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Did Jesus ascend to Paradise the same day as the crucifixion? There appear to be two contradictory answers here.
Yes. He said to the thief who defended him, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.”
No. He said to Mary Magdelene two days later, “I have not yet ascended to the Father.”
There is no such contradiction when we understand the original language of the biblical text. In Hebrew and Greek there were no punctuation marks like now, which allows us to make spaces between the words and understand its meaning. Since a comma makes the difference.
But some don't put the comma after the word TODAY to support their own ideas. The Bible does not teach that when someone dies they immediately go to paradise, Rather it explains that paradise will be in the future.
So if we want to see conformity in the text it is obvious that it should be translated like this: ✓I tell you today, you will be with me in paradise.
And no: ×I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.
And it's not really a strange answer that he uses the word TODAY, rather it highlights the commitment to keep his word.
You can find a good explanation here. Impartial and with expert sources that explain the language well: https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1101989252
Contradiction in the Bible “ Jesus ascend to Paradise the same day of the crucifixion”? Any clarification?
Did Jesus ascend to Paradise the same day of the crucifixion? The scriptures say, NO
There is no contradiction, contrary to common belief, and in harmony with the scriptures the comma should be placed after the word "today", note the rendering by Lamsa's Aramaic Peshitta NT
Lamsa's Aramaic Peshitta NT Luke 23:43
Jesus said to him, Truly I say to you today, you will be with me in Paradise.
For example, Jesus said that he would die and be "in the heart of the earth", the grave for three days. 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.
John 3:13 (NASB)
13 "No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man."
Matthew 12:40 (NASB)
40 "For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."
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.
1 Corinthians 15:20 (NASB)
20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.
John 20:17 (NASB)
17 Jesus *said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’”
Colossians 1:18 (NASB)
18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.
Acts 1:1-3 (NASB)
1 The first account I [a]composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had [b]by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen. 3 To [c]these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of
The Evildoer
1/ On the night of his death Jesus made a covenant with his faithful disciples, "that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom", the evildoer did not have such a condition of faithfulness and was not included. (Luke 22: 28-30)
Luke 22:28-30 (NASB)
28 “You are those who have stood by Me in My trials; 29 and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you 30 that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel."
2/ Jesus in his conversation with Nicodemus, said to him that "unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God", the evildoer did not meet such a requirement. (John 3:3-5)
John 3:3-5 (NASB)
3/ Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born [a]again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus *said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
3/ Where are the dead? Adam’s "sin" had far-reaching consequences. By sinning, Adam lost for himself the prospect of living forever. Moreover, when Adam sinned, he lost perfection and pass on his imperfection and death to his descendants. God said to him: "dust your and to dust you shall return." and that is where the evildoer is, awaiting the promised resurrection, John 5:28-29 (Gen. 3:19, Compare Rev. 20:13, Eccl.9:10, Isaiah 26:19 )
Genesis 3:19 (NASB)
19 "By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.”
‘Truly I say to you today, you will be with me in Paradise.’ The promise was made on that day and it was to be fulfilled later. This is a characteristic of Oriental speech implying that the promise was made on a certain day and would surely be kept.” Therefore, the Greek phrase at Lu 23:43 may reflect a Semitic way of expressing emphasis. The Hebrew Scriptures provide numerous examples of the idiomatic usage of “today” in solemn expressions, such as promises and commands. (Deuteronomy 4:26; 6:6; 7:11; 8:1, 19; 30:15; Zechariah 9:12) The evidence presented above suggests that Jesus used the word “today” to call attention, not to the time of the criminal’s being in Paradise, but to the time at which the promise was being made.
No, Christ did not ASCEND into heaven after His death on the cross.
Assumptions cause confusion. Whenever scripture appears to us to be contradictory, it is because we are bringing our own ideas or preconceived thoughts into the reading. The appearance of a contradiction should be the indicator that we need to put our ideas aside and examine the scriptures more closely. As the scriptures are the word of YHWH, the work of the Holy Spirit, He does not contradict Himself. We are the problem.
The assumption in your question is that Paradise, or Abraham's Bosom as is the correct translation, is in the highest heaven. Luke 16:19-31 clearly shows that Paradise was a section or part of the grave, the place of the dead. The rich man looked across the divide or gulf to see Lazarus being comforted in Abraham's Bosom. No one could cross that gulf. As they both had died, they were in the prison of Hades (Greek), or Sheol (Hebrew), to which Christ held the keys (Rev. 1:18).
