The Red-Letter Words of Yeshua ~ Part 176

The Crucifixion of Yeshua ~ Part 2

In our last post, we concluded Yeshua’s Trial Before Pilate. We continue to explore Yeshua’s Crucifixion in this post.

Click the Image to enlarge it.

A Thief Asks for Remembrance

³⁹ One of the criminals hanging there hurled insults at Him. “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” ⁴⁰ But the other one spoke up and rebuked the first, saying, “Have you no fear of God? You’re getting the same punishment as He is. ⁴¹ Ours is only fair; we’re getting what we deserve for what we did. But this man did nothing wrong.” ⁴² Then he said, “Yeshua, remember me when you come as King.” ⁴³ Yeshua said to him, “Yes! I promise that you will be with me today in Gan-‘Eden.”  ^[1]

One of the criminals. Mattityahu 27:44 and Mark 15:32 report that both criminals mocked Yeshua and the crowd. However, as the hours wore on, this criminal’s conscience was smitten, and he repented. When the unrepentant thief resumed his mocking (v. 39), this thief rebuked him and refused to participate again.

Gan-Eden, literally “Garden of Eden” in Hebrew, is also Hebrew’s expression for Paradise, which is the English transliteration of Greek paradises, the term used in the Septuagint at Genesis 2:8 to translate Gan-Eden.

Yeshua Cries Out

⁴⁵ From noon until three o’clock in the afternoon, all the Land was covered with darkness. ⁴⁶ At about three, Yeshua uttered a loud cry, “Eli! Eli! L’mah sh’vaktani? (My God! My God! Why have you deserted me?)” ⁴⁷ On hearing this, some of the bystanders said, “He’s calling for Eliyahu.”  ^[2]

The bystanders naturally interpreted the darkness as God’s judgment (Amos 8:9). While they likely thought the judgment was against Yeshua (as if He were a heretic), in light of His later resurrection, they came to see the darkness as a judgment against the sin that Yeshua became on our behalf (2 Corinthians 5:21).

In Judaism, its entire context is implied when a Scripture verse is cited, as here in verse 46. Thus, Yeshua refers to all of Psalm 22 to Himself; other of its verses are cited in Mattityahu 27:35, 27:39, Yochanan 19:28, and Hebrews 2:12. See Mattityahu 17:10-12 for “He’s calling for Eliyahu.”

Yeshua Is Given a Drink

²⁸ After this, knowing that all things had accomplished their purpose, Yeshua, in order to fulfill the words of the Tanakh, said, “I’m thirsty.”  ^{[3] 48} Immediately, one of them ran and took a sponge, soaked it in vinegar, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink. ⁴⁹ The rest said, “Wait! Let’s see if Eliyahu comes and rescues him.”  ^[4]

Yeshua Dies

³⁰ After Yeshua had taken the wine, He said, “It is accomplished!” ^{[5] 46} Crying out with a loud voice, Yeshua said, “Father! Into your hands, I commit My spirit.” With these words, He gave up His spirit.  ^[6]  And, letting His head droop, He delivered up his spirit. ^{[ 7]}

Yeshua quotes Psalm 31, a prayer for deliverance from troubles and adversaries. God answered this prayer not by preventing Yeshua’s death, which was necessary for our sakes, but by raising Him from the dead. Gave up His spirit… In light of the previous quotation from Psalm 31, this is a better translation than the equally possible “breathed his last.” In either case, the sense is that, at that moment, He died.

In our next post, the scene continues with the reaction to Yeshua’s Crucifixion.

Click here for the PDF version..

^[1]  Luke 23:39–43.
^[2]  Mattityahu 27:45–47.
^[3]  Yochanan 19:28.
^[4]  Mattityahu 27:48–49.
^[5]  Yochanan 19:30a
^[6]  Luke 23:46.
^[7]  Yochanan 19:30b.