You Will Be With Me Today—From Prison to Paradise

39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” – Lk 23:39-43

In this section of his gospel, Luke describes various people and their reactions to Jesus as He hung on the cross. The common people stood by watching (verse 35), the religious leaders scoffed (verse 35), and the soldiers mocked (verse 36).

Luke now focuses on the three crosses that stood before him that day. On the first cross, the criminal hanging there beside Jesus “railed at Him” (verse 39). The Greek word used here is βλασφημέω (blasfēmeō) which means to blaspheme. This man speaks evil of our Lord and tells Him that if He was truly the Christ, He would save both Himself and them. The idea in his mind is that no true God would ever let anything evil happen to him. The words are spoken with unbelief, accusing Jesus of wrongdoing by allowing him to suffer and die on that cross. 

Have you ever wondered why God allows evil things to happen? Here in this verse we watch our Lord suffer unjustly on the cross. The King of the Jews, the Son of God hangs suffering and dying while people mock and insult His name and calling. As time passes, however, it all begins to make sense. His death and resurrection release me from sin. The suffering of the Son was all part of God’s overall plan for the salvation of the world. The seed dying in the ground gives birth to new life and fruit, blessing countless souls for generations to come.

Not everyone mocked, scoffed, and blasphemed Jesus that day. On the other side of Him hung a second criminal listening to the blasphemous word of this companion. “Do you not fear God,” he said. “You are under the same sentence of condemnation.“

This second criminal saw something quite evil in the words of the first. He reminded him that he was about to face his maker with those evil and blasphemous words on his lips. Standing before God was not something to take lightly. He would not only have to answer for the evil he had done in life but also now for the words he had spoken about His Son.

The second criminal reminds his friend that they were on the cross for crimes they had committed against humanity. They deserved this punishment. In his mind, there was nothing unjust about their sentence. He accepts his death as a reasonable and fair penalty for his actions. Note, however, how he reminds his companion that Jesus had done nothing wrong. He was being unjustly crucified. 

The first criminal focused on his suffering and expressed anger with Jesus for not helping him escape his just sentence. The second accepts his sentence and sets his heart now on meeting His Creator. He recognized Jesus as the innocent and righteous King of the Jews. Looking to Him that day he asked Him to remember him when He came into His kingdom. Note a few details in this statement.

First, this criminal accepted Jesus as King. The words, “remember me when you come to your kingdom,” reveal that He believed Jesus was king and had a kingdom. 

Second, understand that the kingdom the criminal referred to here was not of this world. He understood that Jesus was king of a spiritual kingdom and that His death would bring Him into that kingdom.

Third, notice how the criminal asked Jesus to remember him. In asking Jesus to remember him, he is not asking Him to have a passing thought about him, but rather to understand his need, have compassion on Him, forgive Him and accept him into His kingdom. He believed in Jesus, His power to forgive and to give him eternal life in the kingdom to come. He accepts him as his Lord, Saviour and King- his only hope.

Note the response of Jesus; “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise,” 

The criminal’s body would be taken down from the cross in just a few hours. It would be buried or disposed of by those tasked with this responsibility. His soul and spirit, however, would leave that body and enter paradise with Jesus that very day.

Observe that his soul and spirit would be immediately with the Lord in paradise. The word “today” indicates that this process would be instantaneous. There was no period of waiting but as the apostle Paul says:

 8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. – 2Co 5:8

Next, understand that this criminal was pardoned and received that day into the kingdom of God. He never served His Saviour. He was never baptized nor did he ever testify to the work of Christ in his life. He was, however, accepted into the kingdom of God and would walk the streets of gold like those who suffered and died as martyrs. He suffered and paid the consequences for his crimes on this earth but there on the cross he opened his heart to Jesus and experienced complete forgiveness and new life.

The hand of God, working in the pain and suffering he endured, moved sovereignly in the life of this criminal, placing him in the right place and the right time, under the right circumstances so that by grace he might become His child.