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The thief on the cross had almost nothing left.
No time to repair his past.
No opportunity to rebuild his reputation.
No years available for religious service.
He could not come down from the cross and prove that his life had changed.
Yet beside him hung Jesus.
Luke 23:39–43 records one of the clearest and most beautiful pictures of grace in the New Testament.
Two criminals were dying beside Christ.
One mocked Him.
The other turned toward Him and said:
“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
Jesus answered:
“Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Few passages show so powerfully that salvation is not earned.
At the same time, few passages warn us so clearly against assuming that we can postpone repentance until the end of life.
The story of the thief on the cross is both comfort and warning.
Above all, it shows us a Savior who is truly able to save.
Who Was the Thief on the Cross?
Luke calls the men crucified beside Jesus criminals or evildoers.
We do not know exactly what crimes they had committed.
Therefore, we should not assume that the repentant thief was certainly a murderer.
Neither should we say that only murderers were crucified.
Roman crucifixion was a brutal form of execution commonly used against people such as rebels, slaves, and serious criminals.
What Luke tells us is enough.
The man himself admits:
“We are receiving the due reward of our deeds.”
He knows he is guilty.
He knows his punishment is not undeserved.
Yet while he is dying, something changes.
His attention turns away from himself and toward Jesus.
That is where grace enters the story.
The Two Criminals Initially Mocked Jesus
Matthew 27:44 and Mark 15:32 describe the criminals crucified with Jesus joining the mockery directed toward Him.
Luke later tells us that one criminal continues mocking while the other rebukes him.
The most natural explanation is that the repentant criminal’s attitude changed during the crucifixion.
Perhaps he heard Jesus pray:
“Father, forgive them…”
Perhaps he watched how Jesus suffered.
Maybe he heard the accusations concerning Jesus’ kingship.
Scripture does not tell us precisely what human means God used.
Therefore, we should not invent the details.
What Luke clearly shows is that a man who had been associated with the mockery eventually began looking at Jesus differently.
That change becomes visible in his words.
1. The Thief on the Cross Began to Fear God
The repentant criminal turns toward the other man and asks:
“Do you not fear God?”
Something fundamental has changed.
Until then, the scene had been dominated by mockery.
Now this man recognizes that death is bringing him toward accountability before God.
Biblical fear of God is more than terror.
It means recognizing God’s holiness, authority, and right to judge.
The thief realizes that his final problem is not simply:
“I am dying.”
His deeper problem is:
“I am guilty before God.”
That distinction matters.
Many people want God primarily to remove consequences.
Christian repentance goes deeper.
It begins when we stop treating ourselves as the ultimate authority and recognize that we stand before God.
2. The Thief on the Cross Admitted His Guilt
Next he says:
“We indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds.”
He does not blame society.
He does not blame his childhood.
Neither does he pretend that he is innocent.
He simply acknowledges:
“We deserve judgment.”
That is an essential element of repentance.
Repentance does not mean that every suffering person deserves what is happening to them.
Scripture gives many examples of righteous people who suffer unjustly.
However, when Scripture exposes our actual sin, repentance stops making excuses.
First John 1:9 says:
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins…”
Confession means coming into agreement with God’s judgment about our sin.
The thief does exactly that.
The Penitent Thief Did Not Minimize His Past
There is something remarkable about his confession.
He is standing—or more accurately, hanging—at the end of his life.
There is no time left to construct a respectable religious image.
The truth is exposed.
He is guilty.
Yet this is precisely the kind of sinner Jesus came to save.
The gospel never begins with:
“Convince God that you are basically a good person.”
It begins with truth.
We have sinned.
We cannot justify ourselves.
We need mercy.
For a fuller explanation of the gospel:
3. The Thief on the Cross Recognized Jesus’ Innocence
Then the criminal says something extraordinary about Jesus:
“This man has done nothing wrong.”
While religious leaders mock Jesus and Roman soldiers crucify Him, a condemned criminal recognizes His innocence.
Luke has already emphasized Jesus’ innocence through Pilate’s declarations.
Now this man adds another witness.
The contrast could hardly be stronger.
One guilty man hangs beside another condemned man.
Yet he recognizes:
“I deserve this. He does not.”
That prepares us to understand the cross.
Jesus is not dying for His own crimes.
First Peter 3:18 says:
“Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.”
