Gospel Outreach International

Have you ever looked at the cross and wondered what it actually has to do with you? Not as a symbol, not as a piece of history, but personally, directly, you? This Bible study takes you right to the heart of that question. We are going to look at the people who were there when Jesus was crucified, and what you might find is that some of them are not so different from you or me. Some knew all the right things and still missed it. Some were swept along by the crowd. Some were too afraid to do what they knew was right. And one, with nothing left to lose, finally said the only thing that mattered. As you work through this study, you might find yourself asking: where do I fit in this picture? The answer to that question could change everything.

And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), Matthew 27:33

• The cross was not an accident or afterthought. The entire life and mission of Jesus was directed toward it from the very beginning, even from the promise of his birth.
• Christ died in our place. He bore the punishment that our sin deserved. The cross is not primarily about what people did to Jesus but about what our sin required.
• The resurrection confirms the cross worked. The cry “it is finished” means the work of salvation was complete. The resurrection is God’s declaration that the sacrifice was sufficient.
• Salvation is for anyone who asks. There are no exceptions, no complicated requirements. Anyone who recognises their sin, turns from it, and calls out to God in faith will be heard and answered with a yes.
• The world is divided into two groups. Not by nationality, religion, or denomination, but simply by those who believe and those who do not. The two thieves on either side of Jesus make this plain.
• The characters around the cross mirror people in every age. Judas represents those who are close to the church, even active in it, but never truly converted. Pilate represents those who know what is right but will not act on it for fear of what it - costs them. The soldiers represent those whose hearts are unmoved no matter what they witness.
• Religious knowledge is not the same as saving faith. Several figures at the cross knew Scripture well and held positions of religious authority, yet did not believe. Knowing about Jesus and knowing Jesus are two different things.
• The repentant thief is one of the greatest examples of grace in the Bible. He had nothing to offer, no time to change his life, yet his honest cry to Jesus was met with an immediate and certain promise.
• The centurion saw what others could not. A man with no religious background looked at the cross and declared that Jesus was the Son of God. Sometimes those we least expect are the ones who truly see.
• Christianity is not religion but relationship. What the cross opens up is not a system to follow but an intimate relationship with God, made possible only through Jesus.

When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God! Matthew 27:54

Every person we have looked at in this study was standing at the same crossroads, faced with the same Jesus, and each one responded in their own way. But when everything is stripped back, there are really only two responses that matter: the one who turns away, and the one who calls out. Jesus is the same today as he was on that cross, willing, able, and ready to say yes to anyone who comes to him honestly. That is the heartbeat of Easter. Not religion, not ritual, but a living Saviour who has already done everything necessary so that you and I can know God. The cross is where it all begins.

Bible References

• Matthew 27:33
• Matthew 27
• Luke 23
• John 1:1
• 1 Peter 2:24
• Romans 5:8
• 1 Corinthians 15:3
• Hebrews 9:22
• Psalm 139:23
• Isaiah 53:7
• Isaiah 35