"And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise." (Luke 23:43)
It has been suggested that Luke 23:43 should read as follows: "Truly I say to you today, you shall be with Me in Paradise." It would change the meaning of the text to mean that Christ spoke to him at that moment the promise of entering into paradise at some undefined point in the future as opposed to that same day of death. The timing of believers entering into paradise would therefore be at the final resurrection. While both variant readings are theoretically acceptable, the objective of here is to argue in defense of a comma being inserted prior to the word today. First and foremost, the context demands that we understand the reference to today as meaning on that very same day. The dying criminal understood on what day that Christ spoke those comforting words. There was no need for Him to emphasize the timing of today. It would literally make no sense for a man who is suffocating and dying on a crucifix to make such a hasty waste of his words.
In this grand episode of the incarnate Lord gently and affectionately showing forth clemency in response to the converted convict's petition, we see Him referencing to a paradise consistent with popular Jewish thought about the unseen Edenic realm. This abode for the righteous is analogous to Abraham's bosom, which is mentioned in Luke 16:22. In addition, "today" in Luke 23:43 is contrasted with the clause "When you come into your kingdom" in Luke 24:42. Thus, the repentant thief was assured of entering heaven the instant that he died. Paul associated paradise with the "third heaven" (2 Corinthians 12:4), and Revelation 2:7 locates the tree of life in the paradise of God. The immediate presence of Jesus with the thief in paradise contradicts any teaching that Jesus remained in a state of nonexistence until His resurrection. While Jesus' body lay in the tomb, His divine nature and human soul remained active. Early Christian teaching, as reflected in the concept of the limbus patrum (the "limbo of the fathers"), affirms that Jesus descended to the realm of the dead to proclaim victory and liberation (1 Peter 3:19; Ephesians 4:9). Thus, Jesus' promise to the thief is in harmony with the timeline of His resurrection.
In Luke's Gospel, the term "today" (Greek: σήμερον) is used with an emphasis on immediacy and fulfillment of promises. For example, in Luke 4:21, Jesus declares, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing," indicating the present fulfillment of prophecy. Similarly, in Luke 19:9, Jesus says, "Today salvation has come to this house," referring to Zacchaeus' immediate salvation. The usage of "today" in these contexts supports the interpretation that Jesus promised the thief immediate entry into paradise.
The phrase "Truly I say to you" (Greek: ἀμήν λέγω σοι) is a formula used by Jesus to preface a significant statement. It is a unique idiom of His and found approximately 74 times in the gospels. In nearly every occurrence of this phrase in such contexts, what follows is an assurance or a promise. Placing the comma before "today" aligns with this pattern, as Jesus is giving a definitive promise of salvation to the thief. If "today" were intended to modify "I say to you," it would create redundancy and detract from the impact of the promise. The Gospel of Luke places strong emphasis on themes of salvation and immediate divine intervention. For example, in Luke 19:10, Jesus declares, "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." This urgency in Jesus' mission aligns with the promise of immediate paradise to the repentant thief, emphasizing the immediacy of salvation and the fulfillment of Jesus' redemptive work.
In Jewish literature and thought, the term "today" often signifies immediacy in entering the afterlife or receiving a divine reward. This understanding aligns with the notion of the righteous entering paradise or Abraham's bosom immediately after death, as seen in Jewish texts like the Talmud. Thus, the use of "today" in Luke 23:43 fits within the broader context of Jewish eschatological beliefs. Further, the phrase "with me" further complicates matters for proponents of soul sleep. If paradise is a future earthly state, then Jesus' promise that the thief will be "with me" in paradise collapses their theology. Christ explicitly promises His presence with the thief, a presence that is incompatible with the notion of Jesus being inactive in death and paradise being merely an earthly future realm.
The placement of the comma after "today" renders the adverb redundant: "Truly I tell you today." When else would Jesus have been speaking, yesterday? tomorrow? The phrase becomes a tautology. In contrast, the traditional placement emphasizes the immediacy of the promise, aligning with the context and the thief's urgent hope. Sometimes defenders of the notion of soul sleep appeal to the Curetonian Syriac and Codex Vaticanus as evidence for their interpretation. However, these claims are tenuous. The Curetonian Syriac represents a later tradition, and the supposed punctuation in Vaticanus is widely regarded as a scribe's mark, not authoritative for establishing original meaning.
The cultural context of Second Temple Judaism, which informed the beliefs and expectations of Jesus' contemporaries, emphasized an immediate reward or punishment after death. This is evident in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), where the characters' fates are sealed immediately upon death. The rich man and Lazarus are depicted as experiencing their respective rewards and punishments without delay. This cultural understanding supports the interpretation of "today" in Luke 23:43 as indicating immediate entrance into paradise. The thief's plea reflects a Jewish eschatological hope of the Messianic kingdom at the end of time.
