May 31, 2025
A video introduction using illustrations, personal stories, metaphors, or active learning examples to begin the discussion.
After the video, prompts are supplied for thinking and sharing with others personal perception and experience. This opening activity prompts participants to think about and relate to the topic, and to share with others.
Less than 10% of college students say their experience matched what they expected. About 1 in 4 say it turned out better than expected, while around 15% say it was worse. Most students describe their experience as mixed—not exactly what they had imagined.
What were some of your expectations that didn’t turn out the way you thought they would?
List three and share them with others.
Now think about some major moments in the biblical story:
As you read about the most pivotal event in history—the crucifixion of Jesus—don’t just study it. Imagine it. Wonder at it. Let your heart ask: What really happened to make hope and salvation real for me?
The Bible discussion begins with a careful reading of the whole passage, either from your own Bibles, or from the provided images below.
Then participants are to ask:
Matthew 27:33–37 tells the story plainly. Jesus was led to Golgotha—the Place of the Skull. They offered Him a bitter drink, gambled for His clothes, and placed a sign above His head that read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” These aren’t just storytelling details; they are grounding truths. Real people. Real actions. Real indifference. And yet, they frame the most significant moment in human history.
The gospel writers don’t exploit the gore. They don’t try to stir us with dramatic language. Instead, they simply say: “They crucified Him.” No elaboration is needed. Their audience knew what crucifixion meant—brutal, humiliating, final. But this death was different—this event was not just another man on a Roman cross. Calvary is where the Son of God died for all humanity. Consider a few Old Testament prophecies (some given over a thousand years previously) of the event: Psalm 22:16–18, Isaiah 53:5–6, Zechariah 12:10, Exodus 12:5–7, 13, Genesis 22:6–8, 13.
The crucifixion is not a metaphor—it is history. And it is the ultimate reality check. In that moment, Jesus bore our sin, shame, and separation. Not a fantasy. Not a symbol. A real Savior, in a real place, for a real world.
A parting video clip with a personal invitation to apply the message to “knowing Christ” and “living in Christ” in the coming week.