The answer may be surprising. It is often assumed that the thief was never baptized. (That assumption seems important for some.) Certainly, the thief could not be baptized while dying on a cross. Of equal certainty is the fact that the thief had heard of Christ’s “kingdom” (Luke 23:42). In that case, he had probably heard of baptism. John the Baptizer and Jesus both required baptism in water as they vigorously announced the coming kingdom (Matthew 3:1-6; John 1:23-34; 3:5, 22-23; 4:1). Their preaching drew overwhelming response. Luke, who tells us of the thief, has already told us, “all the people were baptized” (Luke 3:21). This “all” applied to ordinary people, especially all who saw themselves as sinners (Mark 1:4-5; 21:31-32).
When all the people heard this, and the tax collectors too, they declared God just, having been baptized with the baptism of John, but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him (Luke 7:29-30).
Was the thief a common man? Was he conscious of his sins? If so—in light of Luke’s comprehensive wording—the thief may well have joined “all” his fellows in receiving baptism. As likely as this is, it proves little about our response today. The thief responded—whether in living or in dying—before critical revelations of Christianity. John’s baptism, for example, was a preparatory one. After the resurrection it naturally became outdated (Acts 19:1-6). So, we must ask a more relevant question for our response today….