Crucified | Episode 32 | HIKE Through the Bible

Devotional

Day 1: Jesus as the Lightning Rod of Divine Judgment

When sin’s full horror erupted at the cross, Jesus intercepted the judgment meant for humanity. He didn’t merely ask for forgiveness; he demanded the Father’s wrath fall on himself alone. Like a lightning rod absorbing a storm’s fury, Jesus took the punishment for priests, soldiers, deserters, and future believers. His cry, “Father, forgive them,” wasn’t weakness but the cost of redirecting eternal consequences. This substitutionary act means no condemnation remains for those covered by his prayer. Hell’s reality is swallowed by the cross’s triumph. [02:30]

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
(Luke 23:34, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you struggled to believe your worst failures are fully covered by Jesus’ substitution? How does his deliberate absorption of wrath reshape your view of God’s justice?

Day 2: Paradise Today for the Latecomer

A dying thief traded mockery for humility, confessing his guilt and Jesus’ innocence. With no time for rituals or reparations, he asked only to be remembered. Jesus’ reply—“today you will be with me”—shattered the myth of earning grace. Paradise wasn’t a distant reward but an immediate promise. This man’s story proves salvation hinges on surrender, not résumés. Jesus’ authority over death’s threshold means hope persists until our final breath. [04:54]

And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
(Luke 23:42–43, ESV)

Reflection: What “too late” lie have you believed about God’s grace? How does the thief’s instant redemption challenge your view of who Christ welcomes?

Day 3: Hell’s Fire Spent on Calvary

For three hours, darkness hid the Son’s agony as he endured hell’s totality: divine abandonment, demonic taunts, and wrath’s furnace. Jesus didn’t metaphorically suffer; he exhaustively bore what we deserved. The cross’s horror answers hell’s reality—Christ experienced it so believers never will. His cry, “Why have you forsaken me?” guarantees we’ll never be forsaken. Resurrection proves hell’s power broke against him. [08:22]

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
(Matthew 27:46, ESV)

Reflection: When have you feared God’s abandonment? How does Jesus’ purposeful isolation assure you of his permanent presence?

Day 4: “It Is Finished”—Death Disarmed

Jesus’ final shout wasn’t a whimper but a victory roar. He chose the moment to surrender his life, proving death had no claim on him. By exhausting judgment, he turned the grave into a passageway. For believers, death now leads not to unconscious waiting but immediate communion. The loud voice at his departure declares: the tomb is temporary, his authority absolute. [09:32]

When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
(John 19:30, ESV)

Reflection: What fears about death persist despite knowing Christ’s victory? How does his control over death’s timing comfort you?

Day 5: The Cross Measures God’s Love

Circumstances lie about God’s heart. The cross alone proves it: while we were sinners, Christ died. His sacrifice wasn’t a negotiation to make the Father love us but the result of that love. Every blessing or trial must be weighed against Calvary’s certainty. Here, love’s depth is unshakable—sealed in blood, unaffected by our performance. [12:31]

But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
(Romans 5:8, ESV)

Reflection: When hardships tempt you to doubt God’s care, how can you preach the cross to your heart? What false measures of his love need replacing?

Sermon Summary

Luke 23 brings the Bible story to the cross, where the darkest day in human history becomes the day God’s plan of salvation is accomplished. Human sin reaches its full horror there, because disobedient sinners do not merely break God’s commands, but crucify God’s Son. Jesus answers that horror with the prayer, “Father, forgive them,” and that prayer asks the Father to divert judgment away from guilty sinners and let it fall on him alone. The cross becomes the lightning rod for divine judgment, and forgiveness is released because Christ stands under what sinners deserve.

The criminal beside Jesus shows how wide and immediate Christ’s mercy is. His life has been a tragic waste, and divine justice is now just ahead of him. Yet the prayer of Jesus for his enemies seems to open hope, and the man turns with simple faith, saying, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Christ answers without hesitation, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” Heaven is Christ’s home, Christ holds the keys, and Christ opens it to any person who turns to him in repentance and faith, no matter how late.

The darkness at midday takes the cross into depths beyond human understanding. Scripture says that Jesus bore sins in his body on the tree, that the Lord laid on him the iniquity of sinners, and that he became sin though he knew no sin. Jesus carried sins into his death so that those who belong to him would not carry them into theirs. Hell is as real as the cross, because Christ entered all the dimensions of hell in the darkness: conscious suffering, blackest darkness, demonic powers, guilt, wrath, and the awful loneliness of being forsaken.

The cry, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” reveals suffering no words can measure. Yet when justice is satisfied, Jesus cries, “It is finished.” Hell burns itself out on Jesus for all who trust in him. Then Christ gives up his life with a loud voice, because death does not take him. His life is given.

