What does Luke 23:43 mean?
A criminal is hanging on a cross next to Jesus. He understands that God is just and he deserves his cross. Yet Jesus is innocent and doesn't deserve the cross. Nor does He deserve mocking by the people, the Jewish leaders, the soldiers, or the criminal hanging from a cross on the other side of Jesus (Luke 23:32–39).This derisive shouting about how Jesus claims to be "the Christ of God, his Chosen One" (Luke 23:35) but seems powerless to escape His cross gets to the thief in a curious way: he begins to believe. What if Jesus is the Christ and king of the Jews? Then the proper thing to do would be to submit to his sovereign. He asks Jesus, "Remember me when you come into your kingdom" (Luke 23:42).
Jesus' response contains important ties to theology:
•The thief has confessed his guilt and affirmed that Jesus is Lord; he cannot get baptized: baptism is not necessary for salvation.
•Jesus tells the thief "today"; the thief will be aware and awake this day: there is no such thing as soul sleep; when "sleep" is used to refer to death, it's a metaphor.
•The thief will be in paradise; he has committed a crime serious enough that he admits he deserves crucifixion, but after he dies, he will go straight to paradise: there is no purgatory.
•The thief will be with Jesus; Jesus promises they will be together in paradise that day: Jesus does not spend three days in hell.
Likely the thief isn't dwelling too much on such specifics. He will hang on his cross, slowly asphyxiating, watching Jesus die. Sometime before evening, the soldiers will come up to him and break his legs (John 19:32). He will no longer be able to push up to catch a breath. Then he will die on the Passover, the day of celebration for God's protection of the Jews as the firstborn Egyptians were killed. But before twilight, he will find himself in paradise, with Jesus. His sins forgiven, his wounds healed, and his heart cleansed of all evil, he will know with certainty that Jesus is the Christ.
