From noon onward, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 46 And about three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47 Some of the bystanders who heard it said, “This one is calling for Elijah.” 48 Immediately one of them ran to get a sponge; he soaked it in wine, and putting it on a reed, gave it to him to drink. 49 But the rest said, “Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to save him.” 50 But Jesus cried out again in a loud voice, and gave up his spirit. 51 And behold, the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked, rocks were split, 52 tombs were opened, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. 53 And coming forth from their tombs after his resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many. 54 The centurion and the men with him who were keeping watch over Jesus feared greatly when they saw the earthquake and all that was happening, and they said, “Truly, this was the Son of God!” 55 There were many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him. 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
Jesus hung on the cross for about six hours and for the three hours before his death darkness came over the whole land. The Book of Amos foretold, “On that day—oracle of the Lord God—I will make the sun set at midday and in broad daylight cover the land with darkness (Amos 8:9).” At the ninth hour (3:00 pm), Jesus said in Aramaic, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me (Ps. 22:1)?” Jesus had been rejected or abandoned by everyone and now did not appear to feel God’s presence, the God whose will he was fulfilling as the incarnate son. But he was not in despair because it was his Father to whom he prayed. The bystanders thought he was calling on Elijah and one of them offered him more sour wine (Ps. 69:22). According to tradition, Elijah comes to rescue those in distress, so the other bystanders told the man to wait. This was not out of the belief that Jesus would be saved, but because they felt that Elijah would not come so they would be justified in their actions.
Jesus gave a loud cry and died. Matthew’s wording implies that Jesus had control even over his death and voluntarily died. The events that followed indicate a theophany that led the Centurion to confess that Jesus was the Son of God. The Apostles Creed states that Jesus descended to hell. The hell in the Creed is the abode of the dead in verses 52 and 53 where Jesus went to free many from their tombs who had died in faith throughout the ages. After their resurrection, they were seen by many. Some of the courageous and faithful women who followed Jesus were at the foot of the cross witnessing the events.
Almighty God, grant us the courage to be steadfast in our love for your Son to that we may fully experience the love and mercy of the Risen Christ and share in his glory for all eternity. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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