Luke 23:42

My Notes

What Does Luke 23:42 Mean?

A criminal, dying on a cross next to Jesus, makes the most minimal and most miraculous request in the Bible: "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." He asks for nothing except to be remembered. And he addresses Jesus as Lord — recognizing His authority while both of them are being executed.

The thief's faith is staggering: he sees a man in the same condition he's in — nailed, bleeding, dying — and sees a king. He looks at a fellow convict and sees a kingdom. Every external evidence says Jesus is defeated. The thief sees through the evidence to the reality.

Jesus' response (verse 43): "Today shalt thou be with me in paradise." The thief asked to be remembered. Jesus gave him paradise. The thief asked for a future favor. Jesus gave him a same-day appointment. The request was modest. The answer was extravagant.

Reflection Questions

• 1.What does the thief's ability to see a king in a dying convict teach about what faith actually is?
• 2.How does the disproportion between the request ('remember me') and the answer ('paradise today') reveal the nature of grace?
• 3.Does the thief's lack of any religious qualification encourage or challenge your understanding of salvation?
• 4.What would it mean to approach Jesus with the thief's simplicity — no performance, just 'remember me'?

Devotional

A dying man looks at another dying man and sees a king.

The thief on the cross has no theology degree. He hasn't followed Jesus for years. He hasn't been baptized, hasn't taken communion, hasn't done a single religious thing. He's a criminal, nailed to wood, hours from death. And from that position — the absolute lowest, most disqualified position a human can be in — he says: remember me.

The faith required to say that is otherworldly. Everything visible says Jesus is not a king. He's bleeding, gasping, dying beside you. The crowd is mocking. The soldiers are gambling. The sign above His head is a joke to everyone who can read it. And the thief looks at all of that and says: Lord. Kingdom. Remember me.

He asked for the minimum: just don't forget me. When You get where You're going, remember that I existed. That I recognized You. That on the worst day of both our lives, I saw who You were.

Jesus gives him the maximum: today. Paradise. With me. Not someday. Not after a waiting period. Not after you've proven yourself. Today. The thief asked to be a footnote. Jesus made him the first resident of paradise.

This is grace at its most naked. No works. No record of faithfulness. No time to earn anything. Just a request, from a cross, to a king who looked like a convict. And the answer was today.

If the thief could get in, you can get in.

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture