The crucifixion of Jesus Christ, as detailed in John's account, reveals critical elements of His suffering and the fulfillment of Scripture. During the crucifixion, the position of the arms above the head compressed the upper ribcage, making breathing extremely difficult. Victims, already weakened from severe abuse, struggled to pull themselves up to breathe. To prolong the agony, executioners nailed the feet to the stake, allowing the victim to push up on impaled feet for temporary relief, enduring immense pain. To hasten death, executioners would break the victim's legs, preventing them from pushing up, leading to swift death by suffocation. In the case of Jesus Christ, the Jews, concerned about the timing of the holy day, requested the Romans to break the legs of those crucified. When they approached Jesus, He was already dead, so they pierced Him instead, fulfilling a Messianic prophecy. Significantly, His legs remained unbroken, aligning with the Scripture in Psalm 34:20, which states, "Not one of His bones shall be broken," as confirmed in John's record of the events.

During the crucifixion, the Roman soldiers broke the legs of the two felons crucified alongside Jesus to hasten their deaths. However, when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. This fulfilled the scripture in Psalm 34:20, which declares that the Lord guards all the bones of the righteous man, and not one of them is broken. Even amidst the severe suffering Jesus endured—being beaten, bruised, scourged, pierced, and marred more than any man—God preserved His bones intact. John later recognized this as the fulfillment of the prophecy, stating that these things were done so that the Scripture should be fulfilled, declaring that not one of His bones shall be broken. The preservation of Jesus' unbroken body also aligns with the instructions for the Passover sacrifice, where God stipulated that the bones of the Passover lamb were to remain intact. As Jesus is our Passover, God ensured this requirement was met perfectly. Additionally, the timing of Jesus' crucifixion in the afternoon of the fourteenth of Abib corresponds not with the killing of the Passover lambs at twilight, but with the day and time of God's covenant with Abraham. Had Jesus' body been divided, it would have implied that the self-malediction of that covenant had come to pass, suggesting the Covenant-Maker was paying the price for failure. Therefore, while His blood was shed to seal the New Covenant, it was equally essential that His body remain unbroken to satisfy God's promises to Abraham. In His sovereignty, God accomplished both imperatives without violation.

Our Savior endured a most horrific death on a stauros or stake, a form of execution that was both gory and excruciating, often lasting for days. In Jesus' time, crucifixion was deemed so gruesome by the Romans that it was reserved for slaves, the worst criminals, and enemies of the state, with bodies often left to rot or be eaten by scavengers in public view as a warning. Jesus, having traveled through Galilee and Judea, undoubtedly witnessed the remains of many crucifixions and knew He would one day face this fate Himself. The Father had specifically planned for this type of execution to fully depict the horrors of sin, requiring Jesus to die by execution as a substitutionary sacrifice for our sins, a penalty that could not be paid by natural death but demanded the shedding of blood. Jesus' death by crucifixion was not only painful but also deeply shameful, a punishment reserved for the lowest of society, akin to criminals and incorrigibles. He was crucified between two robbers, likely judged guilty by association by passersby, amplifying the disgrace. This shame mirrors the shame of sin itself, portraying how sin tarnishes and humiliates. Additionally, crucifixion often left the victim exposed, stark naked or with minimal covering, adding to the humiliation Jesus endured as a sinless man before His mother, other women, the apostle John, and a multitude of spectators. Pilate's pronouncement handed Jesus over to be crucified, sentencing Him to this shameful death despite His innocence, as He took on the death penalty for our sins through Rome's preferred method of execution.

Jesus Christ's crucifixion stands as a supreme victory, not a defeat. He held His head up until the end, bowing it only when He gave up His spirit. He completed perfectly what the Father had given Him to do, dying after living a completely sinless life. His death reconciled God and men, making harmony and fellowship possible. Though marred beyond recognition, with His bones countable, Jesus Christ remained unbroken. His body, symbolized by the bread in the Passover, represents life, not death. This bread, broken for sharing, signifies living flesh and an unbroken body, uniting us with Him in communion. Through this act, we partake of His sinless life, joining with the living Savior who abides in us.

