Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Luke 23:43

"And he said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with me in Paradise." — Luke 23:43 (ASV)

This conversation, unique to Luke’s account, reinforces two characteristics of his gospel. One is the innocence of Jesus (v.41; see comments on vv.4, 22). The other is the immediate (“today”) realization of God’s saving grace through Christ (cf. comment on 4:21).

As elsewhere (cf. 5:1–11), Luke focuses on one person in a group. One of the criminals hurled insults at Jesus. The criminal’s taunt, “Aren’t you the Christ?” should probably be seen as sarcastic.

The other criminal recognizes that Jesus is no mere pretender and that he will reign as king. Jesus’ response assures him that he need not wait for any future event but that he would have an immediate joyful experience of fellowship with Jesus “in paradise” (GK 4137). This Persian word, taken over into Greek, symbolizes a place of beauty and delight. It was used to refer to the Garden of Eden in Ge 2:8 (LXX) and to the future bliss that the garden symbolizes (Isaiah 51:3; cf. 2 Corinthians 12:4; Revelation 2:7).