Monday: “Today…With Me In Paradise
One of the Bible passages most widely used to try to prove the immortality of the soul is Luke 23:43 — “He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise’” (NRSV). Almost all Bible versions (with few exceptions) translate this text in a similar way, giving the impression that on the very day Christ died, Christ and the thief would be together in Paradise. This should not surprise us because those translations were made by biblical scholars who believe in the dogma of the natural immortality of the soul. But is this the best translation of the text?
Compare Luke 23:43 with John 20:17 and John 14:1-3. How should the promise to the repentant thief on the cross be understood in light of Jesus’ words to Mary Magdalene and His promise to His disciples?
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The assumption that Christ and the thief went on that same day to Paradise (or heaven) contradicts Jesus’ words to Mary Magdalene after His resurrection, which affirm that He had not yet gone to the presence of His Father in heaven (John 20:17). This error, that both Jesus and the repentant thief went to heaven that day, also contradicts Jesus’ promise to His disciples that they would be taken to heaven only at His second coming (John 14:1-3).
The issue in Luke 23:43 is whether the adverb “today” (Greek sēmeron) should be linked to the verb that follows it (“to be”) or to the verb that precedes it (“to tell”). Wilson Paroschi recognizes that “from the grammatical standpoint” it is virtually impossible to determine the correct alternative. “Luke, however, has a definite tendency of using this adverb with the preceding verb. This happens in 14 of the 20 occurrences of sēmeron in Luke and Acts.” — Wilson Paroschi, “The Significance of a Comma: An Analysis of Luke 23:43,” in Ministry, June 2013, p. 7.
So, the most natural reading of Luke 23:43 would be “Truly I tell you today, you will be with Me in Paradise.” In this case, the idiomatic expression “I tell you today” emphasizes the relevance and solemnity of the statement “you will be with Me in Paradise.” In short, Jesus was promising him, right then and there, that he would be saved.
| Read the story of the repentant thief (Luke 23:39-43), who, despite his sin, despite the fact that he had nothing to offer God, was promised eternal life by Christ. How does this story powerfully reveal the great truth of salvation by faith alone? In what ways are we just like that thief? In what ways do we differ? |
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Part of the issue that we have with this story is that some of us teeter on the edge of verbal inspiration. We need to remember that there wasn't a scribe sitting at the foot of the cross recording Jesus' words. At best, someone remembered an affirming conversation between Jesus and the thief and wrote it down later. Secondly, ancient languages are notoriously bereft of punctuation - much like the text messages we send to one another these days. (I recently had a text conversation with one of my birding friends where I put an apostrophe in "it's" when I shouldn't have. I apologized for my bad punctuation and she replied that she never uses punctuation!)
So, we are left with the situation where most (all the ones I looked at) translations put the comma before "today" while we make sense of the statement by placing it after. It makes sense, but we still have an uphill battle trying to convince anyone who really believes the comma goes before the "today" that we are right and they are wrong. Being in the right is not necessarily a convincing argument.
Importantly, the recorded episode is really about Jesus' compassion toward a dying sinner. Both were sharing an important moment in history, One was dying because of his sins and the other was dying to save others from the consequence of sin. Jesus wanted to assure the thief that his confession had been heard and accepted.
There is one thing more, that I hope we'll not overlook. And that's the significance of "I tell you today" in this context. The penitent thief had just made a petition to Jesus, knowing that someday Jesus was to be crowned King.
That is, he wanted Jesus to consider and decide his case, once Jesus was seated on His throne. Jesus let the man know that he would not have to wait until then, but that He had already decided his case -- "today." Wonderful, merciful Saviour!
This story reveals the powerful great truth of salvation because not only God is love, but God is just (1 Peter 2:23). God is the righteous judge meaning there is no corruption in Him when He executes punishment for the loss at the second death (hellfire). I see the thief on the cross similar to the poor beggar eating the crumbs off the rich man’s table (see my comments for Sunday’s lesson). The thief on the cross didn’t have time to have a thorough bible study and be baptized because he was on his dying hours. Thankfully, Jesus was baptized for his sake, because Christ understood that many of His followers would not have the opportunity to confess their public loyalty by baptism. So, Christ baptism gives credit to those who didn’t get the chance to be baptized due to sickness, disability, poor health, or on their deathbed (Matthew 3:15). Just like the thief on the cross, he was justified to be saved because the thief recognized that he needed a Savior and was sincerely repentant from the sins he committed before Christ (the throne of grace). We are just like that thief on the cross when we come to the revelation and knowledge of Jesus Christ after recognizing ourselves in the mirror of our awful sinful condition. The Old Testament believer looks forward to the cross and the New Testament believer looks back at the cross to acknowledge their sinful condition and repent of their sins. As for myself, I am different from the thief on the cross because I am not sentenced to death for a crime, nor did I not have much opportunity to hear the Gospel message since I grew up in a Christian home and church. Compared to the thief on the cross, I had more advantages and chances to hear and accept the Gospel Truth and the Plan of Salvation.
