Life Recovery Bible - Flipbook - Page 56
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The Soldiers Mock Jesus
27
Some of the governor’s soldiers took Jesus
into their headquarters* and called out the
entire regiment. 28 They stripped him and
put a scarlet robe on him. 29 They wove thorn
branches into a crown and put it on his head,
and they placed a reed stick in his right hand
as a scepter. Then they knelt before him in
mockery and taunted, “Hail! King of the
Jews!” 30 And they spit on him and grabbed
the stick and struck him on the head with it.
31
When they were finally tired of mocking
him, they took off the robe and put his own
clothes on him again. Then they led him
away to be crucified.
The Crucifixion
32
Along the way, they came across a man
named Simon, who was from Cyrene,* and
the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross.
33
And they went out to a place called Golgotha
(which means “Place of the Skull”). 34 The soldiers gave J esus wine mixed with bitter gall, but
when he had tasted it, he refused to drink it.
35
After they had nailed him to the cross, the
soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing
dice.* 36 Then they sat around and kept guard
as he hung there. 37 A sign was fastened above
Jesus’ head, announcing the charge against
him. It read: “This is Jesus, the King of the
Jews.” 38 Two revolutionaries* were crucified
with him, one on his right and one on his left.
39
The people passing by shouted abuse,
shaking their heads in mockery. 40 “Look at
you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you
were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild
it in three days. Well then, if you are the Son
of God, save yourself and come down from
the cross!”
41
The leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders also mocked Jesus.
42
“He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he
can’t save himself! So he is the King of Israel,
is he? Let him come down from the cross right
now, and we will believe in him! 43 He trusted
God, so let God rescue him now if he wants
him! For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”
44
Even the revolutionaries who were crucified
with him ridiculed him in the same way.
The Death of Jesus
45
At noon, darkness fell across the whole land
until three o’clock. 46 At about three o’clock,
Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli,*
lema sabachthani?” which means “My God,
my God, why have you abandoned me?”*
47
Some of the bystanders misunderstood
and thought he was calling for the prophet
Elijah. 48 One of them ran and filled a sponge
with sour wine, holding it up to him on a
reed stick so he could drink. 49 But the rest
said, “Wait! Let’s see whether Elijah comes
to save him.”*
50
Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. 51 At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn
in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook,
rocks split apart, 52 and tombs opened. The
bodies of many godly men and women who
had died were raised from the dead. 53 They
left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection,
went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.
54
The Roman officer* and the other soldiers
at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said,
“This man truly was the Son of God!”
55
And many women who had come from
Galilee with J esus to care for him were watching from a distance. 56 Among them were
Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James
and Joseph), and the mother of James and
John, the sons of Zebedee.
The Burial of Jesus
57
As evening approached, Joseph, a rich man
from Arimathea who had become a follower
of Jesus, 58 went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’
body. And Pilate issued an order to release it
to him. 59 Joseph took the body and wrapped
it in a long sheet of clean linen cloth. 60 He
placed it in his own new tomb, which had
7:27 Or into the Praetorium.
2
27:32 Cyrene was a city in northern Africa. 27:35 Greek by casting lots. A few late
manuscripts add This fulfilled the word of the prophet: “They divided my garments among themselves and cast lots for my
robe.” See Ps 22:18. 27:38 Or criminals; also in 27:44. 27:46a Some manuscripts read Eloi, Eloi.
27:46b Ps 22:1.
27:49 Some manuscripts add And another took a spear and pierced his side, and out flowed water and blood. Compare
John 19:34. 27:54 Greek The centurion.
27:57-60 Joseph of Arimathea was a secret disciple (see John 19:38) who revealed his faith at a
crisis point. He was like the people who toy with recovery in a limited and private sense, but then
come to the point of decision where they either have to reject their program or make a deeper
commitment to it. Joseph’s willingness to approach Pilate, as well as his generous burial of Jesus,
indicates that he took a step of faith toward a stronger commitment to the Lord. What kind of crisis
will it take to inspire us to devote our lives wholeheartedly to God and his program of recovery?