The cross also settles the question of God’s love. Jesus does not die to make the Father love sinners. Jesus dies because the Father loves sinners. Changing circumstances cannot measure that love, because hardship would make assurance collapse just when assurance is most needed. Faith looks to the cross and sees love demonstrated decisively: while sinners were still sinners, Christ died for them.

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Key Takeaways

1. Forgiveness flows through judgment absorbed Jesus’ prayer, “Father, forgive them,” does not pretend sin is small. The prayer asks that judgment fall on Christ rather than on the guilty, and that makes forgiveness morally real, not sentimental. The cross does not sweep evil under the carpet, but places it on the Son who willingly stands in the place of sinners. [02:51]
2. Paradise opens to repentant faith The dying criminal brings no record of service, no time for repair, and no religious résumé. His hope rests simply in the King beside him, and Christ’s answer is immediate. That story gives hope without encouraging presumption, because one thief is saved and the other remains lost. [27:10]
3. Hell burned itself out on Christ The darkness at the cross is not theatrical background. Christ bears guilt, wrath, forsakenness, and the full terror of judgment so that those who trust him will never know what hell is like. The reality of hell is measured by the reality of the cross, and the mercy of God is measured by what Christ endured there. [08:04]
4. God’s love goes first The cross does not persuade a reluctant Father to be kind. The cross reveals that the Father’s love has already moved toward sinners before faith, before repentance, and before any hiding person has cleaned up shame. That truth gives courage to come into the open before God, because nothing is hidden from him and still Christ died. [34:12]
5. Justice and mercy meet together God’s justice matters because evil must finally be brought to an end. God’s mercy matters because sinners could not stand if justice came without forgiveness. At the cross, God remains just and becomes the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

## [41:03]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:34] - The Darkest Day In History
[02:30] - Father, Forgive Them
[03:42] - The Criminal On The Brink Of Hell
[04:54] - Today In Paradise
[06:23] - Darkness Over The Land
[07:27] - Jesus Carried Sin Into Death
[08:22] - Forsaken In The Darkness
[09:16] - It Is Finished
[10:07] - Into The Father’s Hands
[12:15] - The Cross Proves God’s Love
[17:12] - What The Cross Means Personally
[22:46] - The Thief And Simple Faith
[28:22] - Are Good People Saved?
[39:01] - Justice And Mercy At The Cross

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Luke 23:34
“And Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’ And they cast lots to divide his garments.” [02:30]

Luke 23:42-43
“And he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ And he said to him, ‘Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.’” [04:54]

Matthew 27:46
“And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” [08:41]

John 19:30
“When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, ‘It is finished,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” [09:30]

Luke 23:46
“Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!’ And having said this he breathed his last.” [10:16]

Romans 5:8
“but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” [13:42]

Observation questions

In Luke 23:34, who is included in Jesus’ prayer, “Father, forgive them,” and what kinds of people are standing in need of that forgiveness? [03:11]
In Luke 23:42-43, what does the criminal actually ask Jesus for, and how quickly does Jesus answer him?
What details in the criminal’s words show that he knows he is guilty and that he sees Jesus as a king? [26:24]
In the darkness and in Jesus’ cries from the cross, what words or images show the depth of what he suffered? [07:47]

Interpretation questions

Jesus’ prayer, “Father, forgive them,” does not deny guilt. How does that prayer show that forgiveness is costly and not merely a soft overlooking of sin? [02:34]
The criminal has no time left to repair his life or build a record. What does Jesus’ promise of paradise show about how a sinner is received by God? [23:00]
Jesus cries, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” What does that help explain about what it meant for him to bear sin and judgment in the darkness? [08:50]
Romans 5:8 says that God loved sinners before they had changed. How does that truth challenge the idea that a person must first become acceptable before coming to Christ? [34:12]

Application questions

Jesus’ prayer was wide enough to cover those who nailed him to the cross. Where is it hardest to believe that his forgiveness could really reach into personal sin, regret, or shame? [03:38]
The criminal came with nothing but a plea: “Jesus, remember me.” What tends to be brought instead of simple repentance and faith—good works, excuses, comparison with others, or something else? [24:58]
One thief turned to Jesus and the other did not. Is there any place where the heart may be delaying repentance, assuming there will always be more time later? [27:27]
Jesus carried sins into his death so that his people would not carry them into theirs. How might that truth change the way death, judgment, or the future is faced this week? [07:23]
Hard circumstances are not a reliable measure of God’s love. When life becomes painful or confusing, what usually becomes the measure of God’s love, and how can the cross become the place faith looks first? [13:01]
God’s love goes first, even before a sinner has cleaned up the mess. What would it look like to stop hiding and come more honestly before God about what is most shameful or unresolved? [35:24]
At the cross, justice and mercy meet together. Where is there a tendency to want mercy for personal sin but justice for everyone else, and how does the cross humble that response? [39:23]