In a side note, I reflect on the thief on the cross like the main character of the novel book called Les Misérables. The main character was running away all his life and lived the life of a fugitive. What was his crime? He was a thief. What did he steal? He only stole a loaf of bread because his family was hungry, imagine that. It was not a billion dollars stolen, but merely a loaf of bread. What does that tell me? It tells me that whatever sin is committed (great or small) deserves the punishment of death (Romans 6:23, 1st part). But, there is Good News! The main character of Les Misérables was seeking salvation and forgiveness from God over a mere loaf of bread and God judges righteously (Romans 6:23, 2nd part).
Let me talk about the contrary passage of Luke 23:43 which many readers believe is a correct sentence as supposed to be grammatically incorrect with the wrong comma placement. We must understand the writings of ancient Greek and its literature system having no punctuation. The bible translators in their writing language have punctuations like the Old English. The Old English translator I am referring to is the King James version. As the lesson pointed out, the misplacement of the comma should have been inserted after the word “today”, not before it. If people disagree, then we have sufficient evidence to back up the claim by referencing other verses where scripture tells us that Jesus did not yet ascend up to heaven as pointed out in today’s lesson. As bible students, we shouldn’t build a doctrine based on one verse alone. It has to harmonize with the rests of the scriptures and the bible as a whole (Luke 24:27; 1 Corinthians 2:13).
Furthermore I want to add the parallel between the two criminals with Jesus on the cross and the two sons of Adam, Cain and Abel. The criminal on Jesus' left side (I assume) was selfish in his cry for help towards Jesus in verse 39. Just like Cain was selfish in not obeying God’s way of righteousness when he offered his sacrifice to Him (Genesis 4:5). The opposite side of Jesus to His right (I assume) was an unselfish request in his cry for help towards Jesus in verses 40-42. Just like Abel was unselfish by obeying God’s way of righteousness when he offered his sacrifice to Him (Genesis 4:4). As a result, the criminal to the left was not accepted and the criminal to the right was accepted. Just like Cain’s sacrifice was not accepted and Abel’s sacrifice was accepted. The accepted request and sacrifice from both men were saved (approved) by God’s throne of Grace.
True! If back then it was believed that the dead just went to heaven directly, the thief wouldn't have pointed out the second coming (Matthew 24:31; 25:31) saying "when thou comest in thy kingdom. That affirmation applies to day when Jesus was making the promise "I tell you today, ...".
Question: Who had preached the hope of the second coming that the thief longed for?
Answer: Jesus and the previous prophets
Even righteous Job was waiting until his change (1 Cor. 15:51-54) would come. Job 19:25-27. Short of that makes Jesus a liar when talking to Mary (John 20:17). How fatal then, it would demolish the whole resurrection story! Had Jesus comitted any sin (lie), he would also need a Messaiah. But we know him in whom was no sin and no guilt in His mouth. (1 John 3:5; 1 Peter 2:22). Thank you
Where or where does the comma go??? Apparently there is no help from the original to tell us if the comma goes before "today" or after "today". Yet that little comma can change the meaning considerably.
The dying thief, his time of probation closing, reaches out to Jesus,
REMEMBER ME WHEN YOU COME INTO YOUR GLORY.
Obviously the thief was asking to be remembered by Christ at the future date.
The text shows his remarkable faith!! He was talking to a man, who to all appearances had been put down, finished, crucified. What faith, that this thief's belief reached beyond the immediate, torturous circumstances of Christ's apparent defeat, and he could see Christ's victory! He believed this man, hanging on the cross beside Him, was the Christ, and He would come into glory and a kingdom.
He believed, what all the disciples who had been with Jesus three years, still had not grasped.
That thief was SAVED at that hour. Thus Jesus could tell him that very day even though things looked bad, "You will be with Me in paradise!"
As the Lesson states, other passages in the Bible prove that Jesus was not talking about going to Paradise (Heaven) right after He died. Sometimes we can point to something small and make a big deal out of it, that's a human trace. The important matter is that the thief, by recognising Jesus as the "real" King, asked Him for mercy! Jesus reached into the thief's heart and the thief was touched. The real lesson here is about CHANCE! God is merciful so we can go to Him anytime, the way we are, guilty as we are! He gives us a CHANCE, even though we had not lived accordingly. But we never know WHEN our LAST CHANCE will take place! Thus, let's not wait to decide! Remember that in the other side there was an example of a heart that for too long restrained from goodness, a heart of a thief with no remorse, with nothing good left! Let us seize the CHANCE that Jesus is giving us TODAY, and deliver our hearts to Him, because the most important thing is not being in Paradise, but being at Jesus's side! Paradise doesn't make any sense without Jesus!