The righteous One suffers while guilty people receive mercy.
That is at the heart of the gospel.
4. The Thief on the Cross Believed Jesus Was a King
Then comes perhaps the most remarkable statement:
“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
Look at what he sees physically.
Jesus is beaten.
Bleeding.
Mocked.
Crucified.
Apparently powerless.
Nothing about the scene looks like royal victory.
Yet the thief speaks about Jesus’ kingdom.
Somehow, he believes that death will not be the end of Jesus’ kingship.
He sees a King where everyone else sees a condemned man.
His theology may not have been complete.
We should not claim that the thief already understood penal substitution, resurrection theology, justification, and every doctrine Christians later articulate from Scripture.
Luke does not tell us that.
But he knows enough to place his hope in Jesus.
He believes that Jesus has a kingdom.
And he asks the King for mercy.
Saving Faith Is Not Knowing Everything
This is encouraging.
A person does not need a theology degree before coming to Christ.
You do need the true Christ.
You need to recognize your need.
You need to trust Him.
The thief’s faith is simple, but it is not empty.
He entrusts his future to Jesus.
He does not say:
“Remember how good I really was.”
Neither does he bargain.
He simply asks:
“Remember me.”
That is the language of someone with nothing to offer.
And that is precisely where grace becomes beautiful.
5. The Thief on the Cross Was Saved by Grace
Jesus answers:
“Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Notice everything the thief did not have time to do.
He could not build a long record of Christian service.
He could not repay everyone he had harmed.
He could not join a church.
He could not demonstrate decades of spiritual growth.
Yet Jesus saves him.
That does not make baptism, discipleship, obedience, church fellowship, or good works unimportant.
Had the thief lived, genuine faith would have called him into a transformed life.
However, his circumstances make one truth unmistakable:
good works are not the basis of salvation.
Salvation rests upon Christ.
Ephesians 2:8–9 says:
“By grace you have been saved through faith… not a result of works.”
The thief brought empty hands.
Jesus gave him paradise.
The Thief on the Cross Shows Christ’s Willingness to Save
J. C. Ryle beautifully emphasized that this passage displays Christ’s power and willingness to save sinners.
That remains one of the strongest lessons in the story.
Think about the timing.
Jesus Himself is suffering.
Yet He does not tell the thief:
“You waited too long.”
He does not say:
“Your past is too wicked.”
Neither does He demand that the man first prove himself.
The sinner turns toward Christ.
Christ receives him.
Jesus had already said in John 6:37:
“Whoever comes to me I will never cast out.”
Hebrews 7:25 likewise says that Christ:
“is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him.”
No sinner should therefore conclude:
“Christ could save other people, but not me.”
6. The Thief on the Cross Warns Us Not to Delay Repentance
There were two criminals beside Jesus.
One turned toward Him.
The other continued mocking.
That is sobering.
The story proves that a person can genuinely turn to Christ near the end of life.
However, it does not promise that you will.
You do not know when you will die.
Neither do you know what condition your heart will be in tomorrow.
Sin can harden us.
Hebrews repeatedly warns:
“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”
Therefore, the lesson of the thief is not:
“Live however you want because you can repent on your deathbed.”
The lesson is:
“As long as Christ calls you, it is not too late—but do not presume upon tomorrow.”
Grace should create urgency, not procrastination.
What the Thief on the Cross Does Not Teach
This passage is powerful, but we should not make it say more than Luke says.
The thief was not described as being “on the brink of hell while Satan waited to receive his soul.”
That is imaginative language, not something in the text.
Likewise, Scripture does not tell us exactly what crime he committed.
We should not claim that his request shows he understood every aspect of Christ’s atoning work.
Neither should we turn the story into a formula containing a precise sequence of emotional experiences every conversion must follow.
What we clearly see is enough:
he recognizes God,
admits guilt,
recognizes Jesus’ innocence,
trusts Jesus as King,
asks Him for mercy,
and receives Christ’s promise.
That is already extraordinary.
Did the Thief Earn Salvation by Repenting?
No.
Repentance is not a payment offered to God.
Neither is faith a good work that earns heaven.
The thief does not somehow balance his criminal record by saying the right words at the end.
Jesus saves him by grace.
At the same time, grace produces a real response.
The thief does not remain defiant.
