A Comma, a Cross, and a Kingdom

When Jesus turned to the thief beside Him and said, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43), it has long been read as proof that believers go directly to heaven at death. But could this hinge on nothing more than a translator’s comma?

The earliest Greek manuscripts had no punctuation. Word-for-word, the verse reads: “Truly I say to you today with me you will be in paradise.” Where the comma is placed changes everything:

“I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

“I say to you today, you will be with me in paradise.”

Hebrew speech often used “today” to emphasize the solemnity of a statement, not the timing of its fulfillment. For example, Moses declared, “I declare to you today that you shall surely perish” (Deuteronomy 30:18). The “today” underscored certainty, not immediacy.

This makes perfect sense, since Jesus Himself did not ascend to the Father until after His resurrection (John 20:17). The “paradise” He promised refers not to instant heaven, but to His coming Kingdom – the very thing the thief asked to be remembered in.

The beauty of this moment is not in punctuation, but in promise. The thief acknowledged his guilt, recognized Jesus as King, and asked to share in His future reign. And even in His agony, Jesus assured him of a place in the Kingdom.

#ThiefOnTheCross #BiblicalTruth #KingdomOfGod #JesusPromise

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