As God leads us through conversion, He challenges our understanding of Him, and accepting these challenges sharpens our vision of His nature. This principle highlights the importance of searching the Scriptures, which testify of the Father and the Son. However, some find it difficult to accept the harsh reality of Jesus Christ's crucifixion, missing a significant part of what He accomplished. In Isaiah 53:4-6, it is prophesied that He bore our griefs and carried our sorrows, was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, and received chastisement for our peace. By His stripes, we are healed, as the Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all. This prophecy shows that His suffering went beyond mere death; He endured great physical and emotional pain, disfigurement, and unparalleled agony, reflecting the destructive nature of sin. Further, Isaiah 53:11-12 states that He shall justify many by bearing their iniquities, pouring out His soul unto death, being numbered with transgressors, and making intercession for them. I Peter 2:24 confirms that He bore our sins in His own body on the tree, suffering extreme shame, reproach, anguish, piercing, crushing, and bruising during hours of torment. This bearing of sin was not abstract but a real, recorded fulfillment, demonstrating the gravity of sin's consequences. In II Corinthians 5:21, it is revealed that God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Galatians 3:13 adds that He became a curse for us, redeeming us from the curse of the law by hanging on the tree. Hebrews 13:12 notes that He suffered outside the gate, led away like the azazel goat of Leviticus 16, bearing sin over hours of agony rather than facing immediate death. Matthew 27:45-46 describes the culmination of His suffering, with darkness over the land from the sixth to the ninth hour, and Jesus crying out, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" This moment underscores the depth of His sacrifice. God, in His mercy, provided this painful yet necessary solution for our healing and reconciliation, requiring us to acknowledge the reality of what the Son of God endured for our sake.

In Matthew 27, the anguished cry of Jesus Christ during His crucifixion pierces the heart, revealing profound agony as He questions whether the Father has forsaken Him. This moment, laden with suffering, underscores the destructive nature of sin and the seriousness with which God regards it, contrasting sharply with human leniency. Jesus, in His final moments, quotes Psalm 22, a Messianic psalm, signaling to the Jews that He is the fulfillment of prophecy, even as He endures ridicule, the division of His clothes, and physical torment. Isaiah 53:10 further reveals that it pleased the Eternal to bruise or crush the Messiah, not out of cruelty, but from an eternal perspective where the end result justifies the means, showing God's view far surpasses human understanding. During the crucifixion, as described in John 19 and Luke 23, soldiers mockingly crown Jesus with thorns, a symbol of sin's curse from Genesis, while darkness covers the land from noon to 3 p.m., signifying God's withdrawal and judgment as Jesus bears the iniquities of humanity. Galatians 3:13 states that Christ became a curse for us by being hanged on a tree, aligning with Deuteronomy's declaration of such an act as accursed by God, necessitating divine distance due to His holiness. II Corinthians 5:21 describes Jesus as becoming sin, a representation of it, enduring not just death but the full spectrum of sin's consequences, including separation from God. Romans 8:32 emphasizes that God did not spare His own Son, allowing Him to experience the complete weight of human transgression. This darkness over the earth, unlike the localized darkness surrounding God in other instances, represents a widespread judgment, fitting for the moment when all sins were laid upon Jesus, the divine Substitute. God's forsaking at this time reflects His transcendent purity and opposition to sin, even when His Son becomes its representation. Yet, Hebrews 9:28 assures that when Jesus appears again, it will be apart from sin, the curse having been carried out and justice satisfied.