His attitude toward:
God,
himself,
his sin,
and Jesus
changes.
Therefore, salvation by grace does not mean repentance is unnecessary.
Jesus Himself proclaimed:
“Repent and believe in the gospel.”
Repentance and faith are the response of empty-handed sinners receiving God’s grace.
For more:
What Does “Today You Will Be With Me in Paradise” Mean?
Jesus gives the thief remarkable assurance.
“Today.”
Not someday after he has somehow earned enough merit.
“With me.”
The heart of salvation is being with Christ.
“In paradise.”
His death would not end in abandonment.
Jesus promises him life in God’s presence.
Christians have debated some details concerning the intermediate state and the exact biblical use of paradise.
Yet Luke’s central message is clear:
the condemned man will die physically, but he will be with Christ.
For someone hanging on a cross, there could be no greater promise.
The Penitent Thief and Christian Assurance
Notice where the man’s assurance rests.
Not in his feelings.
Not in how strongly he can hold onto faith during his final minutes.
His assurance rests in Jesus’ promise.
Jesus says:
“You will be with me.”
Christian assurance ultimately works the same way.
We do not look primarily at the strength of our faith.
We look toward the strength of our Savior.
Our faith may sometimes tremble.
Christ does not.
Our emotions change.
His promise remains.
Therefore, believers should learn to look outside themselves toward Christ.
The Thief on the Cross and the Other Criminal
The contrast between the two criminals is one of the most sobering parts of the passage.
Both are dying.
Both are physically near Jesus.
Both hear something about His identity.
Yet proximity to Jesus does not automatically produce faith.
One mocks.
One trusts.
Likewise, a person can grow up:
in church,
around Scripture,
in a Christian family,
hearing sermons,
singing worship songs,
and still never personally trust Christ.
Being close to Christian things is not the same as being reconciled to God.
The question is personal:
What are you doing with Jesus?
What If You Have Walked Away From God?
Perhaps your story is different from that of the thief.
Maybe you once professed faith.
You were baptized.
You attended church.
Yet slowly your heart became cold.
Sin gained ground.
Prayer disappeared.
Scripture became distant.
If God is exposing that condition, do not merely “rededicate yourself” emotionally for a few days.
Repent and return to Christ.
Confess what has happened.
Bring your sin into the light.
Seek fellowship with mature believers.
Return to Scripture and prayer.
If there is serious habitual sin, invite accountability rather than hiding.
Your hope remains the same hope the thief had:
Jesus Christ.
Six Lessons From the Thief on the Cross
The story can be remembered through six truths:
- Fear God. Recognize that your life is lived before Him.
- Admit your guilt. Stop defending what God calls sin.
- See Jesus rightly. He is the innocent and righteous Savior.
- Trust Jesus as King. Put your future into His hands.
- Receive salvation as grace. You cannot earn God’s forgiveness.
- Do not delay repentance. Today is the day to respond to Christ.
One criminal turned toward Jesus.
One did not.
The difference was not that one had lived a respectable life.
Both were condemned men.
The difference was where one finally placed his hope.
The Thief on the Cross: Grace at the Final Hour
Perhaps you believe your life is too damaged.
Maybe you have wasted years.
Perhaps you carry sins that make you ashamed even to pray.
The thief on the cross tells you something important:
your sin is not greater than Christ’s ability to save.
Yet the second criminal tells you something equally important:
do not harden your heart.
The cross gives us no basis for despair.
Neither does it give us permission for presumption.
Jesus receives sinners.
Therefore, come.
Do not wait until you feel worthy.
You will never make yourself worthy enough.
Do not wait until life becomes convenient.
You are not promised tomorrow.
Turn from sin.
Trust Christ.
Call upon Him for mercy.
The King who heard a dying criminal still saves sinners today.
The thief on the cross had no time to build a new past, but he had enough time to entrust his future to Jesus—and Jesus was mighty to save.
Continue the Study
The gospel:
Biblical repentance:
Jesus Christ as Lord:
The Messiah as our Rock:
I am a blogger, writer, pastor, Director of Zion Romania Bible School, husband to Olguta, a father and, most importantly, a child of God. I also completed my studies at the King’s University where I earned a B.A. in Theology with a concentration in Messianic Jewish Studies. I love Israel and I love the ‘Jewishness’ of the Bible.
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