Wednesday, July 22 Truly I tell you today, you will be with me in Paradise.​—Luke 23:43.

[Poly Ester]

Wednesday, July 22

Truly I tell you today, you will be with me in Paradise.—Luke 23:43.

 

In the earliest available Greek manuscripts, punctuation was not consistently used. Thus, the question arises: Was Jesus saying, “I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise”? Or was he saying, “I tell you today, you will be with me in Paradise”? Recall that Jesus had earlier told his followers: “The Son of man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.” (Matt. 12:40; 16:21; 17:22, 23; Mark 10:34; Acts 10:39, 40) So Jesus did not go to any Paradise on the day he and that criminal died. Jesus was “in the Grave [or “Hades”]” for days, until God resurrected him. (Acts 2:31, 32; ftn.) That dying criminal did not know that Jesus had made a covenant with his faithful apostles to be with him in the heavenly Kingdom. (Luke 22:29) Furthermore, that criminal had not even been baptized. (John 3:3-6, 12) Thus, what Jesus promised must be an earthly paradise that was to be fulfilled later. w18.12 6 ¶17-18, 20-21

[Chris7]

The study notes for Luke 23:43 are extensive. Here is a portion....

 Also, the Bible states that Jesus was resurrected as “the firstfruits of those who [had] fallen asleep in death” and that he ascended to heaven 40 days later. (1Co 15:20; Joh 20:17; Ac 1:1-3, 9; Col 1:18) Jesus was resurrected, not on the day that he died, but on the third day after his death, so it is evident that the criminal could not be with Jesus in Paradise on the same day that Jesus spoke to him.