Luke 23:39-43

23:39 One of the criminals who was hanging there railed at him, saying, “Aren’t ¹  you the Christ? ²  Save yourself and us!” 23:40 But the other rebuked him, saying, ³  “Don’t ⁴  you fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? ⁵  23:41 And we rightly so, for we are getting what we deserve for what we did, but this man has done nothing ⁶  wrong.” 23:42 Then ⁷  he said, “Jesus, remember me ⁸  when you come in ⁹  your kingdom.” 23:43 And Jesus ¹⁰  said to him, “I tell you the truth, ¹¹  today ¹²  you will be with me in paradise.” ¹³ 

John 12:32

12:32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people ¹⁴  to myself.”

John 19:30

19:30 When ¹⁵  he had received the sour wine, Jesus said, “It is completed!” ¹⁶  Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. ¹⁷ 

Acts 2:23-24

2:23 this man, who was handed over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you executed ¹⁸  by nailing him to a cross at the hands of Gentiles. ¹⁹  2:24 But God raised him up, ²⁰  having released ²¹  him from the pains ²²  of death, because it was not possible for him to be held in its power. ²³ 

Acts 2:32-36

2:32 This Jesus God raised up, and we are all witnesses of it. ²⁴  2:33 So then, exalted ²⁵  to the right hand ²⁶  of God, and having received ²⁷  the promise of the Holy Spirit ²⁸  from the Father, he has poured out ²⁹  what you both see and hear. 2:34 For David did not ascend into heaven, but he himself says,

‘The Lord said to my lord,

“Sit ³⁰  at my right hand

2:35 until I make your enemies a footstool ³¹  for your feet.”’ ³² 

2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know beyond a doubt ³³  that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified ³⁴  both Lord ³⁵  and Christ.” ³⁶ 

¹ tc Most mss (A C³ W Θ Ψ Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat) read εἰ σὺ εἶ (ei su ei, “If you are”) here, while οὐχὶ σὺ εἶ (ouci su ei, “Are you not”) is found in overall better and earlier witnesses (Ì⁷⁵ א B C* L 070 1241 pc it). The “if” clause reading creates a parallel with the earlier taunts (vv. 35, 37), and thus is most likely a motivated reading.

² tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

³ tn Grk “But answering, the other rebuking him, said.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.

⁴ tn The particle used here (οὐδέ, oude), which expects a positive reply, makes this a rebuke – “You should fear God and not speak!”

⁵ tn The words “of condemnation” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

⁶ sn This man has done nothing wrong is yet another declaration that Jesus was innocent of any crime.

⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

⁸ sn Jesus, remember me is a statement of faith from the cross, as Jesus saves another even while he himself is dying. This man’s faith had shown itself when he rebuked the other thief. He hoped to be with Jesus sometime in the future in the kingdom.

⁹ tc ‡ The alternate readings of some mss make the reference to Jesus’ coming clearer. “Into your kingdom” – with εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν (ei" thn basileian), read by Ì⁷⁵ B L – is a reference to his entering into God’s presence at the right hand. “In your kingdom” – with ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ (en th basileia), read by א A C*^,2 W Θ Ψ 070 Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat sy – looks at his return. It could be argued that the reading with εἰς is more in keeping with Luke’s theology elsewhere, but the contrast with Jesus’ reply, “Today,” slightly favors the reading “in your kingdom.” Codex Bezae (D), in place of this short interchange between the criminal and Jesus, reads “Then he turned to the Lord and said to him, ‘Remember me in the day of your coming.’ Then the Lord said in reply to [him], ‘Take courage; today you will be with me in paradise.’” This reading emphasizes the future aspect of the coming of Christ; it has virtually no support in any other mss.

¹⁰ tn Grk “he.”

¹¹ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

¹² sn Jesus gives more than the criminal asked for, because the blessing will come today, not in the future. He will be among the righteous. See the note on today in 2:11.

¹³ sn In the NT, paradise is mentioned three times. Here it refers to the abode of the righteous dead. In Rev 2:7 it refers to the restoration of Edenic paradise predicted in Isa 51:3 and Ezek 36:35. In 2 Cor 12:4 it probably refers to the “third heaven” (2 Cor 12:2) as the place where God dwells.

¹⁴ tn Grk “all.” The word “people” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for stylistic reasons and for clarity (cf. KJV “all men”).

¹⁵ tn Grk “Then when.” Here οὖν (oun) has not been translated for stylistic reasons.

¹⁶ tn Or “It is accomplished,” “It is finished,” or “It is ended.” See tn on John 13:1.

¹⁷ tn Or “he bowed his head and died”; Grk “he bowed his head and gave over the spirit.”

¹⁸ tn Or “you killed.”

¹⁹ tn Grk “at the hands of lawless men.” At this point the term ἄνομος (anomo") refers to non-Jews who live outside the Jewish (Mosaic) law, rather than people who broke any or all laws including secular laws. Specifically it is a reference to the Roman soldiers who carried out Jesus’ crucifixion.

²⁰ tn Grk “Whom God raised up.”

²¹ tn Or “having freed.”

²² sn The term translated pains is frequently used to describe pains associated with giving birth (see Rev 12:2). So there is irony here in the mixed metaphor.

²³ tn Or “for him to be held by it” (in either case, “it” refers to death’s power).

²⁴ tn Or “of him”; Grk “of which [or whom] we are all witnesses” (Acts 1:8).

²⁵ tn The aorist participle ὑψωθείς (Juywqei") could be taken temporally: “So then, after he was exalted…” In the translation the more neutral “exalted” (a shorter form of “having been exalted”) was used to preserve the ambiguity of the original Greek.

²⁶ sn The expression the right hand of God represents supreme power and authority. Its use here sets up the quotation of Ps 110:1 in v. 34.

²⁷ tn The aorist participle λαβών (labwn) could be taken temporally: “So then, after he was exalted…and received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit.” In the translation the more neutral “having received” was used to preserve the ambiguity of the original Greek.

²⁸ tn Here the genitive τοῦ πνεύματος (tou pneumato") is a genitive of apposition; the promise consists of the Holy Spirit.

²⁹ sn The use of the verb poured out looks back to 2:17-18, where the same verb occurs twice.

³⁰ sn Sit at my right hand. The word “sit” alludes back to the promise of “seating one on his throne” in v. 30.

³¹ sn The metaphor make your enemies a footstool portrays the complete subjugation of the enemies.

³² sn A quotation from Ps 110:1, one of the most often-cited OT passages in the NT, pointing to the exaltation of Jesus.

³³ tn Or “know for certain.” This term is in an emphatic position in the clause.

³⁴ tn Grk “has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” The clause has been simplified in the translation by replacing the pronoun “him” with the explanatory clause “this Jesus whom you crucified” which comes at the end of the sentence.

³⁵ sn Lord. This looks back to the quotation of Ps 110:1 and the mention of “calling on the Lord” in 2:21. Peter’s point is that the Lord on whom one calls for salvation is Jesus, because he is the one mediating God’s blessing of the Spirit as a sign of the presence of salvation and the last days.

³⁶ tn Or “and Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”