“But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?”
My Notes
What Does Luke 23:40 Mean?
"Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?" One of the two criminals crucified alongside Jesus rebukes the other for mocking Jesus. His argument is simple and devastating: you're in the same condemnation. You're dying the same death. You're nailed to the same kind of cross. How can you mock someone who shares your sentence?
The phrase "dost not thou fear God" introduces the one variable that differentiates the two thieves: fear of God. Both are guilty. Both are condemned. Both are dying. But one fears God and one doesn't. The external circumstances are identical. The internal posture is opposite.
The repentant thief then makes one of the most theologically compressed statements in Scripture: "we indeed justly" (verse 41) — acknowledging that his punishment is deserved, while Jesus' is not. In three words, he demonstrates repentance (admitting guilt), justice (accepting the sentence), and faith (recognizing Jesus' innocence). From a cross.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What separates the two thieves — and which one's posture is closer to yours?
- 2.What does the repentant thief's complete conversion on the cross teach about what's required for salvation?
- 3.How does 'today shalt thou be with me in paradise' challenge requirements you've added to the gospel?
- 4.What does the fear of God produce that its absence doesn't?
Devotional
Two thieves. Same crosses. Same nails. Same death sentence. One mocks Jesus. One rebukes the mocker. The only difference between them is internal: one fears God. One doesn't.
The repentant thief's argument is devastatingly simple: you're dying too. How can you mock someone who's in the same condemnation you are? The mockery requires a sense of superiority that the cross should have eliminated. You can't look down on someone when you're both looking up at your own nails.
The fear of God is the dividing line. Both criminals have identical external circumstances: condemned, crucified, dying. What separates them is invisible — the internal posture toward God. One criminal uses his last breaths to mock. The other uses his last breaths to believe. Same situation. Different souls.
The repentant thief's theology is remarkable for a dying criminal: we deserve this (confession of guilt). He doesn't (recognition of innocence). Remember me when You come into Your kingdom (faith in Jesus' identity and future authority). This is a complete conversion — confession, faith, and hope — compressed into the final moments of a criminal's life.
Jesus' response — "today shalt thou be with me in paradise" (verse 43) — is the most generous sentence in the Gospels. No probationary period. No required works. No minimum time of faithfulness. Today. Paradise. With Me.
It's never too late. But it could have been earlier.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice,.... A second time; for at the first loud cry, he uttered these words, "Eli,…
Dost not thou fear God ... - You are condemned to die as well as he. It is improper for you to rail on him as the rulers…
Dost not thou fear God - The sufferings of this person had been sanctified to him, so that his heart was open to receive…
In these verses we have,
I. Divers passages which we had before in Matthew and Mark concerning Christ's sufferings. 1.…
But the other The -bonus latro," or -Penitent Robber,"is called by various traditional names, and in the Arabic -Gospel…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture