What does Luke 23:42 mean?

Much of Jesus' ministry as recorded by Luke is about telling people that the kingdom of God is near. This is the message the disciples were to preach as they traveled and performed corroborating miracles of healing and demon exorcisms (Luke 9:1–6; 10:1–11). And they are to continue after Jesus ascends into heaven (Luke 22:35–38).

Jesus is the Christ, the descendent of David. He will sit on the throne of Jerusalem and rule the Jews as king. He is the fulfillment of God's covenant with David to establish a "house," or dynasty, which will provide rest from enemies and an eternal throne (2 Samuel 7). This claim is what the religious leaders used to convince Pilate to crucify Jesus; a "king" is a threat to Caesar (John 19:12–16). Now, they, passersby, the soldiers, and the men crucified alongside Him mock Jesus that He claims to be the Son of God and the King of the Jews but cannot save Himself (Luke 23:35–36; Matthew 27:39–44).

But one thief hanging on the cross next to Jesus realizes this doesn't add up. He and his partner are guilty and deserve their punishment. Jesus is innocent. The crucifixion of Jesus and the insults are a mockery of the justice of God. And yet Jesus just hangs there, forgiving the priests who disparage Him and the soldiers who nailed Him to the cross (Luke 23:33–38).

If they're wrong about His guilt, they may be wrong about who He is, as well. The thief realizes: this is "the Christ of God, his Chosen One" (Luke 23:35). And if that's the case, His present situation is confusing, but it isn't permanent. He will be king. God will see to it.

The thief does the only thing he can: have faith in the man on the cross next to his. He's guilty, but Jesus is King. If Jesus can move from the cross to a throne, there's no reason the thief shouldn't ask for a royal pardon.