Promise to a Dying Thief

“And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise” ( Luke 23: 42, 43).

The above positive response of Jesus to the repentant thief has prompted much debate.

Those who believe the righteous go to their heavenly reward at the moment of death, see it as substantiating their belief, and a causal reading seems to support their claim.

However, neither Jesus nor the thief went to paradise that day! Paradise is where God dwells and is located in heaven ( Revelation 2: 7; 2 Corinthians 12: 3- 4).

While Jesus died before sunset, which ended that day, the thief did not. Because he, along with the other, was still alive as the day came to a close, they had to be taken down over the Sabbath hours to prevent it from being desecrated, after which they would be put back on the cross. Their legs were broken to prevent them from escaping.

When the soldiers came to Jesus He was already dead and therefore His legs were not broken, which is according to the Messianic prophecies, as John pointed out ( John 19: 36- 37).

See also Exodus 12: 46; Numbers 9: 12; Psalm 34: 20; Zechariah 12: 10).

Although He died that day, Jesus did not ascend to paradise until the following Sunday, after He was resurrected.

“Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father:

but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God” ( John 20: 17).

There is a simple explanation to the seeming contradiction. When the books of the Bible were originally written, there were no punctuations, chapters or verses. Stephen Langton, an Archbishop of Canterbury, was responsible for the modern chapter divisions around A. D. 1227, which are not inspired.

By placing the comma after “today,” rather than “thee,” the mystery is cleared up.

It then reads thus, “and Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee today, shalt thou be with me in paradise.”

In other words, verily I say unto thee today, this dark day when my cause seems lost, and my enemies appear to have conquered, you shall be with me in paradise.