Week 19: The Cross

Opening Question

If you had been present at the crucifixion, where do you think you would have been standing – with the crowd, with the women at the foot of the cross, with the disciples who fled, or with Peter in the courtyard? Why?

Review

This week we walked through the Passion narrative as told by Luke and John. We witnessed Jesus’ agonized prayer in Gethsemane, his arrest, Peter’s three denials, the corrupt proceedings before the Sanhedrin, the political maneuvering of Pilate and Herod, the release of Barabbas, the road to Calvary, the crucifixion itself, and the burial in Joseph’s tomb. Luke showed us the compassionate Savior who healed an enemy’s ear, prayed for his executioners, and promised paradise to a dying criminal. John revealed the sovereign King who stepped forward to meet his captors, redefined power before Pilate, cared for his mother from the cross, and declared the work of redemption complete with the words “It is finished.”

Study Questions

1. The Cup in Gethsemane: Jesus prayed, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42). The “cup” is an Old Testament metaphor for God’s wrath (Isaiah 51:17; Jeremiah 25:15). What does Jesus’ willingness to drink this cup tell us about the nature of the atonement? Why was this prayer necessary before the arrest?

2. Peter’s Denial and Jesus’ Look: Luke alone records that “the Lord turned and looked at Peter” after the third denial (Luke 22:61). What kind of look do you think it was – anger, disappointment, sorrow, compassion, all of these? How does Jesus’ prior warning (“I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail,” Luke 22:32) change our understanding of this moment?

3. Barabbas and Substitution: The crowd chose Barabbas, a convicted insurrectionist and murderer, to be released instead of Jesus. How does this episode illustrate the doctrine of substitutionary atonement? In what sense are all believers “Barabbas”?

4. The Seven Last Words: Across all four Gospels, Jesus spoke seven times from the cross. This week we encountered several of them: “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34), “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43), “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46), “Woman, behold your son” (John 19:26), “I thirst” (John 19:28), and “It is finished” (John 19:30). Which of these words struck you most powerfully this week, and why?

5. Pilate’s Verdict and the Failure of Justice: Pilate declared Jesus innocent three times and still handed him over for crucifixion. What does this tell us about the limitations of human justice? How does the cross expose the moral bankruptcy of both religious and political power?

Going Deeper

Compare Luke’s and John’s accounts of the crucifixion side by side. Luke emphasizes mercy, prayer, and the inclusion of the marginalized (the women, the criminal, the centurion). John emphasizes sovereignty, fulfillment of Scripture, and the Passover Lamb imagery. How do these two perspectives complement each other? What would we lose if we had only one of these accounts? Consider how the early church, reading these accounts together, would have understood the full meaning of the cross.

Also consider the role of silence and speech in the Passion narrative. Jesus was silent before Herod but spoke to Pilate. He was silent under mockery but cried out from the cross. What do his silences communicate? What do his words accomplish?

Application

• Personal Inventory: Peter denied Jesus under casual pressure from a servant girl. In what “courtyard” moments do you find yourself most tempted to deny your association with Christ – at work, among certain friends, online, in the face of cultural pressure?
• The Forgiveness of the Cross: Jesus prayed for the forgiveness of his executioners. Is there someone you need to forgive this week – not because they deserve it, but because Christ forgave you from the cross?
• “It Is Finished”: Many Christians live as though the work of salvation is incomplete – adding their own efforts, guilt, or anxiety to what Christ has already accomplished. What would it look like for you to truly rest in the finished work of the cross this week?
• Following Joseph and Nicodemus: Both men were secret disciples who stepped forward at the moment of greatest risk. Is there an area of your faith where you have been hiding in the shadows that God may be calling you to step into the light?

Prayer Focus

Spend time in silent reflection before praying together. Read Luke 23:34 and John 19:30 aloud. Allow the weight of these words to settle. Then pray:

• Confession: For the ways we have denied Christ, chosen Barabbas, or treated the cross as commonplace.
• Thanksgiving: For the finished work of atonement – that nothing needs to be added, that the debt is paid in full.
• Intercession: For those who are suffering unjustly, that they would know the presence of the crucified Christ in their pain.
• Commitment: To live as people for whom the curtain has been torn – approaching God boldly, extending forgiveness freely, and resting in the completed work of the cross.