Church Fathers Commentary Luke 23:38-43

"And there was also a superscription over him, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. And one of the malefactors that were hanged railed on him, saying, Art not thou the Christ? save thyself and us. But the other answered, and rebuking him said, Dost thou not even fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said, Jesus, remember me when thou comest in thy kingdom. And he said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with me in Paradise." — Luke 23:38-43 (ASV)

Theophylact of Ohrid: Observe, once again, how the devil's scheme was turned against himself. For he published the accusation against Jesus in three different languages, so that none of the passersby could fail to see that He was crucified because He made Himself King. The inscription was in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew, which signified that the most powerful nations (the Romans), the wisest (the Greeks), and those who most worshiped God (the Jewish nation) must all be made subject to the dominion of Christ.

St. Ambrose of Milan: The title is rightly placed above the cross, because Christ’s kingdom does not belong to the human body, but to the power of God. I read the title “King of the Jews” when I read, My kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). I read the reason for Christ’s condemnation written above His head when I read, And the Word was God (John 1:1). For the head of Christ is God (1 Corinthians 11:3).

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Now one of the thieves hurled the same insults as the Jews, but the other tried to stop him. He confessed his own guilt, adding, “We are punished justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds” (Luke 23:41).

St. John Chrysostom: Here the condemned man acts as a judge, and the one who confessed his crime before Pilate only after much torture now begins to discern the truth. For the judgment of man, from whom secrets are hidden, is one thing; the judgment of God, who searches the heart, is another. In the first case, punishment follows confession, but here, confession leads to salvation.

He also pronounces Christ innocent, adding, “But this man has done nothing wrong.” It is as if he were saying, “Behold a new injustice—that innocence is condemned along with the guilty! We kill the living; He raises the dead. We have stolen from others; He bids us give up even what is our own.” The blessed thief thus taught the bystanders with the same words he used to rebuke the other thief.

But when he saw that the ears of the bystanders were closed, he turned to Him who knows the heart. For the Scripture says, And he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Luke 23:42). You behold the Crucified One, yet you acknowledge Him as your Lord. You see the form of a condemned criminal, yet you proclaim the dignity of a king. Stained with a thousand crimes, you ask the Fountain of Righteousness to remember you, as if to say, “I perceive your hidden kingdom; therefore, overlook my public sins and accept the faith of my inmost heart.” Wickedness took hold of a disciple of truth, but truth transformed a disciple of wickedness.

St. Gregory the Great: On the cross, nails had fastened his hands and feet, and nothing remained free from torture except his heart and his tongue. By the inspiration of God, the thief offered to Him all that he had left free. As it is written, with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Romans 10:10). The thief, suddenly filled with grace, received and preserved on the cross the three virtues of which the Apostle speaks. He had faith, for he believed that the one he saw dying beside him would reign as God. He had hope, for he asked for entrance into His kingdom. He also zealously preserved charity in his death, for he rebuked his brother and fellow thief, who was dying for a similar crime.

St. Ambrose of Milan: This is a most remarkable example of seeking conversion, since pardon is granted so quickly to the thief. The Lord pardons quickly because the thief converts quickly. And grace is more abundant than the prayer, for the Lord always gives more than He is asked for. The thief asked that the Lord remember him, but our Lord answers, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). To be with Christ is life, and where Christ is, there is His kingdom.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Just as every king who returns victorious carries the best of his spoils in triumph, so the Lord, having despoiled the devil of a portion of his plunder, carries the thief with Him into Paradise.

St. John Chrysostom: Here one can see the Savior between the thieves, weighing faith and unbelief in the scales of justice. The devil cast Adam out of Paradise; Christ brought the thief into Paradise before the whole world, even before the Apostles. By a mere word and by faith alone, he entered Paradise, so that no one, after sinning, might despair of entering. Mark the rapid change—from the cross to heaven, from condemnation to Paradise—so that you may know that the Lord did all this not because of the thief’s good intention, but because of His own mercy.

Some argue, however, that if the reward of the good has already been given, then a resurrection of the body is unnecessary. They reason that if Christ brought the thief into Paradise while his body remained outside in corruption, it proves there is no resurrection of the body. But should the flesh, which has shared in the struggle, be deprived of the reward? Hear what Paul says: For this corruptible must put on incorruption (1 Corinthians 15:53).

Furthermore, if the Lord promised the kingdom of heaven but brought the thief only into Paradise, then He has not yet given him his full reward. Others say that by “Paradise,” He simply meant the kingdom of heaven, using a familiar term for a thief who was unacquainted with difficult doctrines. Some even punctuate the verse not as, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise,” but as, “Truly, I say to you today, you will be with me in Paradise.” But let us add an even more obvious solution. Just as physicians, seeing a man in a desperate state, might say, “He is already dead,” so too the thief is said to have entered Paradise because he no longer had any fear of falling back into perdition.

Theophylact of Ohrid: What is truer than all these explanations, however, is this: although the thief and the other saints have not yet obtained all that was promised—so that, as Scripture says, they would not be made perfect without us (Hebrews 11:40)—they are nevertheless in the kingdom of heaven and in Paradise.

Gregory of Nyssa: Here again, we must examine how the thief could be considered worthy of Paradise, since a flaming sword blocks the entrance (Genesis 3:24). But observe that the word of God describes this sword as turning, so that it obstructs the unworthy but opens a free entrance to life for the worthy.

St. Gregory the Great: Or, the flaming sword is said to be turning because God knew the time would come when it would be removed—when He would truly come who, by the mystery of His incarnation, was to open the way to Paradise for us.

St. Ambrose of Milan: We must also explain why Matthew and Mark wrote that both thieves insulted Jesus, while Luke wrote that one insulted Him and the other rebuked his companion. Perhaps the second thief at first joined in the insults but was then suddenly converted. It is also possible that the plural was used when speaking of only one, as in the Epistle to the Hebrews: They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins... they were sawn in two (Hebrews 11:37). Tradition relates that only Elijah wore a goat-skin and only Isaiah was sawn in two. Mystically, however, the two thieves represent two groups of sinful people who were to be crucified with Christ in baptism, and their disagreement represents the division among believers.

The Venerable Bede: For as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death (Romans 6:3). We are washed by baptism because we were sinners. But some, because they praise God who suffered in the flesh, are crowned, while others, because they reject the faith and works of baptism, are deprived of the gift they received.