In brief
The thief on the cross is one of the two criminals crucified with Jesus at Golgotha. While the other insults the Lord, he rebukes him: they receive the due reward for their deeds, but Jesus has done nothing wrong. Then he prays, “Lord, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” Jesus answers, “today you will be with me in Paradise.” Condemned to death and saved in his last hour, with no works to present, he has become the very picture of salvation by grace, received through faith alone.
What does the name The Thief on the Cross mean?
The Bible does not give his name. Luke speaks of a “criminal,” and Matthew and Mark of “robbers”; he is called good or penitent because of his repentance. The name Dismas comes from a late tradition outside the Bible, not from the biblical text.
The story of The Thief on the Cross
Crucified with Jesus
Luke 23:32-34Two criminals are led away with Jesus to be put to death. At the place called “The Skull,” they crucify him with the criminals, “one on the right and the other on the left.” Jesus dies among criminals, as Scripture had foretold (Luke 22:37). Meanwhile he prays, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”
First among those who mocked him
Matthew 27:44Matthew notes that “the robbers also who were crucified with him cast on him the same reproach” as the passersby and the chief priests did. So the thief did not begin with faith. His change of heart happened on the cross itself, in the hours of agony, as he watched Jesus suffer and pray beside him.
Don’t you even fear God?
Luke 23:39-41One of the criminals insults Jesus: “If you are the Christ, save yourself and us!” The other rebukes him: “Don’t you even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?” He admits their sentence is just, “but this man has done nothing wrong.” Fear of God, admission of guilt, confession of Jesus’ innocence: it is all there.
Remember me
Luke 23:42He turns to Jesus: “Lord, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” In a dying man on a cross, he sees a king who will return to reign. He asks neither to be rescued nor spared, only that Jesus remember him. It is a prayer of pure faith, with nothing to offer.
Today in Paradise
Luke 23:43Jesus replies, “Assuredly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” Not tomorrow, not after a purification: today. Not alone: with Jesus. A few hours later this criminal dies saved, the first to benefit from the blood shed beside him, with no baptism and no work to show.
Test your knowledge
What The Thief on the Cross teaches us
- It is never too late to turn to Jesus: this criminal was saved in the last hours of his life.
- Salvation comes by faith alone: the thief could do no work and receive no baptism, yet Jesus welcomed him.
- True repentance begins by acknowledging that your condemnation is just and that Jesus has done nothing wrong.
- Jesus promises his immediate presence after death to those who belong to him: you can face your own end without fear.
Key verses
The thief’s prayer fits in a few words. He asks only to be present in Jesus’ thoughts when he reigns. His faith perceives the kingship hidden beneath the shame of the cross.
Jesus’ answer is immediate and certain: today, with me, in Paradise. It is the gospel’s clearest promise about what awaits the believer from the moment of death.
The criminal’s admission is the model of repentance: he acknowledges the justice of his sentence, without excuse, and proclaims Jesus’ innocence before all who are mocking him.
Bible verses to meditate on
Sermons about The Thief on the Cross
- Hebrews 9: After Death, Judgment or Paradise?The pastor opens Luke 23:39-43 to show the cross as a turning point: whether young or on the very eve of death, anyone who believes enters Paradise, and the robber on the cross is the model.
- The Sovereignty of GraceThe robber crucified beside Jesus is the perfect example of undeserved grace: he had done nothing for God and could do nothing, yet he received the same grace as the first disciple.
- Luke 23: Jesus Declares Even a Yakuza Not GuiltyA former yakuza turned pastor goes through Luke 23:32-43 verse by verse: the last man Jesus led to salvation before dying was a criminal condemned to death.
- Will Everyone Go to Heaven? The Narrow Door in Luke 13On the narrow door of Luke 13, the preacher recalls the robber on the cross: after everything he had done, he simply asked Jesus to take him along, and Jesus did.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the thief on the cross in the Bible?
He is one of the two criminals crucified with Jesus. While the other insults him, he acknowledges his own guilt and Jesus’ innocence, then asks Jesus to remember him in his Kingdom. Jesus promises him: “today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:39-43).
Was the thief on the cross named Dismas?
The name Dismas is not found in the Bible. It comes from late writings outside the biblical canon that sought to name the two crucified men. The Gospels leave this man anonymous: Luke calls him a criminal, Matthew and Mark a robber. His story speaks all the louder because it could be anyone’s.
Where is the story of the thief on the cross in the Bible?
The dialogue with Jesus is found only in Luke 23:39-43. Matthew 27:38-44 and Mark 15:27-32 mention the two robbers crucified with Jesus and note that they insulted him, which shows that the thief’s repentance came during the hours spent on the cross.