The crucifixion of Jesus Christ stands as a pivotal event, marked by profound injustice and illegality in the proceedings that led to His execution. Following His arrest late at night on Passover 31 AD, guided by Judas and orchestrated by the chief priests and Temple captains, Jesus faced both Jewish and Roman trials. The Jewish trial, riddled with violations, could not legally execute Him, necessitating Roman concurrence for the death sentence. After enduring an arrest and trials that broke numerous laws—such as being conducted at night, lacking a formal accusation, and using a traitor as an agent—Jesus was ultimately crucified. This execution followed a unanimous, and thus invalid, condemnation by the Sanhedrin, despite the absence of a proper defense or inquiry into His claims. The crucifixion, as the culmination of these unjust proceedings, underscores the intense hatred directed at the innocent Jesus, fulfilling the sentence imposed by both Jewish and Roman authorities.

Jesus Christ, God's only Son, spent His final hours nailed to a stake at Calvary, outside the city walls of Jerusalem, despised and rejected by the humanity He had come to serve. His unexpected death was a shock and disappointment to His followers, who had believed He would lead an insurrection and restore Israel to glory. Following His crucifixion, Jesus was completely dead for three days and three nights, His life residing in His blood, which was shed from His veins on the stake for the sins of mankind. His death paid the penalty for every sin, past, present, and future, committed by all humans, as His life was worth far more than the sum total of all humanity. From the stake, Jesus spoke seven times, three times to God the Father and four times to those nearby, revealing the depths of His mind and heart during His greatest agony. His first statement, recorded by Luke, was a prayer to God, saying, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do," interceding for those who crucified Him, including Roman soldiers, mocking crowds, and religious leaders. His second statement offered hope to a repentant thief crucified beside Him, assuring him of a future in God's Kingdom. The third expressed concern for His mother, entrusting her care to His disciple John, honoring her even in His final moments. In His fourth statement, Jesus cried out, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" reflecting His total separation from the Father as He bore the sins of the world alone during hours of supernatural darkness. His fifth statement revealed His human need as He expressed thirst, fulfilling prophecy by asking for a drink, which was met with sour wine, enabling Him to speak further. The sixth statement, "It is finished," proclaimed the completion of His redemptive work, the penalty for the world's sins paid in full. Finally, in His seventh statement, Jesus prayed, "Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit," trusting the Father completely as He gave up His life, demonstrating His love and dedication to God's will even at the moment of death.

The crucifixion of Jesus Christ stands as the culmination of the two trials He endured, one under Jewish jurisdiction and the other under Roman authority. Following His arrest by a mob guided by Judas and led by the chief priests and captains of the Temple, armed with swords and clubs, Jesus faced condemnation in both courts. The Jewish trial, marked by numerous illegalities and disregard for the laws of Israel, convicted Him, yet lacked the power to execute. This necessitated the Roman trial, as the Jewish leaders were determined to secure His death and required Roman concurrence for the sentence. Despite Pilate, the Roman procurator, pronouncing Jesus innocent on three separate occasions, he ultimately succumbed to pressure and delivered Him to be crucified. Through this grave injustice, God the Father and Jesus Christ remained in control, orchestrating the events that led to the execution of the sentence from both trials.

Jesus Christ's crucifixion holds profound significance in understanding His relationship to the law and His example for us to follow. At the time of His crucifixion, God the Father placed Him under the law, laying the entire burden of the world's sins upon His head. This act is reflected in Galatians 3:13, which states that Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by being made a curse for us, as it is written that cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree. Unlike any other human, He led a perfect life, free from sin, and therefore was not subject to the Old Covenant rules and regulations designed to remind Israel of their sins and need for a Savior. Only at the moment of His sacrifice did He bear the condemnation of the law for our sake, demonstrating the ultimate act of redemption and setting a perfect example for us to emulate in all aspects of our lives.

