The Thief

In reading about the life of Jesus in the Gospels, we find that in the midst of the culmination of Jesus' life on Earth and the fulfillment of the salvation message, Jesus gives a promise to a thief (Luke 23:39-43). The thief on the cross acknowledged his own sinful life, but then he told Jesus: "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." (Luke 23:42 NIV)

Did Jesus ask, "Are you a member of a church? Have you been baptized?" No, Jesus simply replied, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."
(Luke 23:43 NIV)

So, what's the deal with the thief on the cross? Does this story really show that salvation can come instantly without conditions, without baptism, without knowledge of the Gospel and without striving to obey Christ? Yes, in fact, to the thief who asked the dying Lord to remember him, Christ said, "today shalt thou be with me in paradise."

BUT two days after this, when Christ was resurrected and had taken up a glorious, tangible body, he appeared to Mary and told her, "Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father; but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father and your Father; and to my God, and your God" (John 20:17). If Christ had been in paradise but had not yet ascended to heaven where the Father dwells, then what is paradise?

Could it be some other place besides heaven where the spirits of the dead await the time of resurrection or purification, a purgatory of sorts?

Paul writes in his 2nd letter to the Corinthians: "I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows—was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell." (2 Corinth 1:2-4 NIV)

Could this "third heaven" Paul writes about be the paradise in which Jesus and the thief arrive at on the day Christ died? Also, Peter explained that when Christ's body was dead, he went as a Spirit to preach to the spirits in prison, to those who had already died.

"For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him." (1 Peter 3:18-22 NIV)

"For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to men in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit." (1 Peter 4:6 NIV)

Or in other words: "He went and proclaimed God's salvation to earlier generations who ended up in the prison of judgment because they wouldn't listen."
(1 Peter 3:22 Message)

Do those who “won’t listen” end up in a spiritual prison (paradise? third heaven? purgatory?) awaiting the full salvation message of Christ? Was Christ really offering instant salvation to the thief or sending him to a temporary place where he could truly accept the Gospel of Christ or seek further purification of his soul?

All interesting questions and honestly I have no clear answer at this point. Maybe I am looking at this scenario too literally and from too many differing points of view. It seems that each religion has it’s own philosophy and thus makes it hard to find the truth. As you can see, further research and discussion needs to be done.