They now led Jesus out of the city to a place called Golgotha, to crucify Him. And He bore the cross Himself. Many weeping women followed Him, and Jesus turned to them and said: Weep not for me; but weep for yourselves and for your children!
Over the cross was written: JESUS OF NAZARETH, KING OF THE JEWS. It was about nine o’clock in the forenoon when they crucified Him. Two robbers were also crucified with Him, one on His right and one on His left side.
While Jesus was hanging on the cross He said: (1) Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do!—At the cross stood the mother of Jesus, and the disciple that Jesus loved. Jesus said: (2) Woman, behold thy Son! And to the disciple He said: Behold thy mother! And from that hour the disciple took her unto himself.—The soldiers and the priests mocked Him. And one of the robbers said: If thou art Christ, save Thyself and us! The other robber said: We suffer what we have deserved, but this Man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus: Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom! To him Jesus said: (3) Verily, today thou shalt be with me in Paradise!—From twelve o’clock there was darkness over the whole earth, until three o’clock, when Jesus cried with a loud voice: (4) My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?—And after that He cried: (5) I thirst! One of them ran and filled a sponge with vinegar and gave Him to drink.—Thereupon He said: (6) It is finished!—And again He cried with a loud voice: (7) Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit! And having said this, He bowed His head and gave up the ghost.
And the earth did quake, and the rocks were rent, and the tombs were opened, and the veil between the Holy and the Holy of Holies in the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.
That the bodies might be taken down from the crosses before the Sabbath, the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken. The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the two robbers; but when they came to Jesus, they saw that He was dead already, therefore they broke not His legs; but to make sure one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and there came out blood and water. (All the Gospels.)
[95. The Burial of Jesus]
Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the council, who until now secretly had been a disciple of Jesus, got permission from Pilate to take the body down from the cross and bury it. And Nicodemus, the same who came to Jesus by night, was with him, and brought a hundred pounds of myrrh and aloes. They anointed the body of Jesus and laid it in a sepulchre, hewn in stone, near by Golgotha, and rolled a great stone before the opening of the tomb.
The chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate and said: Sir, this Deceiver said, while He was yet alive: After three days I rise again. Command therefore that a guard be placed at the sepulchre, that His disciples may not come and steal the body away and say: He is risen. They received a guard, which they placed at the tomb, and they sealed the stone. (All the Gospels.)
[96. The Resurrection of Jesus]
Jesus was in the tomb until the third day, from Friday evening till Sunday morning. Before the sun rose on Sunday morning there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and rolled the stone from the tomb. Jesus arose from the dead, and a great fear fell upon those who stood guard, and they fled.