ELL Bible Study: Luke 23:26-43 — Jesus is Crucified

This Bible study lesson is for people who are learning English (ELL or ESL students). It is made for advanced beginner and intermediate English learners. Children who speak English or adults who prefer easy English may also enjoy it and learn from it.

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Luke 23:26-43 Printable Discussion Questions

Lesson Icebreaker Question

Have you ever helped someone carry something heavy? What happened?

Lesson Highlight

In this lesson, we will learn how Jesus was treated before he died on the cross. We will see how different people acted around him, and what Jesus said to them. We will hear a promise that brings hope.

Vocabulary List (GNT)

Bore — Carried something or gave birth to a child.
Carry — To hold something and move with it.
Cheap — Not costing much money.
Clothes — The things people wear on their bodies.
Country — Land outside of the city.
Criminal — A person who breaks the law.
Cross — Two pieces of wood used to hang someone to die.
Crucify — To kill a person by hanging them on a cross.
Cyrene — A place in Africa, where Simon was from.
Deserve — To earn something because of what you did.
Dice — Small cubes with numbers used in games.
Divide — To separate something into parts.
Dry Wood — Old, dead wood from a tree.
Fear — To be very afraid.
Forgive — To stop being angry with someone who did wrong.
Green Wood — Fresh, living wood from a tree.
Hill — A small, high piece of land.
Insult — To say something mean to hurt someone.
King — A man who rules a country.
Led — Guided someone to a place.
Lucky — To have something good happen by chance.
Made Fun — To laugh at someone in a mean way.
Messiah — The special person God promised to send to save people.
Mountain — A very big, tall hill.
Nurse — To feed a baby with a mother’s milk.
Offer — To give something to someone.
Paradise — A very beautiful, happy place with God.
Promise — To say you will do something for sure.
Put To Death — To kill someone as punishment.
Receive — To get something.
Rebuke — To tell someone they are wrong.
Remember — To keep something in your mind.
Right — Good and fair.
Save — To rescue or protect from harm.
Seize — To grab something quickly and strongly.
Sentence — The punishment a judge gives to a person.
Skull — The bone inside the head.
Soldiers — People who fight for their country.
Throw — To send something through the air with your hand.
Wail — To cry out loudly.
Weep — To cry softly.
Wine — A drink made from grapes.
Wrong — Not right or good.

Summary of the Passage

This passage tells the story of what happened to Jesus before he died on the cross. Jesus was walking to the place where he would die. The soldiers made a man named Simon carry Jesus’ cross. A large crowd of people followed them. Some women were crying very much. Jesus told them to cry for themselves because hard times were coming.

Next, Jesus was taken to a place called “The Skull.” Two other criminals were also there. The soldiers nailed Jesus and the criminals to crosses. Jesus prayed to God, asking him to forgive the people. The soldiers divided his clothes and made fun of him. The leaders and one criminal also made fun of Jesus. They told him to save himself if he really was the Messiah.

But one of the other criminals spoke kindly to Jesus. He told the other man to be quiet because they deserved their punishment, but Jesus had done nothing wrong. Then this criminal asked Jesus to remember him in his kingdom. Jesus promised that the man would be with him in Paradise that very day.

This passage teaches us about Jesus’ kindness and forgiveness, even when people hurt him. It shows us that anyone who believes in Jesus, even at the last moment, can be saved and go to be with God.

Read The Passage

Most English learners should use the Easy-to-Read Version (ERV), the New International Reader’s Version (NIRV), or the Good News Translation (GNT). If you want to try something harder, you can read one of the other Bible versions.

Text from the ERV Bible Translation

Jesus Is Nailed to a Cross
26 The soldiers led Jesus away.
At that same time there was a man from Cyrene named Simon coming into the city from the fields.
The soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross and walk behind him.
27 A large crowd followed Jesus.
Some of the women were sad and crying.
They felt sorry for him.
28 But Jesus turned and said to the women,
“Women of Jerusalem, don’t cry for me.
Cry for yourselves and for your children too.
29 The time is coming when people will say,
‘The women who cannot have babies are the ones God has blessed.
It’s really a blessing that they have no children to care for.’
30 Then the people will say to the mountains,
‘Fall on us!’
They will say to the hills,
‘Cover us!’
31 If this can happen to someone who is good, what will happen to those who are guilty?”
32 There were also two criminals led out with Jesus to be killed.
33 They were led to a place called “The Skull.”
There the soldiers nailed Jesus to the cross.
They also nailed the criminals to crosses beside Jesus—one on the right and the other on the left.
34 Jesus said,
“Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they are doing.”
The soldiers threw dice to divide Jesus’ clothes between them.
35 The people stood there watching everything.
The Jewish leaders laughed at Jesus.
They said,
“If he is God’s Chosen One, the Messiah, then let him save himself.
He saved others, didn’t he?”
36 Even the soldiers laughed at Jesus and made fun of him.
They came and offered him some sour wine.
37 They said,
“If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself!”
38 (At the top of the cross these words were written: “ this is the king of the jews.”)
39 One of the criminals hanging there began to shout insults at Jesus:
“Aren’t you the Messiah?
Then save yourself, and save us too!”
40 But the other criminal stopped him.
He said,
“You should fear God.
All of us will die soon.
41 You and I are guilty.
We deserve to die because we did wrong.
But this man has done nothing wrong.”
42 Then he said,
“Jesus, remember me when you begin ruling as king!”
43 Then Jesus said to him,
“I promise you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Luke 23:26-43 (ERV)

Text from the GNT Bible Translation

Jesus Is Crucified
26 The soldiers led Jesus away, and as they were going, they met a man from Cyrene named Simon who was coming into the city from the country. They seized him, put the cross on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus.
27 A large crowd of people followed him; among them were some women who were weeping and wailing for him.
28 Jesus turned to them and said, “Women of Jerusalem! Don’t cry for me, but for yourselves and your children.
29 For the days are coming when people will say, ‘How lucky are the women who never had children, who never bore babies, who never nursed them!’
30 That will be the time when people will say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ and to the hills, ‘Hide us!’
31 For if such things as these are done when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
32 Two other men, both of them criminals, were also led out to be put to death with Jesus.
33 When they came to the place called “The Skull,” they crucified Jesus there, and the two criminals, one on his right and the other on his left.
34 Jesus said, “Forgive them, Father! They don’t know what they are doing.”
They divided his clothes among themselves by throwing dice.
35 The people stood there watching while the Jewish leaders made fun of him: “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah whom God has chosen!”
36-37 The soldiers also made fun of him: they came up to him and offered him cheap wine, and said, “Save yourself if you are the king of the Jews!”
38 Above him were written these words: “This is the King of the Jews.”
39 One of the criminals hanging there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
40 The other one, however, rebuked him, saying, “Don’t you fear God? You received the same sentence he did.
41 Ours, however, is only right, because we are getting what we deserve for what we did; but he has done no wrong.”
42 And he said to Jesus, “Remember me, Jesus, when you come as King!”
43 Jesus said to him, “I promise you that today you will be in Paradise with me.”
Luke 23:26-43 (GNT)