The Greek, which has no punctuation is not of help here but grammatically it make the best sense that the comma be place before "Today." and not after it.
Given that the contrite criminal asked that the Lord would remember him for a future salvation, with "when thou comest into thy kingdom," then it makes most sense to emphasize that "To day shalt thou be with me in paradise."
And which makes sense in the light of a larger scenario. In which while sins were forgiven even before the perfect propitiation of Christ, yet this was done under the rubric of the coming atonement, and which was necessary
For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. (Hebrews 10:4)
Thus
the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing: (Hebrews 9:8)
Thus OT believers could not actually enter in the holy of holies, yet neither were they with the lost and suffering in bondage. For in the true story (real names are not used in parables, nor was science fiction used by the Lord, which would be the case if this was not true, but instead, known physical realities were used which corresponded to real spiritual realities) of Lazarus and the Rich Man. In which Lazarus is comforted in a separate compartment of Hades, Abraham’s bosom (AKA Paradise) while the once-complacent uncaring rich man is tormented in the flames of Hell:
And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. (Luke 16:22-24)
And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. (Luke 16:26)
However, the death and resurrection of Christ changed the reality of the believers, whereby brethren have boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh." (Hebrews 10:19-20)
And thus,
Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) (Ephesians 4:8-10)
Therefore the Lord could tell the contrite believing criminal,
Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. (Luke 23:43)
Put all together, when Christ died then having provided the perfect atonement, then the way into the holiest of Heaven was opened, and the Lord who has the keys of Hell and of Death, descended into Hell, delivering those believers, and taking them to glory. Thus,
Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. (Matthew 27:50-53)
However, Christ also used His key to preach to the disobedient,
By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. (1 Peter 3:19-20)
These were not saved souls, nor does 1 Peter 4:6 (For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit) necessarily say that Christ preached them so that they may be saved, rather than referring having preached to them who are now dead, so that they may live. The rich man in Hades was not given a second chance, nor is this really something that is taught.
And what could be preached to the damned disobedient souls would be that by rejecting Noah then they in essence were rejecting Christ. Likewise those who have never heard the gospel are justly damned for rejecting whatever degree of grace and light they had, which is essence is rejecting "the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." (John 1:9)
Thanks, but I clarified the point I was driving at in post 17.