So, Christ did not ascend into heaven at His death on the cross. He descended into that part of the grave called Paradise to preach to those spirits who were in prison (1 Pet. 3:19) what He had already preached to His disciples - that the kingdom was at hand, shortly to be established. He was letting them know they didn't have to wait much longer.
He then rose the 3rd day, appeared to Mary in the garden, and to many others for approx. 40 days before He ascended into heaven in Acts 1:9.
See also my answer to the question of death and Hades in Rev. 20:14 here
See also my answer to the question about the keys of hell and death in Rev. 1:18 here
Did Jesus ascend to Paradise on the day of the crucifixion? Is this a contradiction?
The two bible verses mentioned are not contradictory, they stand on their own merits, although punctuation, in Luke 23:43, leaves a lot to the imagination, as presented.
After Crucifixion
Where Jesus was for the next 3 days and nights, or parts of 3 days and maybe only 2 nights, depending on one's understanding, is not in dispute. He was to all intents and purposes in the grave, i.e. He was confined to Hell, a region of Sheol (Hebrew), or within the gates of Hades (Greek). And contrary to what some traditionally think, there is no regional Paradise here within. In fact it's a place of nothingness, nothing goes on and no thoughts whatsoever are processed, despite what Luke 16:19-31 would seem to imply, as with regard to the Rich Man and Lazarus, but that's another story. Until his resurrection, Jesus was indeed dead to the world.
NB:-Jesus' preaching "to the spirits in prison"
At 1 Peter 3:19,20, after describing Jesus' resurrection to spirit life, the apostle says: "In this state also he went his way and preached "to the spirits (unrighteous angels) in prison" (pits of dense darkness), who had once been disobedient when the patience of God was waiting in Noah's days, while the ark was being constructed," (2 Peter 2:4,5), and who were "reserved with eternal bonds under dense darkness for the judgement of the great day." (Jude 6). He did not therefore do this preaching while entombed.
Luke 23:43
What Jesus said to the evildoer, who, while being crucified along with Jesus, acknowledged his own wrong doings but then recognized that Jesus had no impropriety and was not deserving of his sentence of death, would have had to have been more on these lines:- (bracketed words mine).
"Truly I say to you (on this) day (of ultimate persecution), that you shall (at some future time) be with Me (party to my jurisdiction) in Paradise (on earth as opposed to heaven)."
As the evildoer had not been a believer and therefore not "born again", of water and spirit, which Jesus showed was a prerequisite to entry into the actual kingdom of the heavens, (Joh 3:3-6), he could not be a party to the heavenly jurisdiction, which although considered to be the ultimate place of eternal existence, is never described as a Paradise.
John 20:17
Jesus said to her (Mary Magdeline) "Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father ....
It would be a full 40 days before Jesus, after having arisen from the grave, was to ascend to the Father. In that meantime He made several appearances to His disciples and others, confirming His long prophesied return to the living. Although He would soon be with the Father in the heavens, the earthly Paradise, on which the evildoer, who died along side Jesus, would eventually reside, was for many decades, even centuries, hence.
They went to the Paradise side of the grave. On his resurrection paradise was moved to heaven.
Grave related
Luke 23:43 Easy-to-Read Version
43 Then Jesus said to him, “I promise you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
1 Peter 3:18-20 Easy-to-Read Version
18 Christ himself suffered when he died for you, and with that one death he paid for your sins. He was not guilty, but he died for people who are guilty. He did this to bring all of you to God. In his physical form he was killed, but he was made alive by the Spirit.[a]
19 And by the Spirit he went and preached to the spirits in prison. 20 Those were the spirits who refused to obey God long ago in the time of Noah. God was waiting patiently for people while Noah was building the big boat. And only a few—eight in all—were saved in the boat through the floodwater.
Resurrection related:
Ephesians 4:8-10 Easy-to-Read Version
8 That is why the Scriptures say,
“He went up high into the sky; he took prisoners with him, and he gave gifts to people.”
9 When it says, “He went up,” what does it mean? It means that he first came down low to earth. 10 So Christ came down, and he is the same one who went up. He went up above the highest heaven in order to fill everything with himself.
