The Thief on the Cross
Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2017 6:43 pm
Luke 23:
39 Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ,[j] save Yourself and us.”
40 But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said to Jesus, “Lord,[k] remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”
43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
This passage seems to perplex lots of Christians for various reasons. Why did the criminal (robber/thief) get to go to Paradise on the same day as Jesus?
(I find it interesting the other Gospels do not give this account but instead say that both robbers reviled Jesus - Mark 15:32, Matthew 27:44- and John doesn't mention anything about it at all, and he was an eye witness at the moment this would have happened, isn't that strange? It's kind of a big deal to most of us that Jesus offered that to him.)
Why did Jesus allow this one into Paradise?
39 Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ,[j] save Yourself and us.”
40 But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said to Jesus, “Lord,[k] remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”
43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
This passage seems to perplex lots of Christians for various reasons. Why did the criminal (robber/thief) get to go to Paradise on the same day as Jesus?
(I find it interesting the other Gospels do not give this account but instead say that both robbers reviled Jesus - Mark 15:32, Matthew 27:44- and John doesn't mention anything about it at all, and he was an eye witness at the moment this would have happened, isn't that strange? It's kind of a big deal to most of us that Jesus offered that to him.)
Why did Jesus allow this one into Paradise?