Sermon Clips

After three hours while darkness was over the land, the judgment poured out on Jesus was spent. Justice was satisfied. And Jesus shouted in triumph, "It is finished." That's John chapter 19 and verse 30. God's righteous judgment for our sin fell on Jesus. He absorbed it. He drained it. He exhausted it. Hell burned itself out on Jesus for all who trust in him. [00:09:16]

Jesus carried our sins when he died on the cross. He bore our sins in his body on the tree. That's 1 Peter chapter 2 and verse 24. For our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin. That's 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 21. The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. That's Isaiah 53 and verse 6. Jesus carried your sins into his death so that you would not carry them into yours. [00:06:48]

Jesus knew that God's judgment would come that day. But he was saying, "Don't let it fall on them. Let it fall on me and on me alone. Let me be the lightning rod for your judgment on their sin. This is the heart of the gospel. Jesus stood under the judgment of God for our sins. He called on the father to divert the punishment away from us and he absorbed it in himself. That is how forgiveness is released. [00:02:34]

The Bible speaks of death as a dark valley that we all have to walk through. Dark valleys are scary places, especially if enemies are hiding there. But Christ has gone through the valley of death and cleared out the enemies. Death is still a dark place, but it is a safe place for all who belong to Jesus. [00:11:07]

If you gauge God's love for you by your changing experiences in life, you'll find yourself confused. When blessings come, you will feel that God loves you. When hardship comes, you will feel that he must be against you, and you will lose the sense of his love just when you need it the most. This is why we must walk by faith, not by sight. Faith looks beyond our changing circumstances and knows that God's love was demonstrated decisively at the cross. [00:13:01]

People often talk about whether hell is real or not. Hell is as real as the cross. Christ entered into all the dimensions of hell in the darkness. And he did this so that you would never know what hell is like. [00:08:13]

Many people go through life with the feeling that God is against them. But here is what you need to know. Jesus did not come into the world and die on the cross in order to make the father love you. He came into the world and died on the cross because the father loves you. [00:12:09]

Bearing our sins meant that Jesus endured the punishment that was due to us. Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace. That's Isaiah 53 and verse 5. Jesus endured all that hell is on the cross. He was in conscious suffering in blackest darkness, surrounded by demonic powers. He bore the guilt of sin. He absorbed divine wrath and he endured all this alone, separated from the comfort of the father's love. [00:07:32]

When Jesus prayed, "Father, forgive them," his prayer included the priests who condemned him, the crowds who mocked him, and the soldiers who crucified him. It also included the disciples who deserted him, and the Old Testament believers who had waited for him. The prayer of Jesus covered the sin of every person who would come to him. And if his prayer could cover the sins of those who nailed him to the cross, it is big enough to cover our sin as well. [00:03:11]

This man's life had been a series of disastrous choices. But Jesus promised him an immediate translation through death into a life of unending joy. Before the day was over, Jesus would usher him into the presence of God. Suddenly, this man, for whom the world held nothing, found that because of Jesus, he was about to enter the greatest joy a human being can ever know. [00:05:12]

The day that Jesus died was the darkest day in human history. And yet, this was the day when God's plan of salvation was accomplished. Our sin reached its full horror and its most awful expression at the cross. Having disobeyed God's commands, we were now crucifying God's son. If ever there was a moment in human history when God's judgment had to fall, this was it. [00:01:53]

This man's story is a stunning example of what Jesus Christ is able to do for any person who turns to him in faith and repentance, no matter how late in life. Heaven is Christ's home. He holds the keys and he opens it to all who turn to him in repentance and faith, whatever they may have done. [00:05:41]

God the Father and God the Son have always shared one life, one love, one purpose, and one will. But when the son of God became our sinbearer, the comforts of the father's love were beyond his reach. He was completely alone, suspended between heaven and earth and rejected by both. [00:08:50]

When Jesus was crucified, he prayed for those who nailed him to the cross. Perhaps the man thought, if Jesus could forgive these soldiers, he could forgive me, too. So he turned to Jesus and said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." That's Luke 23 and verse 42. And Jesus answered, "Truly I say to you today, you will be with me in paradise." That's verse 43. [00:04:33]

A few feet away from Jesus was a man who had made a tragic waste of his life. Having pursued a life of crime, he had faced human justice and was now paying the price. Soon death would relieve his suffering, but then he would enter the presence of God where he would face divine justice. His position seemed hopeless. [00:03:48]

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