Page 548 - Bible History

THE PASSION AND DEATH OF CHRIST 521
forsaken Me?'' ·when those who were standing about heard this, they said, ''Behold, He calleth Elias.''
A moment later, Jesus said, "I thirst." One of the soldiers took a sponge and, lling it with vinegar, put it on a reed and, running up, he held the sponge to the lips of the dying Savior. Some of the others tried to stop him, saying, ''Let be, let us see whether Elias w l
come and deliver Him."
Jesus had refused the wine mixed with myrrh, be­
cause He did not want His su erings to be made easier. Now He drank the vinegar which was o ered Him, order that He might suffer the more and thus drink the last drop from the chalice which His Father had prepared for Him. At last, He said, "It is nished." ,vith a loud voice He cried out, "Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit,'' and, bowing His head, He died.
At once, fri tful things began to happen. Over in Jerusalem, the veil of the Temple was torn in two, from the top to the bottom. The earth quaked, and great rocks were broken into pieces. The graves opened; the dead came out of their tombs. When the centurion who had charge of the cruci xion saw all of this, he was sore afraid. Striking his breast, he said, ''Indeed this man was the Son of God.'' The crowd, too, was lled with awe, and they hastened back to Jerusalem, striking their breasts.
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Evening had come, and the Sabbath Day was at T
hand. Not wishing the bodies to remain on the cross over the Sabbath Day, the chief priests asked Pilate p