Part 1: Putting the Puzzle Together
Churchgoers also love to refer to the thief on the cross in the gospel of Luke to support their belief in eternal life upon repentance. In the fading moments of his life, after having joined the other thief in ridiculing Christ, the one thief finally realized that Jesus truly was the Son of God. Whereas two other gospels (Matthew and Mark) actually report both of the thieves spewing insults at Jesus, only the gospel of Luke records the one thief rebuking the other and then pleading with Jesus, saying, “…Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom” (Luke 23:42). Jesus’ reply to him (Luke 23:43, “…Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise”) seems eternally positive on the surface, but a closer examination reveals otherwise.
Again, we must be careful not to confuse our own use of the English language to impose definitions upon scripture. “Paradise” in Luke 23 is based upon the Greek word “paradeisos” which means park, grove, or preserve. The root word of “paradeisos” is “pardes” which also implies park, forest, orchard, or enclosed garden. So, “paradise” is not referring to the kingdom of God or eternal life with Jesus. Rather, it’s referring to the place where both Jesus and the thief indeed went that day. Where was that place? It was the grave or tomb in a burial garden. Jesus was simply buried that day, and he remained in the grave for three days before he was resurrected. So, Jesus was simply telling the thief that all he could expect “today” was to be in a grave, just as Jesus would be, too.
Some concordance notes even clearly state that paradeisos refers to “the part of Hades which was thought by the later Jews to be the abode of the souls of” (the) “pious until the resurrection.” Let’s also consider that this experience (of these departed souls) does not necessarily involve complete unconsciousness, for there are a small number of very interesting scriptures that would indicate otherwise, such as 2 Corinthians 12:1-4 and Luke chapter 16. Therefore, the word “sleep” in scriptures like Psalm 13:3, John 11:11, and 1 Thessalonians 4:13 (KJV) is most likely far beyond what we perceive it to be.
Now, let’s return to the subject of the brief conversation between Jesus and the thief on the cross. If Jesus earlier proclaimed (in His ministry), “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5), how could the thief gain entrance into the Kingdom, for he had neither been baptized in water nor filled with the power of the Holy Spirit? But we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves . . .
It’s sufficient to say that the communication between Jesus and the thief was something other than what Jesus ministered about ruling and reigning with Him in His Kingdom. What will become of the thief in the long term is not for us to judge, but we must be careful not to allow this one Biblical example (there is no other like it) to sway us into preaching the validity of deathbed repentance.