When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him and the criminals there, one on his right, the other on his left. 34 [Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”] They divided his garments by casting lots. 35 The people stood by and watched; the rulers, meanwhile, sneered at him and said, “He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Messiah of God.” 36 Even the soldiers jeered at him. As they approached to offer him wine 37 they called out, “If you are King of the Jews, save yourself.” 38 Above him there was an inscription that read, “This is the King of the Jews.” 39 Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us.” 40 The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, “Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? 41 And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 He replied to him, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
Luke brings us to the place called “the Skull,” where Jesus is crucified between two criminals and publicly shamed as “King of the Jews.” What appears to be a scene of total defeat becomes, in Luke’s telling, the moment when the true nature of Jesus’ kingship and the depth of God’s love and mercy are revealed for every sinner who turns to him.
Jesus is nailed to the cross with a criminal on his right and another on his left. This fulfills what Isaiah foretold about the Servant of the Lord, that he would be “counted among the wicked” (cf. Is. 53:12). His death is not separate from the world’s injustice; he is placed in the middle of it. Above him is the inscription, “This is the King of the Jews,” meant as a political charge and a bitter joke, yet it proclaims a truth deeper than those who wrote it understand.
In this setting of violence and mockery, Luke places on Jesus’ lips a prayer of intercession: “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do” (v. 34). Even as soldiers cast lots for his clothing and divide what little he has, he speaks not a curse but a plea for mercy. This fits the teaching he gave earlier in the Gospel, when he called his disciples to love their enemies, do good to those who hate them, and pray for those who mistreat them (cf. Lk. 6:27-28). At the cross he does what he asked of others, praying for those who are putting him to death and for all who are caught up in the blindness that leads to this moment.
The response from the crowd and leaders stands in sharp contrast to his prayer. The people stand by and watch. The rulers sneer and say, “He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Messiah of God” (v. 35). The soldiers join in, jeering and offering him wine while they say, “If you are King of the Jews, save yourself” (vv. 36-37). Their words echo earlier temptations in Luke’s Gospel, where the devil said, “If you are the Son of God…” and urged Jesus to prove himself through displays of power (cf. Lk. 4:3, 9). Now those same ideas appear again, voiced by rulers and soldiers, challenging him to come down from the cross.
The irony is that Jesus’ refusal to save himself is precisely how he saves others. His kingship is not about escaping suffering or proving his power in a way that would silence his enemies. It is about remaining faithful to the Father’s will, even when that faithfulness leads through rejection and death. His power is shown in obedience and love, not in stepping down from the cross to impress those who mock him.
The reaction of the two criminals shows two different ways of responding to Jesus in suffering. One criminal joins the chorus of insults: “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us” (v. 39). He wants to be freed from his pain and from the punishment he has received, and he treats the Messiah as someone who should simply remove him from this situation. He is focused on escaping human justice, not on being made right before God. There is no admission of guilt, no turning of the heart, only a demand for rescue on his own terms.
The other criminal speaks very differently. He rebukes his companion and says, “Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation?” (v. 40). He recognizes that death is near and that this is a moment of truth before God. He acknowledges the justice of his own sentence: “We have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes” (v. 41). At the same time, he clearly states Jesus’ innocence: “This man has done nothing criminal.” In a few simple words, he expresses what Luke has been showing throughout the Passion: the condemned one in the center is innocent, and those who judge him are the ones who are truly in the wrong.
Here, the contrast between human justice and God’s justice becomes clear. Human justice has rightly condemned the criminal for his actions, and that sentence is not removed—he still suffers and dies on the cross. God’s justice, revealed in Jesus, does not override or cancel that human judgment, nor does it erase the consequences of his crimes. Instead, it goes deeper. God’s justice is not about pretending that sin did not happen, but about setting the sinner right through love and mercy. The repentant criminal accepts the justice of his sentence and, at the same time, entrusts himself to God’s justice, which for the one who repents becomes forgiveness, restored communion, and the promise of Paradise.
This second criminal then turns directly to Jesus: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (v. 42). He addresses Jesus by name, not with mockery but with trust. He believes that Jesus has a kingdom, even though Jesus currently hangs on a cross. He looks beyond visible defeat to a reign that will come after death. This is a remarkable act of faith. While the inscription calls Jesus “King of the Jews” and others use that title to mock him, this condemned man recognizes a deeper truth: the crucified Jesus truly is a king whose reign is not ended by crucifixion.
The words “remember me” recall earlier moments in Scripture where God “remembers” his people and acts to save them (cf. Ex. 2:24; Ps. 25:6-7). To ask Jesus to remember him is to ask to be included in the mercy and life that Jesus brings. The criminal does not ask to be taken down from the cross; he asks to be received into the kingdom that lies beyond death.
Jesus’ reply is both royal and deeply personal: “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (v. 43). The “Amen, I say to you” gives solemn weight to his promise. The word “today” shows the immediacy of what he grants. Salvation is not merely a distant hope; at the moment of death, this man will enter into the blessed presence of God. “With me” is the heart of the promise. Paradise is not only a place but a state of being with Christ. And the word “Paradise” itself echoes the garden of Genesis, where God walked with humanity before sin disrupted that communion (cf. Gen. 2-3). What was lost in Eden is now being opened again through the obedience of the Son, who dies on the cross and brings a repentant criminal into restored fellowship.
In this short exchange, Luke gathers together central themes of the Gospel. Jesus is truly king, even when he is mocked and crucified. He prays for forgiveness for those who do not understand what they are doing. He is innocent yet accepts death alongside the guilty. He opens the way to communion with God for someone who has nothing to offer but a confession of guilt, a reverent fear of God, and trust in Jesus’ kingship. The scene at the cross shows that God’s mercy can reach a person even in the final moments of life and that the decisive thing is to turn to Jesus in truth, acknowledging both his innocence and our need.
What happens to the repentant criminal is therefore not an isolated privilege but a concrete sign of what Christ, the crucified King, offers to all. The promise “today you will be with me in Paradise” reveals that anyone who turns to him in sincere repentance, entrusting their life and their future to his kingship, can share the same hope. The cross becomes the place where the King exercises his royal authority by forgiving, promising, and opening Paradise to every sinner who repents and turns to him in faith.
Lord Jesus, crucified King, you prayed for those who put you to death and opened Paradise to a condemned man who turned to you. Grant that all who hear this Gospel may recognize your mercy, repent of their sins, and entrust their lives to you, so as to be with you throughout eternity.
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Sources and References:
- The Holy Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition (2011).
- Bernard Orchard et al., A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture (1953).
- Faculty of the University of Navarre, The Navarre Bible: Luke (Four Courts/Scepter).
- José Enrique Aguilar Chiu et al., eds., The Paulist Biblical Commentary (2018).
- Raymond E. Brown et al., The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (1990).
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