33At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"[c]
35When some of those standing near heard this, they said, "Listen, he's calling Elijah."
36One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down," he said.
37With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.
38The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and[d] saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son[e] of God!"
40Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.
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We finally reach the glorious moment as Christ re-establishes our relationship to God, as He dies on the cross. The entrance to the holy sanctuary which only the high priest was allowed to enter, was now opened up for each one of us who believe in Him, as the curtain of the temple was torn in two...As these verses progress, we can see how the centurion who stood by, now realizes that Jesus was the truly the son of God, since he is overwhelmed by all these effects (earthquake, temple torn in two pieces...etc.). I pray that I will keep my spiritual eyes and faith open so that I may believe in you, God. Help me to overcome my weak faith like this centurion, and lead me to you. Amen.
It's so horrible to hear those words come from Jesus' mouth "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"
I think Jesus underwent more terrible tortures on the cross than just the physical. He took on our punishment. He was thrown in hell - literally ripped away from God. That is what I imagine hell to really be, worse than fire or brimstone is to be eternally cut off from God. And how that punishment must have been even more terrible for Jesus - the son who had always been in his father's embrace, from before time. How lonely, disorienting, frightening and painful that must have been.
How could anyone there witnessing the death of Jesus not believe? I imagine that to be present at the moment of his death - it must have been terrible. They must have felt a cosmic shift. Bigger even than the ripping of the curtain. The whole world shuddered. How stubborn and proud we are in our disbelief.
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