Matthew 27:38 says, Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left. Two thieves were crucified along with Jesus, one on each side. Though they were suffering the same fate, there was a difference. They were guilty. Verse thirty-nine states, And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, People passing by reviled Jesus and shook there heads at Him in judgment. People continue to do the same thing today, literally if not physically. Verse forty adds, And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. The people still failed to understand what Jesus meant when He said that He could destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days and didn't realize that He was in the process of doing just that. Jesus did not need to come down from the cross to prove that He was the Son of God, but needed to remain there to prove that He was by His obedience to His Father. Verse forty-one declares, Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, Verse forty-two adds, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. It was bad enough that other people mocked and reviled Jesus, but so did the chief priests and elders. They said if Jesus could save others, let Him save Himself and come down off the cross and they would believe in Him. What they failed to realize was that Jesus was on the cross to sacrifice Himself for the sins of everyone, making salvation possible. Had Jesus come down from the cross, we would all be without hope. Verse forty-three continues, He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. These religious leaders then attempted to tell God how to act. They said in effect if Jesus was the Son of God then God would save Him. We should never attempt to tell God what to do, no matter the situation, but must simply put our faith in Him. Verse forty-four says, The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth. We are told that at one time both thieves were mocking Jesus, but we know that one accepted Him before he died. As long as we draw breath, there is hope of redemption. Verse forty-five states, Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. For three hours, there was darkness in the daytime. There has never been a darker period in the history of the world spiritually than when Jesus was on the cross, because He was taking on the sins of all the world, past, present and future at that time. Verse forty-six declares, And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? At the ninth hour Jesus called out asking why His God had forsaken Him. I don't believe that we can even imagine how Jesus felt at this time. Verse forty-seven says, Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias. The people still did not understand what Jesus was saying, with some believing that He was calling on Elijah. Verse forty-eight states, And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. Someone put a sponge filled with vinegar on a stick and offered it to Jesus to drink. I am not sure if this was an act of compassion or simply an attempt to prolong the suffering of Jesus, but I believe it was probably the latter. Verse forty-nine says, The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him. The rest of those gathered there told the one who was offering Jesus the sponge filled with vinegar to let Jesus be and see if Elijah would save Him. Verse fifty declares, Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. Jesus then cried in a loud voice and gave up the ghost. I believe that in this case, that was a very accurate statement. Until Jesus willing died, or gave up the ghost, His mission was not complete. We need to be thankful that Jesus was willing to die for our sins and did not come down from the cross. Verse fifty-one declares, And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; The veil of the temple which separated man from God was torn from the top down, the earth quaked, and the rocks were spilt. I believe that this was God showing that He was indeed still in charge and that what Jesus died changed everything. People would now have access to God not behind the veil the in the temple, but everywhere through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Verse fifty-two declares, And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, The graves were open, and the bodies of the saints arose. One day, the graves will open and we will all be resurrected to everlasting life. Verse fifty-three adds, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. These saints who arose from the dead went into the city and were seen by many, so we know it was not the same as the resurrection at the second coming of Christ, because those who have accepted Jesus Christ and Savior and Lord will no longer be seen on the earth.
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