Matthew 27:32-54

Expanded Bible

Jesus Is Crucified^(A)

³² ·As the soldiers were going out of the city with Jesus [^LAs they went out], they ·met [found; came across] a man from Cyrene [^Ca city in northern Africa, in present-day Libya], named Simon, and forced him to carry the cross for Jesus. ³³ They all came to the place called Golgotha, which means [^Cin Aramaic] the Place of the Skull. ³⁴ ·The soldiers [^LThey; ^Cthis could be the soldiers or the women of Jerusalem] gave Jesus wine mixed with gall to drink [^Cthe gall was either a sedative or further mockery, making the wine bitter; Ps. 69:21; Prov. 31:6]. He tasted the wine but refused to drink it. ³⁵ When the soldiers had crucified him, they threw lots [^Csimilar to dice] to ·decide who would get [^Ldivide up] his clothes^[a] [Ps. 22:18]. ³⁶ The soldiers sat there and ·continued watching [kept guard over] him. ³⁷ They put a sign above Jesus’ head with the charge against him. It said: this is jesus, the king of the jews. ³⁸ Two ·robbers [rebels; revolutionaries; ^Cthe term “robber” was used by the Romans of insurrectionists] were crucified beside Jesus, one on the right and the other on the left [Is. 53:12]. ³⁹ People walked by and ·insulted [defamed; slandered; ^Cthe same Greek word used to “blaspheme”] Jesus and shook their heads [^Ca gesture of derision; Ps. 22:7], ⁴⁰ saying, “You said you could destroy the Temple and build it again in three days. So save yourself! Come down from that cross if you are really the Son of God!”

⁴¹ The ·leading [^Tchief] priests, the teachers of the law, and the Jewish elders were also ·making fun of [mocking] Jesus. ⁴² They said, “He saved others, but he can’t save himself! He says he is the king of Israel! If he is the king, let him come down now from the cross. Then we will believe in him. ⁴³ He trusts in God, so let God ·save [rescue; deliver] him now, if God really wants him [Ps. 22:8]. He himself said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” ⁴⁴ And in the same way, the robbers [rebels; revolutionaries; v. 38] who were being crucified beside Jesus also ·insulted [ridiculed; taunted] him.

Jesus Dies^(B)

⁴⁵ At ·noon [^Lthe sixth hour] the whole country became dark, and the darkness lasted ·for three hours [^Luntil the ninth hour]. ⁴⁶ About ·three o’clock [^Lthe ninth hour] Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” This means, “My God, my God, why have you ·abandoned [forsaken] me [Ps. 22:1; ^Cthese words are a mixture of Hebrew and Aramaic]?”

⁴⁷ Some of the people standing there who heard this said, “He is calling Elijah.” [^CThe prophet Elijah, associated with the end times (Mal. 4:5), was also viewed as a helper in time of need.]

⁴⁸ ·Quickly [At once] one of them ran and got a sponge and filled it with ·vinegar [or sour wine; ^Can inexpensive drink used by soldiers and slaves] and tied it to a ·stick [reed] and gave it to Jesus to drink [Ps. 69:21]. ⁴⁹ But the others said, “·Don’t bother him [Wait; Leave him alone]. We want to see if Elijah will come to save him.”

⁵⁰ But Jesus cried out again in a loud voice and ·died [^Lreleased his spirit].

⁵¹ ·Then [^TAnd behold] the curtain in the Temple [^Cdividing the Most Holy Place from the rest of the Temple] was torn into two pieces, from the top to the bottom [^Crepresenting new access to the presence of God, and perhaps God’s judgment against the Temple leadership]. Also, the earth shook and rocks broke apart. ⁵² The graves opened, and many [^Lof the bodies] of ·God’s people [the saints] who had ·died [^Lfallen asleep] were raised from the dead. ⁵³ They came out of the graves after ·Jesus was raised from the dead [^Lhis resurrection] and went into the holy city [^CJerusalem], where they appeared to many people.

⁵⁴ When the ·army officer [centurion] and ·the soldiers [^Lthose with him] guarding Jesus saw this earthquake and everything else that happened, they were ·very frightened [filled with awe] and said, “He really was the Son of God!”