And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”
Luke 23:42 – 43 (NASB1995)
Yesterday, as I browsed my Nave’s Topical Bible, my eyes fell on the lovely word “paradise,” which is in today’s verse. In fact, it is only found in two other verses in the Bible (2 Corinthians 12:4, Revelation 2:7), which surprised and intrigued me. In modern language, we use paradise freely, and often without much thought of what it means. One example that comes to my mind is that Celtic Park Stadium, often affectionately named “Paradise Park” by supporters of the team, is a pale imitation of the true Paradise indeed!
The word “Paradise” used in our verse is pardeisos in Greek, originating from an ancient Persian word for a fine garden, such as seen in palaces, with trees, shrubs, fountains, and flowers. A place of great comfort and luxury in a hot region. The meaning here refers to such a place as the eventual abode of the blessed dead. This meaning was applied to Paradise in Jewish belief; every Jew knew this, including the criminal beside our Lord on the cross. What an unexpected blessing that was for this convicted criminal!
Dear reader, we can take encouragement from the promised Paradise – Heaven. Interestingly, in the Septuagint, Eden means the Paradise of God. This was man’s habitation free from sin and in direct communion with God; Heaven (Paradise) is where we, as children of God, will reside with God, also free from sin. What an immeasurable blessing this is to us brethren!
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Devotional Treasures
