Hope Through Death

Luke brings the cross back into view because everything in Scripture keeps coming back to this moment. The Old Testament points forward to it, the epistles keep turning back to it, and these five verses sit at the center of the hope found in Jesus. The place called The Skull, Golgotha, Calvary, becomes the public place where Jesus is counted among the criminals, just as Isaiah said he would be.

Jesus hangs there completely alone, even though a crowd surrounds him. The rulers sneer, the soldiers mock, the people watch, and Peter stands far off at a distance denying that he even knows him. Jesus, who taught forgiveness of enemies, lives out his own teaching as he says, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing.” Psalm 22 is unfolding right in front of them as they cast lots for his clothes and mock the one they do not understand.

The cross was meant to kill a leader and scare the followers. Rome knew how to squash a movement, and the religious leaders wanted the Jesus thing to end there so life could get back to normal. But the cross becomes the opposite of what they intended. What was meant to be the end becomes the beginning. Jesus offers himself as the sacrifice of atonement, the one sacrifice that Hebrews says is offered “for all time.” The blood that once pointed forward through Leviticus now finds its fullness in Christ, who takes the penalty for sin and opens the way into the presence of a holy God.

The two criminals beside Jesus show two ways to stand before the cross. One joins the mocking and says, “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us.” The other sees the truth. He admits that he is getting what his deeds deserve, confesses that Jesus has done nothing wrong, and says, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” That cry is the same heart posture as, “Lord Jesus, Son of the living God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

Jesus answers with hope that is immediate and sure: “Today you will be with me in paradise.” Faith is seen by Jesus, even when it comes in the final moments of a dying man’s life. Romans 12 then shows the shape of life after mercy. The response to the cross is not earning what Jesus already paid for, but offering the body, the life, the words, and the unseen places as a living sacrifice to the Lord.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. The cross becomes the beginning The cross was designed to humiliate Jesus, end the movement, and scare every follower into silence. God takes that instrument of shame and makes it the place where hope begins. The moment meant to prove Jesus powerless becomes the place where sin is nailed down and mercy is opened up. [12:58]
• 2. Jesus stands alone for sinners Jesus is surrounded by a crowd, but Luke lets the loneliness of the scene come through. Rulers sneer, soldiers mock, disciples scatter, and even Peter stays far off at a distance. The loneliness matters because Jesus is not merely suffering beside sinners, he is suffering in the place of sinners. [09:17]
• 3. Mercy begins with honest confession The second criminal does not soften his guilt or explain it away. He says plainly that he is getting what his deeds deserve, while Jesus has done nothing wrong. That honesty becomes the doorway to faith, because mercy is received by the one who stops pretending and turns toward the innocent King. [18:58]
• 4. Faith may speak with final breath The dying criminal has no long future of religious performance ahead of him. He has only a few words left, and he offers those words to Jesus in public faith. Jesus does not ask for a polished résumé, but answers the cry, “Remember me,” with the promise of paradise. [20:21]
• 5. Living sacrifice keeps asking again Romans 12 calls mercy-filled life a living sacrifice, not a one-time emotional response. Obedience may begin with simple black and white choices, but maturity often requires deeper listening, discernment, and surrender in unseen places. The question keeps returning: what fresh thing is Jesus inviting a life to lay before him? [31:09]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:37] - Returning to the Cross
• [02:32] - The Scene at The Skull
• [03:29] - Counted Among Criminals
• [04:57] - Mocked by the Crowd
• [07:01] - Jesus Completely Alone
• [10:04] - The Shame of Crucifixion
• [12:58] - The Cross Becomes the Beginning
• [13:23] - Christ the Sacrifice of Atonement
• [15:41] - One Sacrifice for All Time
• [18:07] - Two Criminals, Two Responses
• [20:21] - Remember Me in Your Kingdom
• [25:29] - Today in Paradise
• [26:38] - Living as a Sacrifice
• [30:12] - A Lifetime of Surrender

Bible Reading

Luke 23:32-43
“Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. And Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’ And they cast lots to divide his garments. And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, ‘He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!’ The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine and saying, ‘If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!’ There was also an inscription over him, ‘This is the King of the Jews.’ One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, ‘Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!’ But the other rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.’ 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.’” [02:37] [17:58] [20:19] [25:29]

Romans 12:1-2
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” [23:51] [26:38] [31:09]

Hebrews 10:11-14
“And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” [15:41]

Isaiah 53:12
“Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.” [03:35]

Psalm 22:18
“they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.” [04:26]

Observation questions

1. In Luke 23, who is present around Jesus at the cross, and how does each group respond to him?
2. What details in Luke 23 show that Jesus is being treated like a criminal even though he is innocent? [03:35]
3. What exactly does the second criminal admit about himself, and what does he confess about Jesus? [18:58]
4. In Romans 12:1-2, what two commands are given to believers, and what kind of change is supposed to happen in them? [23:51]

Interpretation questions

1. Jesus prays, “Father, forgive them,” while people are mocking him. What does that reveal about his heart and about the kind of Savior he is? [04:10]
2. The cross was meant to end a movement, yet it becomes the beginning of hope. Why does the death of Jesus become good news instead of defeat? [12:58]
3. The second criminal asks, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” What does that request show about what he believes concerning Jesus, even in the final moments of his life? [20:21]
4. Hebrews 10 says Jesus offered one sacrifice for sins “for all time,” and Romans 12 calls believers to be “a living sacrifice.” How are those two sacrifices different, and why does that difference matter? [15:41]

Application questions

1. The two criminals show two ways to stand before the cross: one mocks and one confesses. When guilt, suffering, or disappointment rises up, which response feels more natural—hardness, excuses, distance, or honest confession? What would it look like to turn toward Jesus more like the second criminal? [18:07]
2. The second criminal does not minimize his sin. He says he is receiving what his deeds deserve. Is there any area of life right now where there has been hiding, softening, or self-justifying instead of honest confession before God? What might change if that area were named plainly before Jesus? [18:58]
3. Jesus was completely alone in suffering for sinners. How does it affect the heart to remember that he took the place sinners deserved? Where is there still a tendency to act as if his mercy must be earned? [09:17]
4. Jesus answered a simple cry for mercy with a sure promise: “Today you will be with me in paradise.” Is it easy or difficult to believe that Jesus receives people by faith rather than by a polished record? Where does that truth need to sink in more deeply? [25:29]
5. Presenting the body as a living sacrifice is not about paying Jesus back, but about responding to mercy. What is one specific part of daily life that could be freshly offered to God right now—time, speech, habits, relationships, money, thought life, or something unseen? [25:04]
6. Living sacrifice can begin with clear acts of obedience, but often it also requires deeper listening and discernment. What situation right now calls for prayerful attention to motives, identity, or obedience rather than a quick answer? [27:21]
7. For most believers, surrender is not a single dramatic moment but a lifetime of asking again, “Lord Jesus, what would you have me sacrifice next?” What might that question uncover in this season of life? [31:09]