Post Resurrection related:
2 Corinthians 12:3-4
And I know that this man was taken up to paradise. I don’t know if he was in his body or away from his body, but he heard things that he is not able to explain. He heard things that no one is allowed to tell.
No contradiction. That was the Everlasting Father talking. If you unpack that entire scenario with the thief, he confessed his sin/repented, called Jesus Lord, and believed in the resurrection; that God would raise him from the dead and therefore raise the thief up also. Roman's 10, 9-10, Isaiah 9:6, John 10:30.
Jesus spoke to the thief on the cross in Luke 23:
43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
This today pertains to time as observed by the thief.
John 20:17 He said to Mary Magdelene two days later, “I have not yet ascended to the Father.”
This is time as observed by Jesus.
According to Einstein's relativity, time is not absolute but depends on the experience of the observer. When the thief sees Jesus in Paradise, it will be a time of today for the thief.
If interested, the movie Interstellar uses this concept of relativistic time in its plot.
Here is another case in point, Matthew 12:
40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Did the thief meet Jesus in the heart of the earth?
No. They were two different relativistic timeframes.
Luke 23.43:
And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. [KJV]
There are two keys to understanding this passage.
That is, "today you will be with me" refers to a communion between the thief and Christ. In many places in the new testament, we are said to be "hid in Christ" or "in Christ". This is the sense of "with me".
Paradise is a reference to Eden, where Adam walked with God in communion. In fact, the word paradise means "park", being a Persian loan-word in both Greek and Hebrew.
From the the TDNT[1]:
παράδεισος is a loan word from old Persian, where the pairi-daēza- (read pari-daiza- or -dēza-) of the Avesta denotes an enclosure, then the park surrounded by a wall. In Gk. it occurs first in Xenoph. for the parks of the Persian king and nobility.2 Already by the 3rd cent. B.C. it can then be used generally for a “park.” In Jewish Gk., from the LXX on, it is used esp. for the garden of God in the creation story (LXX Gn. 2:8–10, 16 etc.). More exactly God’s garden as distinct from secular parks is ὁ παράδεισος τοῦ θεοῦ (LXX Gn. 13:10; Ez. 28:13; 31:8; cf. ὡς παράδεισος κυρίου, Is. 51:3) or ὁ παράδεισος τῆς τρυφῆς (LXX Gn. 2:15 vl.; 3:23f.; Is. 51:3 vl.; Ez. 31:9; cf. ὡς παράδεισος τρυφῆς, Jl. 2:3; ὡς κῆπος τρυφῆς, Ez. 36:35). This involves a notable shift in meaning; the LXX has moved the term from the profane sphere to the religious. Test. L. 18:10 (→ n. 16) was then the first to give the simple word the technical sense of “Paradise.”7 This religious use is in the pseudepigr. extended to the intervening hidden Paradise (→ 767, 15 ff.) and the eschatological reappearance (→ 767, 3 ff.) of Paradise [..] The consistent Rabb. term for the Paradise of the first, the intervening, and the last time is Heb. גַּן עֵדֶן
Note that Jesus did not say "heaven".
This refers to the position of being made alive in Christ and hidden in him. Therefore it has connotations being without sin, being deathless, being reconciled to God, and having the abundance of God made available to you. Everyone who believes achieves this state:
John 11.25:
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” [ESV]
So the thief can never die, only his body can die. The Bible talks of saints who were killed in the flesh as "fallen asleep". They will wake from their slumber when the trumpet sounds and the Lord appears in the air. But whether they live or whether they die, they are with the Lord.
Romans 14.8:
For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. [ESV]
Romans 8.35-39
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The above verses tell us that things like the flesh dying don't change our position with God. What changes our position in God is faith. Therefore Paradise is where believers are today.
What the death of the body accomplishes is that we are no longer fooled into thinking we aren't in paradise.
Hebrews 2.8-9
Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. [KJV]
So it does not appear that we are in perfect communion with God, walking in Eden again, and that everything is in complete subjection to Christ. But that is because we do not see clearly. After the flesh ends, we see clearly with God's perspective:
1 Cor 13.12
For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. [KJV]
Therefore the thief, dying in the flesh that day, would actually see that he is in paradise with Christ, even though he was in paradise with Christ the very moment he believed (which was the same day).
