The words of Jesus to Mary Magdalene, “, for I have not yet ascended to my Father” (John 20.17), seem at first sight difficult to reconcile with the promise made to the thief crucified beside him: “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23.43). Several explanations have been proposed to harmonize these two statements.
The first observation is that the expressions used are not identical. In Luke, Jesus speaks of “paradise,” whereas in John he speaks of his ascent to the Father. Now, the New Testament does not necessarily present these two realities as absolutely synonymous. Paul himself says he was “caught up to the third heaven” before adding that he was “caught up into paradise” (2 Corinthians 12.2-4). Revelation also places paradise in relation to the presence of God (Revelation 2.7), without specifying whether this reality already implies the final fulfillment of the Kingdom.
A second difficulty lies in the punctuation of Luke 23.43. Since the ancient Greek manuscripts lack punctuation, some have proposed understanding: “I tell you today: you will be with me in paradise.” This reading, defended notably by several authors who favor the doctrine of the sleep of the dead, postpones the fulfillment of the promise to the time of the future resurrection. It avoids any contradiction with John 20.17. However, most exegetes consider that the most natural wording remains the one adopted by most modern translations: “Today you will be with me in paradise.”
If one keeps this traditional punctuation, several elements nevertheless make it possible to resolve the difficulty. Indeed, John 20.17 does not say that Jesus has not yet gone to paradise, but that he has not yet ascended to the Father. The expression “ascend” most likely refers to Christ's glorious and final ascension to the Father (Acts 1.9-11), an event that would take place only forty days after the resurrection (Acts 1.3). Thus, Jesus may have been with the thief in paradise without having yet accomplished his final ascension.
This distinction between resurrection and ascension also appears in the words addressed to Mary. Jesus does not say: “I have not yet gone to the Father,” but: “I have not yet ascended to my Father” (John 20.17). The verb used suggests a glorious and permanent elevation rather than a mere presence with God.
Other passages seem to point in the same direction. Before his death, Jesus had announced that he would return to the Father (John 16.28). After his resurrection, he remained with his disciples for forty days before his visible ascension (Acts 1.3). Finally, the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews presents the glorified Christ as having entered the heavenly sanctuary after accomplishing his sacrifice (Hebrews 9.11-12; Hebrews 9.24).
Another approach considers that Jesus and the thief shared, from the moment of their death, a blessed state in the presence of God, without this yet corresponding to the final fulfillment of the Kingdom or to the glorious ascension of Christ. This understanding agrees with the passages in which Paul expresses his desire “to depart and be with Christ” (Philippians 1.23) or affirms that to leave this body is to be “at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5.8).
Finally, some interpreters, who hold to the unconscious sleep of the dead, consider that the two statements must be understood in the light of the future resurrection. They stress that the main hope of the New Testament remains the resurrection of the dead and the return of Christ (John 5.28-29; 1 Corinthians 15.20-23; 1 Thessalonians 4.13-17). From this perspective, the promise made to the thief would be certain, but its actual fulfillment would take place on the day of the resurrection.
Thus, whatever solution is adopted, these two statements are not necessarily contradictory. They rather bear witness to the difficulty that biblical authors have in describing realities that exceed human experience. On the other hand, they converge on one essential point: death did not have the last word. Thanks to Christ's victory, the hope of believers remains founded on communion with their Lord and on the certainty of the future resurrection (John 11.25-26; 1 Corinthians 15.54-57).