The History of Christianity / Consisting of the Life and Teachings of Jesus of Nazareth; the Adventures of Paul and the Apostles; and the Most Interesting Events in the Progress of Christianity, from the Earliest Period to the Present Time.

by John S. C. Abbott

“Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this man hath done nothing amiss.” Then, turning his eyes to Jesus, he said, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.”

Jesus replied, “Verily I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise.”

As Jesus hung upon the cross, his sufferings excited no pity on the part of his foes. They reviled him, saying, “If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. He saved others: himself he cannot save. He trusted in God: let him deliver him now, if he will have him; for he said, I am the Son of God.”

The mother of Jesus, and two other women who had been his devoted friends, and the apostle John, stood by the side of the cross. Jesus, addressing his mother, and then turning his eyes to John, said, “Woman, behold thy son!” To John he said, “Behold thy mother!” From that hour John took Mary to his home.

There now came supernatural darkness over the whole land, which continued until about three o’clock. Jesus, being then in his dying agonies, exclaimed with a loud voice, “My God,my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” and then he added, “I thirst.” Some one, probably kindly disposed, ran, and, filling a sponge with vinegar, raised it upon a reed to the lips of the sufferer. Jesus, simply tasting of it, said, “It is finished!” and with a loud voice exclaimed, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit!” and died.

At that moment, the massive veil of the temple in Jerusalem, which concealed the holy of holies, was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. There was an earthquake rending the solid rocks. Many graves were burst open, and the bodies of the saints which slumbered in them came forth to life, “and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.”

These startling phenomena greatly alarmed the crowd which was gathered around the cross. “Truly,” many of them exclaimed, “this was the Son of God.” It was Friday afternoon. At the going-down of the sun, the Jewish sabbath would commence. Being the sabbath of the commencement of the paschal feast, it was a day of unusual solemnity. The Jews, unwilling that the bodies should remain upon the cross over the sabbath, applied to Pilate to hasten the lingering death of the crucified by breaking their legs. The brutal Roman soldiers did this brutally to the two men who were crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus, and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers, to make it certain that life was extinct, thrust his spear deeply into his side. The outflow of blood and water indicated that the spear had pierced both the pericardium and the heart.

It is recorded that these things were done that the scripture might be fulfilled, “A bone of him shall not be broken;” and, “They shall look on him whom they pierced.” Thus, also, the executioners of Jesus divided his garments among themselves, and drew lots for his seamless coat; “that the scripture might be fulfilled which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots.”

The evening drew nigh. One of the disciples of Jesus, a wealthy man by the name of Joseph, from Arimathea, beinga man of high position, went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Pilate, marvelling that he was so soon dead, granted his request. Nicodemus also, the timid man who visited Jesus by night, and once during his career ventured to speak a cautious word in his favor, now came by night, with a hundred-pound weight of myrrh and aloes, to embalm the dead body of one whom he had not the moral courage to confess when that living one was struggling against his foes.

Joseph took the body of Jesus from the cross, wrapped it in a linen robe, and deposited it in a newly-constructed tomb of his own which he had hewn out of a solid rock. The door of the tomb was closed by a heavy stone. Several women, the friends of Jesus, followed his remains to the sepulchre. This was Friday, called the “preparation-day,” because, on that day, the Jews prepared for the solemn rest of the sabbath.