41. You and I are guilty. We deserve to die because we did wrong. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
42. Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you begin ruling as king!”
43. Then Jesus said to him, “I promise you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
44. It was about noon, but it turned dark throughout the land until three o’clock in the afternoon,
45. because the sun stopped shining. The curtain in the Temple was torn into two pieces.
46. Jesus shouted, “Father, I put my life in your hands!” After Jesus said this, he died.
47. The army officer there saw what happened. He praised God, saying, “I know this man was a good man!”
48. Many people had come out of the city to see all this. When they saw it, they felt very sorry and left.
49. The people who were close friends of Jesus were there. Also, there were some women who had followed Jesus from Galilee. They all stood far away from the cross and watched these things.
50-51. A man named Joseph was there from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a good man, who lived the way God wanted. He was waiting for God’s kingdom to come. Joseph was a member of the Jewish council. But he did not agree when the other Jewish leaders decided to kill Jesus.
52. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.
53. He took the body down from the cross and wrapped it in cloth. Then he put it in a tomb that was dug in a wall of rock. This tomb had never been used before.
54. It was late on Preparation day. When the sun went down, the Sabbath day would begin.
55. The women who had come from Galilee with Jesus followed Joseph. They saw the tomb. Inside they saw where he put Jesus’ body.
56. Then they left to prepare some sweet-smelling spices to put on the body. On the Sabbath day they rested, as commanded in the Law of Moses.