Darkness
From noon until three o'clock in the afternoon, there was darkness over the whole land. About three o'clock, Jesus cried out loudly, ``Eloi, Eloi, lema sabakthani?'' (This means: ``My God, my God, why did You abandon me?'')
Some of the men standing there heard this. They said, ``Look! He is calling Elijah.''{34} Someone ran and soaked a sponge in some sour wine. Then he put it on the end of a long stick{35} and gave Jesus a drink. Someone said, ``Leave him alone! Let us see if Elijah will come down for him!''
The soldiers said, ``If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!''
One of the criminals who was hanging there began to say awful things to Jesus: ``Aren't you the Messiah? Then save yourself! And save us, too!''
But the other criminal stopped him. He said, ``You should fear God! All of us are about to die! You and I are guilty; we should be killed, because we did wrong. But this man Jesus has done nothing wrong!'' Then he said to Jesus, ``Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom!''
Then Jesus said to him, ``I am telling you the truth: Today you will be with me in Paradise!''
There was no sun! The curtain hanging between The Holy Place and The Most Holy Place in the temple was torn right down the middle. Jesus shouted, ``Father, I put my spirit into Your hands.'' After Jesus said this, he died.{36}
There was a Roman army officer standing there in front of Jesus. When he saw the way Jesus died, he said, ``This man really was God's Son!''{37}