Jesus Christ declared that He would be in the grave for three days and three nights following His crucifixion. According to the scriptures, as affirmed by Paul in I Corinthians 15:3-4, Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day. The accounts specify that it was Jesus Himself, entirely, who was buried, not merely His body. John 19:41-42 further confirms that in the place of His crucifixion, there was a garden with a new sepulchre where Jesus was laid, indicating His death and burial in the tomb. Acts 2:31, quoting David through Peter, states that His soul was not left in hell, meaning the grave, and His flesh did not see corruption, proving that Jesus was in the grave, not in Paradise, during that time. Since Jesus did not enter Paradise on the day of His crucifixion, the repentant malefactor crucified with Him could not have been there that day either, as Christ holds preeminence in all things. Jesus promised the malefactor, with proper understanding of His words in Luke 23:43 as "Verily I say unto thee today, shalt thou be with me in paradise," that the promise was made on that day, not fulfilled then. The malefactor remains dead and buried, awaiting the future resurrection when he will eventually enter the Paradise of God alongside Christ.

The leaders of the Jews, including chief priests, elders, scribes, and Pharisees, had long sought to undermine Jesus Christ and eliminate Him, but under Roman rule, their efforts were thwarted until Judas provided an opportunity. Unbeknownst to them, their schemes aligned with God's timeline. The events of Passover, from Jesus' arrest to His death on the cross, were orchestrated for our learning, to discern the Lord's body and appreciate what God did for us. That evening began with Judas' betrayal, a profound act of disloyalty from a close companion. Jesus, despite foreknowing this treachery, showed remarkable character in His treatment of Judas. Following the Passover meal, Jesus faced loneliness in the Garden of Gethsemane, enduring mental torment alone as He awaited the impending suffering, even as He urged His disciples to pray. During His arrest, Jesus was seized by a multitude of soldiers with swords and clubs, ready for violence. Once in custody, He was subjected to brutal treatment: beaten with punches and slaps, His beard painfully plucked from His face, and spat upon in an act of utter contempt and humiliation. Stripped of His clothing, Jesus likely remained unclothed throughout much of the ordeal, adding to His shame. The scourging that followed was merciless, with a whip designed to flay skin, leaving Him so marred that He no longer appeared human. His tormentors then clothed Him in a scarlet robe, placed a reed in His hand as a mock scepter, and crowned Him with thorns, symbolizing curse and misfortune, while beating Him with the reed. Mockery accompanied these acts, as His accusers twisted everything He represented into ridicule and mental anguish. Perhaps the most harrowing moment came on the cross when Jesus felt forsaken by His Father, crying out, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" as the sins of mankind separated Him from God. This separation allowed Him to experience the terror of being cut off from His Father, mirroring the fate of those eternally separated from Him. Through all this, both the Father and the Son endured immense suffering, sacrificing everything so that we might have the chance to live eternally with Them.

Jesus Christ's crucifixion, a central event in fulfilling spiritual requirements, occurred during the daylight portion of the 14th day of Abib, around 3:00 pm on the preparation day for the first day of Unleavened Bread. His suffering began at the third hour, about nine o'clock in the morning, and ended after the ninth hour. Though He is our Passover, His death did not align with the time the Passover lambs were to be slain at the beginning of the 14th day. Instead, He was crucified at a different hour, not matching the morning or evening sacrifices, nor occurring on a Sabbath, new moon, or the Day of Atonement. His blood was not sprinkled on any altar or Mercy Seat, and He did not enter the physical Holy of Holies but the heavenly Temple. As our Passover Lamb, He was crucified rather than roasted in fire, His remains were not burned, and His blood was not caught in a basin or smeared on doorposts. Despite these differences from the instructions given to Israel, He perfectly fulfilled the spiritual reality behind the physical rites, satisfying the Father's plan. His one sacrifice, planned from the foundation of the world, encompassed the requirements of Passover and all other sacrificial offerings, though the specific timing of His death draws attention to a momentous purpose beyond just being the Passover Lamb.

