The Bible is filled with wonderful stories about God’s interaction with interesting people. For instance, the first child born to Adam and Eve was Cain. He was a troubled man who eventually killed his own brother. And yet, God chose to interact with him about his sin. Sadly, when confronted by God about this, he was more concerned about his own future than the evil he had committed. Then there was King Saul. At the beginning, he was a good king who fought in many battles, but after bending to peer pressure, he chose to disobey what God had told him to do. Toward the end of his life, he went so far as to visit a witch for help. Then there was Naaman, the general of the Syrian army. When he became a leper, he went to Elisha for help. At first, he stubbornly refused what Elisha had told him to do. But he eventually obeyed and God healed him. This changed his attitude about God and Elisha. But he still went back to serve a king who worshiped a false god. All of these men lived a long time ago. All of them knew about God and interacted with Him. But were any of them true believers? Will we see any of them in heaven?
When a Christian dies who is known for his faithfulness to the Lord, we have confidence that that person is absent from the body and present with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8). But when someone dies who never publicly talked about God or who lived a sinful life, we often wonder what happened to them. Is it possible that the person was a quiet believer and we just didn’t know? Is it possible that the individual turned to the Lord at the end of his life and just didn’t tell anyone? These are questions that we may never be able to answer. But the Bible does tell us about a very bad person whom Jesus saved right at the end of his life. Let’s take a look at what the Bible says.
- What does it say? (Luke 23:32-43)
When Jesus was taken, two others (who were criminals) were also led with him to be put to death. When they arrived at Calvary, they crucified Him and the criminals, one was on his right and the other on his left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them because they don’t know what they are doing.” They took Jesus’ clothes and divided them amongst themselves by casting lots. People stood and looked at what was happening. And the rulers sneered and said, “He saved others so let him save himself if he is the Christ, the chosen One of God.” The soldiers also mocked Him as they offered Him sour wine to drink. They said, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself.” Above Him, they wrote an inscription which said, “This is the King of the Jews.” It was written in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew. Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him by saying, “If you are the Christ, save yourself and us.” But the other criminal responded and rebuked him. “Don’t you even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? We should be condemned as we are getting what we deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” Jesus responded by saying, “You can be assured that today You will be with me in Paradise.” - What does it mean?
The man committed crimes (Luke 23:32-33).
When Jesus was led up to Calvary, the soldiers also brought two criminals to be crucified. These men were nailed to crosses one on each side of Jesus. What had they done? They (unlike Jesus) were guilty of crimes that were deserving of death. Matthew and Mark describe these men as robbers (Matt. 27:38,44; Mark 15:27,32). The same word is used to describe the highwaymen who attacked the traveler in Jesus’ story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30).1 And (unlike with Jesus) there is no reason to doubt that they had committed these crimes. The governor had tried them and found them guilty. Though the details of the robbery are not described in detail, their crimes were probably violent in nature and were worthy of the death sentence.
The man acknowledged his sin (Luke 23:40-41).
While these criminals suffered for their crimes, the focus was on Jesus. The people, the rulers, and the soldiers mocked Him for various reasons. Some mocked Him for being the Christ and being unable to save Himself. The soldiers mocked Him for being the King of the Jews and not being able to save Himself. While hearing these taunts, one of the criminals decided to join in. He said, “If you are the Christ, save yourself and us!” He obviously did not believe that Jesus was the Son of God or the Christ.
But something happened at that moment. The other thief had a change of heart. He rebuked the other robber for what he had said. He told him that he should fear God and that they were getting the results of their sins. But Jesus had done nothing wrong. In this statement, the second thief acknowledged his sin. He didn’t try to cover up what he had done to make himself look better. He admitted that he had done wrong. That is where true repentance begins. When someone acknowledges his sinfulness compared to God, he is on the right track.
The man trusted in Jesus (Luke 23:42).
After rebuking the other thief, this man sincerely turned to Jesus and said, “Lord, remember me when you come into Your kingdom.” What had just happened? This man believed two things. First, he believed that Jesus was the Lord. Second, he believed that Jesus would rule over the kingdom in the future. That is phenomenal! What made him believe that a man who had just been crucified next to him could be the Lord and the future Christ who would ruler over Israel?
