The Bibles different accounts of Jesus crucifixion are best presented without summary. The following is a correlation of the passages from Matthew 27:32-55, Luke 23:26-48, Mark 15:21-41, and John 19:16-36 ... Finally, Pilate handed Jesus over to them to be nailed to a cross. So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. He had to carry his own cross. On their way out of the city, they met a man from Cyrene. His name was Simon. They forced him to carry the cross. A large number of people followed Jesus. Some were women whose hearts were filled with sorrow. They cried loudly because of him. Jesus turned and said to them, Daughters of Jerusalem, do not cry for me. Cry for yourselves and for your children. Two other men were also led out with Jesus to be killed. Both of them had broken the law [thieves]. They came to a place called Golgotha. The word Golgotha means The Place of the Skull. There they (the soldiers) mixed wine with bitter spices and gave it to Jesus to drink. After tasting it, He refused to drink it. There they nailed Jesus to the cross. He hung between the two criminals. One was on His right and one was on His left. Jesus said, Father, forgive them. They dont know what they are doing. The soldiers divided up His clothes by casting lots. The people stood there watching. The rulers even made fun of Jesus. They said, He saved others. Let Him save Himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One. Pilate had a notice prepared. It was fastened to the cross. It read, ~Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. Many of the Jews read the sign. The sign was written in the Aramaic, Latin and Greek languages. The chief priests of the Jews argued with Pilate. They said, Do not write The King of the Jews. Write that this man claimed to be King of the Jews. Pilate answered, I have written what I have written. Jesus mother stood near his cross, his mothers sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. Jesus saw His mother there. He also saw the disciple He loved standing nearby. Jesus said to His mother, Dear woman, here is your son. He said to the disciple, Here is your mother. From that time on, the disciple took her into his home. One of the criminals hanging there made fun of Jesus. He said, Arent you the Christ? Save yourself! Save us! But the other criminal scolded him. Dont you have any respect for God? he said. Remember, you are under the same sentence of death. We are being punished fairly. We are getting just what our actions call for. But this man hasnt done anything wrong. Then he said, Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. Jesus answered him, What Im about to tell you is true. Today you will be with me in paradise. It was now about noon. The whole land was covered with darkness until three oclock. The sun had stopped shining. About three oclock, Jesus cried out in a loud voice. He said, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? This means My God, my God, why have you deserted me?—(Psalm 22:1) 47 Some of those standing there heard Jesus cry out. They said, Hes calling for Elijah. The soldiers also came up and poked fun at Him. They said, If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself. One of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar and put it on a stick. He offered it to Jesus to drink. The rest said, Leave him alone. Lets see if Elijah comes to save Him. Jesus called out in a loud voice, Father, into your hands I commit my very life. He said, It is finished. Then He bowed his head and died. At that moment the temple curtain was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook. The rocks split. Tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs. [After Jesus was raised to life, they went into the holy city. There they appeared to many people]. The Roman commander and those guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened. They were terrified. They exclaimed, He was surely the Son of God! The people had gathered to watch that sight. When they saw what happened, they beat their chests and went away. But all those who knew Jesus stood not very far away, watching those things. They included the women who had followed Him from Galilee. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to take care of His needs. Mary Magdalene was among them. Mary, the mother of James and Joses, was also there. So was the mother of Zebedees sons. PRAYER: Oh Jesus, thank you sacrificing yourself for our sins. You are my Lord and Savior. Amen!
Posted on: Thu, 17 Apr 2014 21:00:00 +0000