I've known from the very beginning of my rebirth to depend only on the Holy Spirit in everything I learn about God, including Jesus, and the truth. Thus, when I was studying the scripture "Today you will be with me in Paradise," The Spirit brought to my remembrance how Jesus hadn't risen till three days later, and He showed me how the translation was off a little. I've seen all too often how the scriptures can be misinterpreted. It is nice to hear confirming evidence of what the Spirit has taught me from people such as I find here.
God bless, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
A non-adventist theologian has an interesting view of this scripture that I had not heard before. This is from "The Gospel of Luke" by Joel B. Green, a part of The New International Commentary on the New Testament. On Luke 23:43 he says the following.
In Green's view, then, Jesus is saying to the criminal that even on the day of their crucifixion, salvation is offered. This matches the traditional Adventist view and also underscores the immediacy of salvation through Christ.
On a related, but somewhat off-topic issue, Green also points out that the criminal is the first to recognize that Jesus' crucifixion is not a contradiction of His role as savior, but instead is a precursor to His enthronement.
Are commas and punctuation part of inspiration?
Short answer: no. It is the ideas that are inspired. Mind you if you were writing an essay for me as an assignment and you messed up the punctuation, I might knock a few marks off, but I would be really looking for the ideas that you are presenting.
I think everything we read in the Bible is inspired, just because it is in the Bible, and because it reached us just the way it was revealed!
The proof of inspiration is that not even the thousands of its editors and redactors interfered with its form.
But don't forget that *not all that were revealed were inspired* _(that is, *they didn't reach us,* eg. the volumes of Jesus' deeds in John 21:25).
Not all that was inspired was revealed (for example, there is no Bible writer to whom was revealed *punctuation,* or even the numbering of the verses and chapters).
My thought though.
Absolutely on point.
It's a blessed thought, dear brother.
Hi, Simeon. I agree with Maurice, and since I have the time, perhaps I'll venture a slightly longer answer, thinking that others may have similar questions.
Seventh-day Adventists do not believe in verbal inspiration. That is, we believe that the Bible writers got their thoughts and ideas from the Holy Spirit, but expressed them in their own words.
That said, commas or other punctuation can sometimes make a big difference in meaning, and of course we want to catch the true intent of the Bible writer. It is totally illegitimate, for instance, for us to move commas around, in an English translation of Scripture, to make it say whatever we want, without going back to the original language to see if that's what it really means.
The interesting thing about Luke 23:43 is that the oldest (Greek) copies we have of the New Testament were written in all-caps, with little or no punctuation. Consequently, any punctuation we may find in an edition of the Greek text has no authority. Also, as the lesson author points out, experts say that the Greek grammar itself gives us no guidance for this verse. That's why we resort to other Scriptures to answer the question. According to them, the penitent thief fell asleep in death, and Jesus didn't go to Paradise until after His resurrection a couple of days later.
Have a blessed day!
I have read the prefaces of many Bible translations and all speak of the prayer, study and work of the Holy Spirit in this work. So “are commas and punctuation part of inspiration?” I would say "Yes," because the translators are working to represent the meaning of the original text to the reader as faithfully as is humanly possible under Holy Spirit’s guidance.
Does this mean each translation is infallible? Obviously not. RG’s comment about verbal inspiration is exactly correct: “Bible writers got their thoughts and ideas from the Holy Spirit, but expressed them in their own words.” The work of Holy-Spirit inspiration behind translations is exactly the same.
For this reason, it is the solemn responsibility of each reader (that is, the onus is on you and me) to read the words inspired by the Holy Spirit (both the prophetic and the translated) with prayer and careful study that we may “rightly divide” (understand) these words in accord with the Holy Spirit’s inspiration. (2 Timothy 2:15; John 13:16.) Without the Spirit’s guidance, we will find ourselves worshiping, believing and teaching the traditions of men (learned by rote) instead of the Word made flesh who dealt among us. (Matthew 15:6b-9; Isaiah 29:13.)
We see in this week’s lesson the vital importance of using context, history, careful thought and especially the guidance of the Holy Spirit in truly understanding the Way, the Truth and the Life as revealed by inspiration.
Hi, Richard. Thank you for the excellent observations. I agree with everything that you are saying. I would only add that, as I understand it, the "inspiration" of Bible translators is not on the same level as that of the Bible writers. So their work, as good as it may be, is not authoritative. That's why we compare translations and, better yet, go back and look at the text in the original languages wherever that can clarify things.
Have a great day!
After all is said, let us not overlook a dying criminal having faith in a dying savior. Though dying, by faith he could see this dying fellow coming in his kingly glory. How will it be to us who reject the risen Savior?
Exceedingly humbled for the Very Best explanatory answered. God Bless you. Am Member of Seventh-day Adventist Church from South Nyanza Conference, Northern TAnzania Union-East Central Africa Division.
Am a Lay Evangerist who is always Participating in Soul winning for Christ every year.