In Jesus Christ's final hours as a human being, He bore the weight of mankind's sins, paying the penalty for them in a legal sense according to the law, the prophecies, and the will of Almighty God. The wages of sin is death, and our sinless Savior paid that penalty for us, marking the greatest act of sacrifice ever made. However, fulfilling the legal aspect was only part of His sacrifice. During His torture and crucifixion, Jesus likely did not dwell on the individual acts of human sin laid upon Him. Instead, His thoughts were shaped by what He knew and foresaw. He was aware that His suffering must occur during the Passover Day in the year known as AD 31, and that He must be dead and entombed as that day ended. Knowing the limited time before His arrest and separation from His beloved Father, Jesus spent His final moments of human freedom in close communication with His heavenly Parent at Gethsemane, praying earnestly while His disciples waited nearby. Jesus also knew He was despised and rejected, regarded as contemptible despite being the Creator of the universe. He understood that even His closest friends were spiritually weak, would stumble, forsake Him, and scatter. He was aware of Judas' betrayal already in progress, which troubled His spirit after the Passover dinner. Upon arriving at Gethsemane, Jesus was suddenly overwhelmed with intense sorrow and profound distress, a depth of agony exceeding that of any man before or since. His sweat became like great drops of blood as He prayed, determined to stay alive until the appointed time for His death, carrying the sins of the world for several more hours. This sorrow may have stemmed from the rejection by every generation of mankind, the betrayal and abandonment by His friends, the looming physical torture, or the dread of death itself. Yet, the evidence suggests deeper reasons for His agony. Jesus knew He would be cut off from the land of the living, separated from His imperfect human brothers and sisters whose sins caused His suffering. More painfully, He faced being cut off from communication with His perfect, loving, and eternal Father. In His final moments on the cross, at the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in delirium, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" expressing His anguish at being deserted by His Father in that place of suffering.

The Romans, who crucified Jesus Christ, used instruments of various shapes for crucifixions, including upright timbers and poles with crosspieces attached at or near the top. The Greek word stauros, translated as cross in the New Testament, fundamentally means stake or pole and was used to describe pieces of wood of different forms. Other biblical writers refer to the instrument of Christ's death as a tree, as seen in Acts 5:30, which states that God raised up Jesus, whom they murdered by hanging on a tree. Similarly, Acts 13:29-30 notes that after fulfilling what was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb. Peter also writes that He bore our sins in His own body on the tree, so that we might live for righteousness. Under the time constraints of Jesus' trial and crucifixion, the Romans are known to have occasionally used living trees as stauron for such executions. The specific shape of the stauros on which Christ died is not described, but the significance lies in His sacrifice for us, not in the exact form of the wood on which He died.

Diligent study of the arrest, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus Christ raises questions about the timing of certain events. One such question involves the Roman soldier who pierced His side with a spear. While the three synoptic gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—do not mention this incident, John describes it occurring after Jesus gave up His spirit. However, ancient manuscripts of Matthew 27:49 include additional words stating that another took a spear, thrust it into His side, and out came water and blood, placing this event just before Jesus yielded up His spirit. Both accounts hold validity, as the discrepancy arises from the translation of John 19:34, where it is noted that one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. The timing issue stems from the use of a common Greek tense, the aorist, suggesting that Jesus was stabbed before He died.

Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, our Savior, our Redeemer, the Messiah, died 1,964 years ago on the day of the Passover, Nisan 14. He was crucified on that day, fulfilling the type of the Passover lamb, as His death had to occur on Nisan 14 for the symbolism to be perfectly completed. Scripture confirms that it was the preparation day for a High Day, the First Day of Unleavened Bread, further establishing that He died on Passover. Named specifically as our Passover, He is called the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, echoing John the Baptist's declaration, "Behold the Lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world." In the account of the Passover lamb in Exodus 12, the lamb was to be without blemish, a male of the first year, kept until the 14th day, and killed at twilight by slitting its throat. Its blood was smeared on the doorposts and lintel to protect from the death angel. Similarly, Jesus, as the perfect antitype of this lamb, bled to death, His blood spilling onto the earth as an innocent and pure Man who had never sinned. His bones were not broken, mirroring the instruction for the Passover lamb. His ghastly death and terrible scourging redeemed us, covering our sins and protecting us from the second death, just as the lamb's blood redeemed the firstborn of Israel. Psalm 22, written nearly 1,000 years before His death, foretells His crucifixion with striking detail, beginning with the words He spoke on the cross, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" It describes the mockery He endured, the surrounding by Gentiles likened to dogs, and the physical torment where His flesh was ripped open, revealing His bones. This Psalm, quoted in the accounts of His crucifixion, shows that He perfectly fulfilled these prophecies, taking upon Himself the sins of all humanity and paying the penalty of death for us all. Through His death on the cross, we are freed from the second death when we accept Him as our personal Savior, receiving God's gift of eternal life.