[1] Jeremias, J. (1964–). παράδεισος. G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley, & G. Friedrich (Eds.), Theological dictionary of the New Testament (electronic ed., Vol. 5, p. 766). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
There is very limited information available to answer this questions without any ambiguity. There is an assumption that God is in heaven and paradise is also in heaven, which would be a reasonable assumption in my opinion. Is there more clear evidence? Looking at what’s available to us;
Is God in heaven and did Jesus ascending to Heaven? - YES - for the following reasons;
1 Peter 3:22 ESV Who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.
Mark 16:19 ESV So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.
Acts 7:55-56 ESV But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
Ephesians 1:20 ESV That he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,
Acts 7:55 ESV But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Acts 2:34 ESV For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, “‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand,
is paradise in heaven - YES very likely
Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure (thesauros) in heaven. Then come, follow me." (Matthew 19:21)
Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To those who are victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. Revelation 2:7
And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. (Revelation 10:10)
2 Corinthians 12:2-4 esv - 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. 3 And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— 4 and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter.
When did Jesus ascend to heaven after crucifixion / risen? This is problematic Same day - Luke 23.43 - He said to the thief who defended him, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” Luke 24:50 - 50 When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. The nest day - Mark 16:9-20 19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. Two days - John 20:17 - He said to Mary Magdelene two days later, “I have not yet ascended to the Father.” Acts 1:3 - 3After His suffering, He presented Himself to them with many convincing proofs that He was alive. He appeared to them over a span of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.
Other problems in answering this question
Isaiah 53:7 - 7He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth.
This can be taken as
i) He did not Object to Gods will
ii) OR he literally did not speak a word. OR
However, he did speak at his trial and he spoke on the cross. He also prayed earnestly to be saved Luke 22:44And in His anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground & "My GOD my GOD, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46) - see link for more detail was Jesus was Forsaken - https://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/a/62632/33268
Based on the above Jesus did go to heaven / paradise with God – WHEN is difficult to prove.
Some other ambiguities in the gospel regarding the crucifixion - https://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/a/62267/33268
To Your Question:
one subject is about the Resurrection to Paradise That Day. The other is ascending to The Father understood in the light of the Godhead. That encounter happened After; His Transfiguration. I think many overlook that Jesus was knocking on Satan's door saying let my people go; If you will. Well before His (Transfiguration).
Verse 17 Touch Me not = Do not be holding Me. Greek. hapto. Only here in John; elsewhere, thirty-nine times. See Matthew 8:3, Matthew 8:18; Matthew 9:20, Matthew 9:21, Matthew 9:29.
Jesus is saying don't delay me or the message He gave her. That encounter is after His Transfiguration.
When Jesus gave up The Spirit; that was His Resurrection. He resurrected that day. His flesh body would resurrect three and half days later with No corruption as prophecy stated.
I Peter 3:18, 19. Peter teaches Jesus did go to Paradise that day. He freed many prisoners going way back beyond Noah's time, to Adam etc. Remember Luke 16. On a first-hand meeting Christ offered them Salvation who have passed before The New Covenant was available to them. That shows God's fairness.
Death triggers one to resurrect.
Luke 23:43
And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.
That verse is self explanatory. Paul would reiterate in 1 Thessalonians 4, the living on earth cannot precede (rendered prevent) in time the dead's Resurrection.
Paul teaches if you believe Christ died and rose again, then believe all those who believe in Christ do the same. Jesus is our standard.
1 Corinthians 15: 35 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? 36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:
Paul would say ones soul must obtain deathlessness (immortality) ; in Christ.
That and many other passages will establish He went to Paradise that day. As all do when we die
( Transfiguration is not a norm for a believer; our flesh body does not transfigure). We resurrect with a new body (1 Corinthians 15:49). Transfiguration was done for the righteous servants of God. Christ saw no corruption. And those witnessed leaving their graves was done for our benefit to document Christ defeated death.
Ecclesiastes 12:6
Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.
7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
As you read The Bible; You'll have to square some terms and their meaning as The Bible defines them. And never overlook their timing. The resurrection of a heavenly body as explained by Paul 1 Corinthians 15; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-end to Paradise. To Transfigure a flesh body as Christ did After three and half days (Example the mount of transfiguration). To resurrect of the state of the soul in Salvation; Paul introduces that new subject in 1 Corinthians 15:50-54 (mortal or immortal) KJV. This word is even used of a higher level of thinking .
