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The Crucifixion0/7

Scripture Story Sketch Notes · Luke 23:26–56; John 19:16–42; Matthew 27:45–61

The
Crucifixion

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

A road out of the city, a borrowed cross, a mother and a friend, seven sayings, and a garden tomb. Walk slowly and reverently, and listen to what He said.

Walk the road ↓ Read Luke 23:26–49 first
Reverent hand-drawn doodle map of the day of the Crucifixion: a faceless man carrying a wooden beam behind the Savior, shown only as soft glowing light; the light turning to speak to weeping women; a distant hill with three plain wooden crosses, the center one hidden in soft golden light; a beam of light reaching from the center cross toward the cross beside it; Mary and John standing together at the foot of the glowing cross; a deep indigo sky at midday over the hill; a Roman centurion kneeling and looking up toward the light; and a garden tomb at sunset with a great round stone rolled to the door.

Before you begin

The story in brief

After His trial, Jesus was led out of Jerusalem. Soldiers made a man named Simon, a Cyrenian, carry the cross after Him. A great company followed, and women wept for Him, but He turned and told them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me.” At the place called Calvary, or Golgotha, they crucified Him between two malefactors. His first words were a prayer: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” To one of the men beside Him who asked, “Lord, remember me,” He promised, “To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.”

His mother stood by the cross with John, and He gave them to each other: “Woman, behold thy son!” and “Behold thy mother!” Darkness came over all the land from the sixth hour to the ninth. Then He cried, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” He said, “I thirst,” and then, “It is finished.” At last He said, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit,” and gave up the ghost. The veil of the temple was rent, and the centurion said, “Truly this was the Son of God.” Joseph of Arimathæa and Nicodemus laid His body in a new tomb in a garden, and the women watched where He was laid.

Who’s who

  • Jesus: who gives His life willingly for all of us
  • Mary and John: His mother and the disciple He loved, standing by the cross
  • The centurion: a Roman officer who comes to see who Jesus is

Where and when

Golgotha, a hill just outside Jerusalem’s gate, on the Friday of the Passover week, and a nearby garden tomb.

Watch for the Savior

Watch how, even on the cross, He forgives, promises, cares for His mother, and trusts His Father to the end.

Read it yourself: Luke 23:26–49

Part 1 of 7

The road, mapped

Eight quiet stops, from the road out of the city to the garden tomb. Scroll, or tap a number on the map.

    Part 2 of 7

    The story, plainly

    Four scenes: His mother, the veil, the centurion and the tomb. Look for His love in each one.

    Read it plainly

    The words that trip people up

    Tap any dotted word for its meaning. The scripture stays exactly as written.1

    1. Luke 23:26 “they laid hold upon one Simon, a ”
    2. Luke 23:33 “the place, which is called ”
    3. Luke 23:33 “and the , one on the right hand, and the other on the left”
    4. Luke 23:43 “To day shalt thou be with me in ”
    5. Matthew 27:45 “from the there was darkness over all the land unto the ”
    6. John 19:30 “and ”
    7. Matthew 27:60 “the door of the ”

    Part 3 of 7

    Look closer

    Small details tell the story. Some cards are details in the text; others share insights from prophets. Each card says which.

    0 of 9 turned

    Part 4 of 7

    Where are you today?

    Some of us need to forgive, some feel forsaken, some have made a mistake that feels too big, and some are caring for someone. Which feels most like you right now?

    Seven sayings

    His words from the cross

    No score and no rush. Tap each saying slowly, read what it shows about Him, then keep one for yourself.

    “It is finished” John 19:30

    Part 5 of 7

    Their world, their words

    A little background helps us read this day with reverence. Outside sources are labeled.

    Scripture

    Seven sayings

    No single Gospel records all seven. Luke gives three, John gives three, and Matthew and Mark give one. Read together, they show whom He was thinking of.123

    Each of His words is worth reading slowly.

    Apostle · Talmage

    He gave His life

    Elder Talmage: “He bowed His head, and voluntarily gave up His life.”5

    No one took His life from Him. He gave it.

    Scripture

    The women stayed

    Matthew remembers them: “And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him”.3

    Love stays close, even when it cannot change what is happening.

    Prophet · Hinckley

    The symbol of our faith

    President Hinckley explained why Latter-day Saints do not use the cross as a symbol: “the lives of our people must become the most meaningful expression of our faith and, in fact, therefore, the symbol of our worship”.7

    We remember His death, and we worship the Living Christ.

    Word study · Greek

    teleō τετέλεσται · “It is finished” (John 19:30)

    Bible Hub: “to end, i.e. Complete, execute, conclude, discharge (a debt).”10 Outside · lexicon

    Not a cry of defeat, but a declaration that the work was complete. The night before, He had prayed, “I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do” John 17:4.

