Finished

IT IS FINISHED

After the crowd shouted to kill Jesus, the leader from Rome gave him to the soldiers. The soldiers took Jesus and beat him with a whip. Then they made a crown of sharp branches and put it on his head. And they laughed at him. Then they led him away with two criminals. A large crowd followed. Some of the women in the crowd were crying.

Now, they got to the place where they were going to kill Jesus. And they brought the cross with them there. The cross had been formed with two wooden beams. And they laid him on it. They drove nails through his hands and his feet to hold him there. Then they lifted the cross so it would stand up. They did the same thing for the two criminals. They put one on the left of Jesus and one on the right.

And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them. They do not know what they are doing.”

Many people in the crowd made fun of Jesus. They said things like, “You saved other people. Can you save yourself?”

“If you are the son of God, come down from that cross. Then we will believe you.”

And one of the criminals also joined in. He said, “If you are the Promised Saviour, save yourself. And save us too!”

But the other criminal said, “You are dying. Do you not fear God? We deserve to die. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said to Jesus, “Remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

And Jesus said to him, “Today, you will be with me in paradise.”

Now from about noon until three, the whole sky was dark.

Then Jesus called out, “My God, my God, why have you turned away from me?” And he said, “Father, into your hands I give my spirit. It is finished.” And, after he said this, he died.

One of the soldiers saw all of this. And he said, “Clearly, this man was innocent.”

Then the crowd began to leave. They seemed very sad. And the men that followed Jesus watched all of these things. But they did not stand close by.

After this, a man went to the leader from Rome. He asked him for Jesus’ body. He was one of the leaders of the Jews. But he was a good man. He did not agree with the other leaders about Jesus.

The leader from Rome said yes.

So the man took the body of Jesus. He wrapped it in cloth and put it in a cave to bury it. Then, he had some men roll a huge stone over the entrance to cover it. Some of the women who followed Jesus saw him do this. And, when he was finished, everyone went away.