The Nugget:
Luke 23:43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
The Context:
Luk 23:33 And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.
Luk 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
Luk 23:35 And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God.
Luk 23:36 And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar,
Luk 23:37 And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself.
Luk 23:38 And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
Luk 23:39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
Luk 23:40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?
Luk 23:41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.
Luk 23:42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
Luk 23:43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
The Muslim Challenge:
“So who recorded the conversation between Jesus and the two people who was on the cross with him?”
My Answer:
If you read the historical record in the New Testament, the answer is rather obvious. John the beloved disciple was there. The mother of Jesus was there. Many other witnesses were there. Since Jesus rose bodily from the dead on the third day, He was there and lived to tell the story.
A follow-up question:
There are different accounts of that story cos one of the gospels said everyone fled while another mentions Mary and a few disciples. The question is which version is accurate?
My Response:
Mat 26:56 But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.
Notice that the moment when all the disciples fled was when Jesus was taken, not when He was on the cross.
Therefore, both “versions” are correct and non-contradictory.
See also:
John 18:7 Then asked he them again, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth.
Joh 18:8 Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he: if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way:
Joh 18:9 That the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake, Of them which thou gavest me have I lost none.
Another question:
Who wrote Matthew, Mark ,Luke and John? It is assumed Paul the guy who fell on his ass and had a sudden transformation wrote it but nevertheless all gospel writers are unknown Greeks, so one should take a verse with a bag of salt before one believes it.
My Answer:
Clearly, the historical evidence is that the Gospel of Matthew was written by Matthew. The Gospel of Mark was written by Mark. The Gospel of Luke was written by Luke, who also wrote the book of Acts. The Gospel of John was written by John.
There is no legitimate basis to question the authorship of these historical documents. They constitute what are called primary source documents, as are all 27 books in the New Testament.
There are internal evidences in each book which securely connect each author with his book. For example, Matthew was a tax collector. He clearly had contacts with other tax collectors and officials. Recall that after Matthew was called to follow Jesus, Matthew held a meal with Jesus and his own tax collector friends (called “publicans” in the KJV). Knowing this, we have the basis for how Matthew was able to record inside information about the guards who allegedly “slept” while they were on duty while our Lord Jesus Christ was in the tomb until the “third day,” when He arose bodily from the dead.
Mark includes a bit of his own eye-witness testimony when he records what happened to him as he escaped the scene of the arrest of Jesus.
Luke declares his purpose in writing his Gospel and the efforts as an historian to procure information from eye-witness participants in the events he records in his Gospel as declared in his introduction. It turns out, upon careful investigation, that Luke was meticulously accurate in every detail he records, far more accurate than his modern critics.
John records in his Gospel facts and incidents he was eye-witness to that only John was in a position to observe, know, and accurately record. He testifies in a manner of affirming a formal legal oath to the truth of what he recorded in his Gospel. John’s connections to others mentioned in the New Testament record significantly relate to the now obvious correctness and reality of what he has recorded. For example, why was John selected by Jesus as He spoke words on the cross as the person Jesus wanted to take care of his own mother? A careful study of the relationships among those present at the cross during the crucifixion of Christ will reveal the answer most clearly.
Anyone who denies the historicity of the Gospels and the New Testament as a whole has failed to read these historical documents carefully.
As for Paul, he had no part in writing the four Gospels, though he certainly knew their content, or the persons, speeches, and events recorded in them, intimately, as is clear by the many references he makes to them in his own writings.