Taking Scripture in its entirety, I see the thief as the rule, not the exception.
Exactly! It still amazes me (to this day) that I used to think and feel that I was some sort of a Biblical Master, though I have never even read the Old Testament. Sure, I had read Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and then petered out after that. And yes, I've read portions of the Old Testament for several decades . . . but I had never taken the time to read not only the entire OT, but I began to read it in a timeline, chronological order so that I could begin to understand the Story of God. And what is the Story of God? Well, that just happens to be the entire Gospel of Jesus Christ.
It's easy to tell, when talking to another person, if they understand the Bible in a timeline, chronological order, for by the simple way that they talk about the Bible makes it obvious. When a person begins to read the Bible with the below question in mind, THEN they will begin to understand.
What is the Gospel? What is the Mysterious Plan of God?
Note below that Paul asks for prayer that he be given the ability to clearly speak of and reveal this plan. That tells me that the Plan is not some simple little "thing" that we can disclose in simple terms like, "The Gospel is the Good News of Jesus Christ!" No, it is much more than that. In fact, it is so much more than Phillip needed to get up and in the Eunuchs chariot and have a seat. It takes time to fully explain. There is a context that spans all the way into the Old Testament, just as Phillip and the Eunuch made evident.
Ephesians 1:9 NLT - "God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure.
Ephesians 6:19 NLT - "And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God's mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike."
Colossians 2:2 NLT - "I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God's mysterious plan, which is Christ himself."