His change of heart may have been the result of what he saw that day. He may have been watching when Jesus stood before the governor. He may have seen how Jesus responded with wisdom and humility. He was with Jesus when he spoke to bystanders as they carried their crosses to Calvary. He was there when Jesus asked the Father to forgive those who crucified Him. He had seen the same evidence that others saw, but he responded with faith in who Jesus was and what He would do.
The man went to Paradise (Luke 23:43).
After admitting his sinfulness and declaring his faith in Jesus, the man received a beautiful promise from Him. Jesus assured the man that he would be with him in Paradise that day. What just happened? A convicted thief had been crucified for his crimes. He was not someone whom you would look up to as an example to follow. You would probably view him as someone who was as far away from heaven as anyone could be. He was one of the worst people in that city and yet Jesus promised him Paradise.
What happened to this man is what happens to every sinner who repents of his sin and believes in Jesus. Being forgiven by Jesus is not based on our record of good or evil. It is based on Jesus’ record of being perfect. When Jesus died on the cross, He died for all sinners including you and me. None of us is innocent from God’s perspective because we “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). Thankfully, Jesus died for our sins and took the punishment that we deserved. His death on the cross made it possible for this convicted criminal to be forgiven by God and to go to heaven when he died. - How does it apply?
Is it ever too late to turn to Jesus?
From what happened to the thief on the cross, we know that someone can be saved right before he dies. To some, this may not seem fair. Why would God offer to forgive someone who lived a terrible life of sin and decided to turn to Him at the last minute? I don’t know why God is merciful to sinners. But it is a good thing that He does because we are all guilty sinners who deserve Hell instead of heaven.
Is there any hope?
For those who have lost a loved one recently, this real, biblical event gives hope. The thief on the cross was a hardened criminal who did not deserve God’s mercy but received it at the last moment. With a heart of repentance, this man turned to Jesus while he was dying. Thankfully, God’s mercy was ready to receive him. Is it possible that your loved one turned to the Lord at the end of his life? We may never know. But with God all things are possible. However, we need to think of one more thing.
Is it wise to wait until the end?
When confronted with the need for repentance and faith, some people think that they can wait until the last moment and then be saved. While that is possible, is it probable? Someone who has loved his sin, has refused to repent, and has rejected Jesus for many years will probably not change his mind at the last minute. I have met people who became more hardened in their rejection of Jesus as they got older. On top of that, who knows if you will have another opportunity to respond after today. The Bible says that today is the day of salvation, not some future time. How many people have waited to repent and later died in an accident? It is not wise to wait. It is better to respond the moment God works in your heart.
Conclusion
At the beginning of the message, I mentioned several people in the Bible who heard from God and chose to respond in different ways. Will these people be in heaven? I don’t know. What about the thief on the other cross? Will he be in heaven? Yes, Jesus assured him that he would be in Paradise with him that very day. But there is one more person I am concerned about. Will you be in heaven? The only way you can be assured of that is if you follow the example we saw in the Bible today. If you will repent of your sin and put your faith in Jesus who died for you and rose again, you will be saved and given eternal life in heaven after this life. My final question for you is this. Will you be there?
Bibliography
Geldenhuys, Norval, The Gospel of Luke, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1983.
Martin, John A., “Luke” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary New Testament, USA: SP Publications, 1983.
Plummer, Alfred, The Gospel According to S. Luke, Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1896, reprint 1975.
“What can we learn from the thief on the cross?” as viewed at https://printer.gotquestions.net/GeneratePF?articleId=2539 on 3/21/2026.
“What crime was committed by the ‘thieves’ crucified with Jesus?” as viewed at https://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/22725/what-crime-was-committed-by-the-thieves-crucified-with-jesus on 3/22/2026.
Footnotes
- As mentioned in the first reply to “What crime was committed by the ‘thieves’ crucified with Jesus?” ↩︎