Contradiction About When Jesus Went To Paradise?
One of the alleged “contradictions” in the Bible is that there is a contradiction about when Jesus went to “Paradise”. Here is the claimed contradiction:
Did Jesus ascend to Paradise the same day of the crucifixion?
(a) Yes. He said to the thief who defended him, “Today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43)
(b) No. He said to Mary Magdelene two days later, “I have not yet ascended to the Father” (John 20:17)
The seeming problem here comes from the punctuation of Luke 23:43 in most translations, which makes it appear as though Jesus went to “paradise” the day he died. “He [Jesus] said to him, ‘Truly I say to you, today you shall be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).
He didn’t. Notice:
“Ancient texts were not punctuated. The comma could come before or after today”—Lamsa translation note on Luke 23:43
An accurate rendering of Luke 23:43 is:
“I say unto thee this day: with me shalt thou be in paradise”—Luke 23:43 The Emphasized Bible, by J B Rotherham
Jesus, at Luke 23:43, told the repentant thief beside him that he would be with him in paradise in the future. Why?
Because Jesus was not in paradise himself that day. Where was he?
Jesus tells us: “I was dead” (Revelation 1:18). “Christ died for our sins” (1 Corinthians 15:3). Therefore, Jesus was not alive, nor was he able to go anywhere, or do anything, after he died Friday afternoon
Death is the opposite, or absence, of life. “There is no work and reasonings and knowledge and wisdom in Hades” (Ecclesiastes 9:10 NETS). A dead person can’t do anything. Was Jesus dead in Hades the day he died? Yes. Jesus was dead from Friday afternoon until Sunday morning when God resurrected him from the dead. Notice:
“His soul was not left in Hades” (Acts 2:31 NKJV), because on the third day, “this Jesus God resurrected” (Acts 2:32 HCSB). At the point of Jesus’ being brought back to life on that Sunday morning, he was able to do something. “Forty days [later] . . . Jesus . . . was . . . taken up into heaven” (Acts 1:3,11).
Thus, there is no contradiction in the Bible about when Jesus went to paradise.
One thought on “Contradiction About When Jesus Went To Paradise?”
BA1: “Ancient texts were not punctuated. The comma could come before or after today”—Lamsa translation note on Luke 23:43
GW1: It is irrelevant whether ancient texts were punctuated or not. The translator is entitled to insert punctuation marks, and should do so, to properly communicate what best represents the MEANING of the author, in the opinion of the translator.
BA1: An accurate rendering of Luke 23:43 is: “I say unto thee this day: with me shalt thou be in paradise”—Luke 23:43 The Emphasized Bible, by J B Rotherham
GW1: You believe this is an accurate rendering, but you are not an expert in translation of the Bible, so I consider your judgement here as either arbitrary or wishful thinking. Other translators disagree with the one you have cherry picked.
BA1: Jesus, at Luke 23:43, told the repentant thief beside him that he would be with him in paradise in the future. Why? Because Jesus was not in paradise himself that day. Where was he?
GW1: You are confused. Later that same day would be in the FUTURE. Duh. If Jesus implied to the thief that he would be in paradise later in the day, which seems to be a correct interpretation, then if verses elsewhere in the Gospels say or imply that he was not in paradise later that day, then there is still a contradiction, which you have not resolved.
BA1: Jesus tells us: “I was dead” (Revelation 1:18). “Christ died for our sins” (1 Corinthians 15:3). Therefore, Jesus was not alive, nor was he able to go anywhere, or do anything, after he died Friday afternoon
GW1: None of these verses address WHEN Jesus supposedly went to paradise, and so they are irrelevant.
BA1: Death is the opposite, or absence, of life.
GW1: So, dead people can’t do anything! That’s what I thought.
BA1: “There is no work and reasonings and knowledge and wisdom in Hades” (Ecclesiastes 9:10 NETS). A dead person can’t do anything. Was Jesus dead in Hades the day he died? Yes. Jesus was dead from Friday afternoon until Sunday morning when God resurrected him from the dead.
GW1: That could be, but it doesn’t resolve the contradiction.
BA1: Notice: “His soul was not left in Hades” (Acts 2:31 NKJV), because on the third day, “this Jesus God resurrected” (Acts 2:32 HCSB). At the point of Jesus’ being brought back to life on that Sunday morning, he was able to do something. “Forty days [later] . . . Jesus . . . was . . . taken up into heaven” (Acts 1:3,11). Thus, there is no contradiction in the Bible about when Jesus went to paradise.
GW1: You are just presenting what you think happened, but you still haven’t resolved the contradiction.
GW1: Let’s use the Bible version most popular with the experts, the NASB, and see what we can learn from it.
“43 And He said to him, ‘Truly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.’” Luke 23:43, NASB
“50 And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. 51 While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven.” Luke 24:50-51, NASB As you know, the latter occurred many days after the day of crucifixion, and so Jesus was not in paradise with the thief on the day of crucifixion, as he said he would be.
GW1: Verses from the same author (Luke) from the same translation (NASB) are in conflict, a conflict which you have not resolved. The human author, Luke, made a logical error. This proves that the Bible was neither written, nor dictated, nor inspired by God. And BTW, God does not exist, as I have proven.