    Word study · Greek

    Golgotha Γολγοθᾶ · “the place of a skull” (Mark 15:22)

    Bible Hub: “the skull; Golgotha, a knoll near Jerusalem.”11 Outside · lexicon

    The Bible Dictionary says it is “uncertain why it received this name”, and that it was outside the gate but close to the city.8 Church study help

    What the text does not say

    The scriptures do not dwell on the details of His suffering, and these notes do not either. Elder Talmage noted that “the Gospel-scribes are reverently reticent”. They tell us instead what He said and whom He loved: He forgave, He promised, He cared for His mother, and He gave His life willingly.5

    Part 6 of 7

    Look to Him

    He is the Lamb who forgave, the Son who cared for His mother, and the Redeemer who finished the work His Father gave Him.

    President Gordon B. Hinckley: “On Calvary He was the dying Jesus. From the tomb He emerged the Living Christ.”

    President Gordon B. Hinckley, “The Symbol of Our Faith,” April 20057
    “The goodness in Him allowed faith to triumph even in a state of complete anguish.”
    Elder Jeffrey R. Holland6
    “He became the author of our salvation and made a perfect Atonement for all mankind.”
    President James E. Faust9
    “The empty tomb now became the testimony of His divinity”
    President Gordon B. Hinckley7

    Another testament

    Lifted up for us

    “that I might draw all men unto me” 3 Nephi 27:14

    Latter-day scripture

    For all

    “wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him.” Doctrine and Covenants 18:11

    Part 7 of 7

    Seek Him today

    A question to ask yourself

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

    Who is one person you could begin to forgive this week, with His help?

    Try it today

    One quiet way to remember Him each day. It saves on this device, one day at a time.

    0 of 7 today

    This week:0 of 7 days

    A quiet moment

    “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit”

    Read John 19:25–30 slowly, in a quiet place. Sit still for a minute. Then write one sentence telling the Savior what His sacrifice means to you. John 19:25–30

    A verse to hold

    Talk about it

    1. Why do you think His first words from the cross were a prayer for the people crucifying Him?
    2. What does it show about Jesus that He made sure His mother was cared for?
    3. Elder Talmage says Jesus gave His life willingly. Why does that matter?
    4. President Hinckley says our lives are the symbol of our faith. What would people see in ours?
    Open

    For adults and deeper study

    Go deeper

    Longer readings, harder questions, and where to study next. Each one says what it is before you click.
    Apostle

    Elder Talmage, Jesus the Christ, chapter 35

    The road to Golgotha, the seven sayings, the rending of the veil, the centurion, and the burial in Joseph’s tomb.5

    Read chapter 35 →
    Apostle

    Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, “None Were with Him” (2009)

    Why the Father briefly withdrew, why He did not forsake His Son, and why we never have to walk alone.6

    Read the talk →
    Prophet

    President Gordon B. Hinckley, “The Symbol of Our Faith” (2005)

    Why Latter-day Saints remember the cross but declare the Living Christ, and what our lives say about Him.7

    Read the article →
    Scripture

    Isaiah 53; 3 Nephi 27:13–15

    Isaiah’s prophecy of the One who would bear our griefs, and the risen Lord’s own words about why He was lifted up.4

    Read Isaiah 53 →   Read 3 Nephi 27 →
    To ponder

    Harder questions

    • Jesus prayed for the soldiers to be forgiven. What does that teach about how far His mercy reaches?
    • Elder Holland teaches that the Father did not forsake His Son, even when He felt alone. How can that help when God feels far away?
    • Joseph of Arimathæa had been a disciple “secretly.” What changed, and what might help us stand up for Him openly?

    Sources

    Every quotation, gloss, and piece of background on this page is listed here: scripture first, then Church sources, then outside scholarship (labeled).

    Scripture

    1. Luke 23:26–56: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”
    2. John 19:16–42: “It is finished.”
    3. Matthew 27:45–61 and Mark 15:22–47: “Truly this was the Son of God.”
    4. Doctrine and Covenants 18:11, 3 Nephi 27:13–15 and Isaiah 53: “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows.”

    Church leaders and Church resources

    1. Elder James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ, chapter 35, Gospel Library.
    2. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, “None Were with Him”, general conference, April 2009.
    3. President Gordon B. Hinckley, “The Symbol of Our Faith”, Liahona, April 2005.
    4. Bible Dictionary, “Golgotha”, Church study help, Gospel Library.
    5. President James E. Faust, “The Atonement: Our Greatest Hope”, general conference, October 2001.

    Outside sources (labeled on the page)

    1. Strong’s 5055, teleō, Bible Hub lexicon.
    2. Strong’s 1115, Golgotha, Bible Hub lexicon.

    Quotations checked against the linked pages on October 7, 2026. Scripture is quoted from the King James Version as published in the Gospel Library.

    “It is finished”

    He forgave, He promised, He cared for His own, and He finished the work His Father gave Him. Friday was not the end. John 19:30

    Back to this week: June 14–20 Earlier: Gethsemane Next story: The Empty Tomb All New Testament Story Sketch Notes
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    Everything on this page as an 11-page letter-size PDF: the map, scenes, cards, activity, word studies, tracker, Go deeper and sources. For home, class or a quiet Sunday.

    See the printable · $3.99All New Testament sketch notes

    Independent study notes from Weak Things, not an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Scripture quotations are from the King James Version. This story is told in the words of Luke, John, Matthew and Mark; the insights in “Look closer” are labeled by source.