And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.
Luke 23:43
You probably know the story of the two thieves crucified on either side of Jesus.
Both of them ridiculed Him along with the soldiers and bystanders until one didn’t.
We read the conversion story of the dying thief in Luke 23:40-42.
After admitting his sin and declaring Jesus’ innocence, he asked Jesus to remember him when he came into his kingdom.
Jesus said, “I assure you, today you will be with Me in paradise.” But some question whether the comma is in the right place because it changes the meaning when you move it to after the word today.
Should it instead say, “I assure you today, you will be with Me in paradise?”
There is little disagreement on whether the thief was saved that day. Most of the controversy is reserved for whether he went to paradise the day he died.
In other words, can we be reasonably confident that the dying thief is in heaven right now? Or is he still waiting?
Let’s find out.
Table of Contents
Did the Thief Go to Heaven the Day He Died?
There are four reasons we can be reasonably confident the dying thief went to heaven (paradise) the day he died. First, because of the thief’s conversion and Jesus’ response. Second, every major Bible translation places the comma before the word today, indicating the thief would be with Him in paradise that very day. Third, paradise comes from a Persian word that means “garden” and was used in Jewish literature to refer to the Garden of Eden or heaven. Fourth, Jesus’ spirit went to paradise the same day He died.
The Conversion of the Dying Thief
Two thieves were crucified at the same time as Jesus.
Both ridiculed Jesus in the beginning (Matthew 27:44). They mocked Jesus, saying things like, “He saved others, but he can’t save himself!” Or, “So, he is the king of Israel, is he? Let him come down from the cross right now, and we will believe in him!” And, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!”
In other words, if you are really the Messiah, prove it by saving Yourself and us.
However, while hanging on the cross and listening to the various insults, one of them had a change of heart. We know it’s true because of Luke’s account.
Luke records one of the thieves saying to the other thief, “Do you not even fear God since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?”
He continues speaking and makes four confessions in Luke 23, indicative of a true conversion.
Verse 41 We deserve to die for our crimes…The thief is admitting his sin and unrighteousness.
Verse 41 …but this man hasn’t done anything wrong. The thief is acknowledging Jesus’ perfection and righteousness.
Verse 42 Jesus, remember me when you come…. The thief professes Jesus’ ability to save him.
Verse 42 …into your Kingdom. The thief essentially declares Jesus as King by referring to His Kingdom.
The thief knew he could not save himself and was guilty of sin. But, this man Jesus, was innocent and indeed who He claimed to be. He alone had the power and authority to save others. And so the thief spoke up and confessed his belief.
And now he is in heaven.
The Meaning of Today in Luke 23:43
Some have questioned whether Jesus told the thief he would be with Him in paradise that very day. Or if He was saying, “Today I’m telling you that you will be with Me in paradise.”
Do you see how it might be confusing?
Got Questions says, “It is common knowledge that punctuation, including commas, was introduced into the biblical manuscripts centuries after the books were completed. Therefore, commas are not authoritative. However, the placement of commas can affect the understanding of a text.”
And that’s the dilemma in this verse.
However, there are three things that help us understand that Jesus most likely meant the thief would be with Him in paradise that very day.
- Every major Bible translation inserts the comma before the word today, meaning all agree that Jesus was referring to when the thief would enter paradise.
- Jesus often began a reply with, “Truly I say to you,” emphasizing something significant He was about to say. He uses this “prefix phrase” seventy-six times. It would be odd if He added the word today only once.
- Since Jesus’ spirit went to paradise that day, He could make that declaration to the thief.
Why Jesus Could Mean Heaven When He Said Paradise
Why does Jesus tell the thief he would be with him in paradise? Why didn’t he just say heaven?
When Jesus said paradise, He could have said heaven because by the time the New Testament times were here, paradise meant heaven or resting in God’s presence.
It’s God’s presence that makes the place so wonderful.
It’s where believers go today, but it’s not the final heaven where we will spend eternity. That’s still in the future.
See What Is Paradise and is It Different Than Heaven? to learn more about how they are the same and different.
Jesus Went to Paradise the Same Day He Died
We know that Jesus’ body was laid in a tomb Friday evening. And that He rose from the dead on the following Sunday morning.
However, the Bible gives little information on where Jesus’ spirit was during that time.
There are several theories that I will not get into, but you can read about them at Where did Christ go after He died and before He rose from the dead?
Interestingly, the most straightforward answer we have is from the Luke account. Jesus tells the thief he will be with Him in paradise that day. So, after Jesus died, He went to the place where God is. You can call it paradise or heaven.
RELATED > > > > > > Did Jesus Spend a Weekend in Hell?
Where Was Jesus’ Spirit When His Body Was in the Tomb?
Final Words
As you can see, there are good reasons to believe that the thief went to heaven the same day he died. He was with Jesus and God; he was in heaven.
First, we know the thief was saved before he died. We read what Jesus told him, “Today, you will be with me in paradise.”
And though there is some controversy over whether the comma goes before or after the word today, no major Bible translation puts it after. So, we generally accept that Jesus meant the thief would be with Him in paradise that very day.
We also talked briefly about paradise and heaven being synonymous.
And last, why it’s logical to conclude Jesus Himself went to paradise after He died.
But more importantly, is for you to know where you will go when you die. If you are not sure, please read the following: