A dying man asked to be remembered. Jesus answered with a word that still unsettles debates and steadies hearts: “Today you will be with me in paradise.” We walk through that promise with clear eyes—what “today” means in Scripture, why punctuation doesn’t carry theological weight, and how this single sentence opens a window into the intermediate state, the future resurrection, and the nearness of Christ to those who trust Him.
We start with the scene in Luke 23 and the thief’s remarkable faith under the shadow of the cross. From there, we examine the common argument about comma placement and show why, grammatically and contextually, “I tell you today” adds nothing while “today you will be with me” conveys concrete assurance. To ground the point, we track how the Bible uses time-words—today, tomorrow, yesterday—consistently and precisely, reinforcing that Jesus was speaking about that very day, not a distant future.
Then we address the deeper theological questions the promise raises. What happens at death? How do body and soul relate? Where does the believer go before the final resurrection? We outline a simple, historic view: the body returns to the ground, the spirit goes to be with the Lord, and at the last day God raises the body in glory, reuniting it with the spirit. The thief’s experience becomes a pattern of hope—immediate presence with Christ, then future bodily renewal. Along the way, we highlight the pastoral implications for assurance, grief, and the way the gospel speaks comfort with precision rather than vagueness.
If you’ve wrestled with Luke 23:43, wondered about paradise, or needed a sturdier grasp of what awaits those in Christ, this conversation offers clarity rooted in Scripture and anchored in the words of Jesus. If it helped you, share it with a friend, subscribe for more thoughtful Bible teaching, and leave a review to tell us what you’d like us to tackle next.
BE PROVOKED AND BE PERSUADED!
