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33 At noon, the day suddenly darkened for three hours across the entire land. 34 Sometime around three o’clock Jesus called out in a loud voice.

Jesus: Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?

Jesus was speaking, as in the psalms, “My God, My God, why have You turned Your back on Me?”[a]

35 Some of those standing nearby misunderstood Him.

Bystanders: Hey, He’s calling for Elijah.

36 One of them filled a sponge with wine that had turned to vinegar and lifted it to Jesus’ lips on a stick so He could drink.

Bystander: Let’s see if Elijah will come to take Him down.

37 Then Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and He took His last breath.

38 At that moment, the curtain in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

The tearing of the temple veil is a picture of what Jesus’ death has accomplished. The temple sanctuary is divided into two sections: the holy place and the most holy place. The most holy place is a chamber so sanctified that only the high priest can enter—and then only once a year. There God’s presence is manifest on earth.

A long curtain divides the two areas, and at the moment of Jesus’ death it is torn in two. The veil that serves as a means to protect everyone but the high priest from the power of God’s presence is no longer needed because Jesus, on account of His sacrificial death, gives everyone access to God. Only God Himself can rip the curtain in two “from top to bottom,” opening the way for people to come into His presence.

39 The Roman Centurion, the soldier in charge of the executions, stood in front of Jesus, [heard His words,][b] and saw the manner of His death.

Centurion: Surely this man was the Son of God!

40 Off in the distance, away from the crowds, stood some women who knew and had followed Jesus, including Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of the younger James, Joses, and Salome. 41 These were women who used to care for Him when He was in Galilee, and many other women who had followed Jesus to Jerusalem joined them.

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Footnotes

  1. 15:34 Psalm 22:1
  2. 15:39 Some early manuscripts omit this portion.

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