Three Hours of Darkness

Part 4

Now it was about the sixth hour when darkness came over the whole land, and it lasted until the ninth hour.

About the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice saying,

“Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?”

Which translated means,

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

And some who stood by, when they heard it, said,

‘He is calling for Elijah.’

After this, Jesus knew that all things were finished and that the Scriptures had been accomplished. He said,

“I thirst.”

There was a vessel full of vinegar, and one of them ran and took a sponge and filled it with vinegar and put it on a hyssop reed and brought it to Jesus’ mouth.

The rest of those standing around the cross said,

‘Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.’

And when Jesus had received the vinegar, He cried again with a loud voice and said,

“It is finished. Into your hands I commend my spirit.”

And having said these words, He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.

And immediately the veil of the temple was torn into two pieces, in the middle from top to bottom.

And the earth shook, and the rocks cracked in pieces, and the tombs were opened and many bodies of the saints who had died were raised, and they came out of the tombs and walked into Jerusalem and appeared to many.

When the centurion who stood watching Jesus, saw Him give up His spirit, and felt and saw the earthquake, and everything else that was happening, he was fearful. He glorified God, saying,

‘Certainly, this was a righteous man. This was the Son of God.’

And the crowd that came together to view the sight of Jesus dead on the cross, went home beating their breasts in sorrow.

And all Jesus’ acquaintances were there at the cross, and many women who had followed Jesus from Galilee, including Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses and Salome. They had ministered to Jesus and the disciples.