What did Jesus say to the thief on the cross?

'Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise' (Luke 23:43). When one of the criminals crucified beside him asked to be remembered, Jesus promised him immediate presence in paradise that very day.

What does the thief on the cross teach about salvation?

That salvation comes by turning to Christ in faith, not by earning it. The thief had no time to reform and no good works to offer, only a plea. Jesus saved him at the last hour, showing it is never too late and never about our record but about Christ.

A word from the cross

Today Shalt Thou Be With Me in Paradise

The word of salvation · Luke 23:43

A criminal crucified beside Jesus turned to him and asked only, 'Lord, remember me.' Jesus answered with a promise far beyond the request: 'To day shalt thou be with me in paradise' (Luke 23:43). Salvation came in the last hour of a guilty man's life, with nothing to offer but faith.

The word

“Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.”

Luke 23:43

What it means

Two criminals were crucified with Jesus, and both, at first, reviled him. But one of them, in the last hours of his life, changed. He rebuked the other, admitted his own guilt, 'we receive the due reward of our deeds,' recognized that Jesus had done nothing wrong, and then, with astonishing faith for a dying man watching another man die, he asked, 'Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.' He had no time left to reform, no good works to offer, no baptism, no proof. He had only a request and a hope.

Jesus gave him infinitely more than he asked. The man asked to be remembered someday; Jesus promised him presence, today. 'To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.' No probation, no waiting, no earning. The very first person Jesus takes with him through death into paradise is a convicted criminal who believed at the last possible moment. It is the gospel in miniature, spoken from one cross to another: it is never too late, and it was never about your record. It was always about him.

He asked only to be remembered. Jesus promised him paradise, today. That is the whole gospel, spoken between two crosses.

For you, at the foot of the crossIf you think you have left it too late, that you have wasted too much, sinned too long, come too near the end with too little to show, this word is for you. The thief was saved with his last breaths and empty hands, on the strength of a single turning toward Christ. The door that opened for him on that day has not closed. You do not need a better life first. You need only to turn, as he did, and say, remember me.

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He said it for you

Every one of these words was spoken over the very people who put him there, which means they were spoken over you and me. The cross is not a tragedy to admire from a distance; it is a door held open. The Living Bread is a quiet place to come and stand at the foot of it, read the Gospels, and pray, and find that the arms were spread open for you.

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Frequently asked questions

What did Jesus say to the thief on the cross?: 'Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise' (Luke 23:43). When one of the criminals crucified beside him asked to be remembered, Jesus promised him immediate presence in paradise that very day.
What does the thief on the cross teach about salvation?: That salvation comes by turning to Christ in faith, not by earning it. The thief had no time to reform and no good works to offer, only a plea. Jesus saved him at the last hour, showing it is never too late and never about our record but about Christ.