus said to this new disciple, "Today, you will be with me in paradise." How important for our salvation is it to publicly acknowledge Jesus by our words and actions!