39. People walked by and shouted insults at Jesus. They shook their heads
40. and said, “You said you could destroy the Temple and build it again in three days. So save yourself! Come down from that cross if you really are the Son of God!”
41. The leading priests, the teachers of the law, and the older Jewish leaders were also there. They made fun of Jesus the same as the other people did.
42. They said, “He saved others, but he can’t save himself! People say he is the king of Israel. If he is the king, he should come down now from the cross. Then we will believe in him.
43. He trusted God. So let God save him now, if God really wants him. He himself said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”
44. And in the same way, the criminals on the crosses beside Jesus also insulted him.
45. At noon the whole country became dark. The darkness continued for three hours.
46. About three o’clock Jesus cried out loudly, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” This means “My God, my God, why have you left me alone?”
47. Some of the people standing there heard this. They said, “He is calling Elijah.”
48. Quickly, one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled the sponge with sour wine and tied the sponge to a stick. Then he used the stick to give the sponge to Jesus to get a drink from it.
49. But the others said, “Don’t bother him. We want to see if Elijah will come to save him.”
50. Again Jesus cried out loudly and then died.
51. When Jesus died, the curtain in the Temple was torn into two pieces. The tear started at the top and tore all the way to the bottom. Also, the earth shook and rocks were broken.
52. The graves opened, and many of God’s people who had died were raised from death.
53. They came out of the graves. And after Jesus was raised from death, they went into the holy city, and many people saw them.
54. The army officer and the soldiers guarding Jesus saw this earthquake and everything that happened. They were very afraid and said, “He really was the Son of God!”