64. Jesus Is Crucified

When they reached the place where Jesus would be crucified, the soldiers laid Jesus on the cross and nailed his hands and feet onto the wood. Then they raised up the cross in the air and struck its bottom end into the ground.

They put a sign on the cross that said, "The King of the Jews." Beneath the cross, Jesus' mother, Mary, and a few other people gathered to mourn Jesus. They watched in horror as the soldiers drew names to see who would get Jesus' coat.

Two other men were crucified the same day. Their crosses stood on either side of Jesus.

"If you really are the Christ, why don't you save yourself and us, too?" one of them asked.

"Don't you think you should have a little more respect for God?" said the other one. "You and I are condemned to die, but we deserve it. This man has done nothing." Then he asked Jesus to remember him in heaven. Jesus said that he would see him there that very day.

Jesus looked down at the soldiers who caused him so much pain, "Forgive them, Father," he said. "They don't know what they are doing."

Then Jesus saw his mother Mary standing next to the disciple, John. He told them to look after each other like mother and son from then on.

A great darkness fell over the land. Jesus could no longer take the terrible pain he was suffering. He looked up to heaven and Cried out with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Jesus asked for water. Someone put a sponge filled with old wine vinegar up to Jesus' lips and he tasted the wine. "It is finished," he said. Jesus bowed his head and died.

Even though it was still early in the day, the sun disappeared from view, and the ground shook in a powerful earthquake. The people became very frightened. "He must have really been the Son of God," they said.

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