Matthew 27:32-66

Now as they were coming out, they found a man of Cyrene named Simon, whom they forced into service to carry the cross of Jesus. [Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26] And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull, [Mark 15:22-32; Luke 23:33-43; John 19:17-24] they offered Him wine mixed with gall (myrrh, a bitter-tasting narcotic) to drink; but after tasting it, He refused to drink it. And when they had crucified Him, they divided His clothes among them by casting lots. [Ps 22:18] Then sitting down there, they began to keep watch over Him [to guard against any rescue attempt]. And above His head they put the accusation against Him which read, “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.” At the same time two robbers were crucified with Jesus, one on the right and one on the left. Those who passed by were hurling abuse at Him and jeering at Him, wagging their heads [in scorn and ridicule], [Ps 22:7, 8; 109:25] and they said [tauntingly], “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself [from death]! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, mocked Him, saying, “He saved others [from death]; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him and acknowledge Him. HE TRUSTS IN GOD; LET GOD RESCUE Him now, IF HE DELIGHTS IN HIM; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” [Ps 22:8] The robbers who had been crucified with Him also began to insult Him in the same way. Now from the sixth hour (noon) there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.). [Mark 15:33-41; Luke 23:44-49] About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud [agonized] voice, “ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” that is, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?” [Ps 22:1] When some of the bystanders there heard it, they began saying, “This man is calling for Elijah.” Immediately one of them ran, and took a sponge, soaked it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink. [Ps 69:21; Mark 15:36f; Luke 23:36; John 19:29, 30] But the rest said, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him [from death].” And Jesus cried out again with a loud [agonized] voice, and gave up His spirit [voluntarily, sovereignly dismissing and releasing His spirit from His body in submission to His Father’s plan]. [John 10:18] And [at once] the veil [of the Holy of Holies] of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; the earth shook and the rocks were split apart. [Ex 26:31-35] The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints (God’s people) who had fallen asleep [in death] were raised [to life]; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, they entered the holy city (Jerusalem) and appeared to many people. Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, they were terribly frightened and filled with awe, and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!” There were also many women there looking on from a distance, who had accompanied Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him. Among them was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and [Salome] the mother of Zebedee’s sons [James and John]. When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. [Mark 15:42-47; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42] He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus [so that he might bury Him], and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth (burial wrapping), and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock; and he rolled a large stone over the entrance of the tomb and went away. And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb. The next day, that is, the day after the [day of] preparation [for the Sabbath], the chief priests and the Pharisees assembled before Pilate, and said, “Sir, we have remembered that when He was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise [from the dead].’ Therefore, give orders to have the tomb made secure and safeguarded until the third day, otherwise His disciples may come and steal Him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last deception [the reporting of His resurrection] will be worse than the first [the reporting that He is the Messiah].” Pilate said to them, “You have a guard [of soldiers]; go [with them], make the tomb as secure as you know how.” So they went and made the tomb secure, and along with [stationing] a guard of soldiers [to be on watch] they set a seal on the stone.