As we reflect on the Passover, we recall that Jesus Christ's crucifixion occurred during a time mirroring the events of AD 31. During the days surrounding His crucifixion, an astonishing 28 prophecies were fulfilled, underscoring His divine identity as our Savior. Leading up to being nailed to the cross at the third hour, 9:00 AM, the time of the morning sacrifice, Jesus endured immense suffering. He faced six illegal trials, three by the Jews and three by the Romans, and was illegally condemned before being handed over to Roman soldiers to be crucified between two thieves. He was beaten, crowned with thorns, struck on the head, spat upon, slapped, punched, and scourged until His skin was torn from His bones, rendering Him almost unrecognizable as human. As He hung on the cross, soldiers cast lots for His garments, mocked Him, shook their heads, and hurled abusive language at Him, while He bore the sins of the world. Despite His horrific suffering, Jesus focused on others rather than Himself. In the first three hours of light, from 9:00 AM to noon, He uttered His first three statements, revealing His perfect character of love. Even under extreme pressure, only love emerged from Him. He prayed for forgiveness for those who harmed Him, interceded for a thief crucified beside Him, and ensured His mother's care by entrusting her to a beloved disciple. At noon, a sudden, total darkness covered the land until 3:00 PM, silencing the mockery and leaving onlookers in horror and suspense. During this darkness, Jesus made His fourth statement, quoting Psalm 22, expressing His anguish. In His fifth statement, fully conscious and aware of fulfilling prophecy, He received vinegar on a sponge via a hyssop stalk, symbolically drinking the cup of wrath for sinners. In His sixth statement, He declared, "It is finished," signifying the completion of His redemptive work, a term meaning "paid in full." Finally, in His seventh statement, with a loud cry as a soldier pierced His side, causing blood and water to flow, He committed His spirit into His Father's hands and died. His blood, poured out on the ground, symbolized His sacrifice covering the sins of all who repent.

In the final hours of His human life, Jesus Christ endured immense suffering on the stake during that Passover day. He experienced profound mental and emotional torture as every sin ever committed was forced upon His pure being, a condition utterly foreign to Him for all eternity. This burden necessitated His Father to turn away, leaving Him to complete the task alone, a separation planned and agreed upon by Them both. As He hung in agony, Jesus quoted His own inspired words from a thousand years prior, crying out, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?, fulfilling the prophecy at the peak of Their shared suffering. Even in delirium, His words remained rooted in His own Word, reflecting the unbearable separation that, though brief, felt like an eternity to both Father and Son. In Gethsemane, Jesus prayed about the cup He was to drink, likely asking His Father to hasten the time of this spiritual ordeal if it aligned with His will. This cup, a spiritual drink of sin and separation, was a deadly poison to Him, racking His body and mind with agony, yet He accepted it as necessary. He knew the sins of the world, laid upon Him by His Father, contaminated Him until they were poured out with His life-blood, achieving remission through a violent separation from His circulatory system and ultimately from His Father in death. Despite the option to call upon His Father for rescue with legions of angels, Jesus suppressed this thought, knowing that choosing deliverance would doom humanity, as Their plan since the world's foundation was for Him to suffer this penalty. After Gethsemane, Jesus displayed quiet resignation through the unjust trials, torture, and execution, focusing not on individual sins but on the cumulative weight of seven millennia of human sin. He endured the physical and spiritual pain with thoughts of reunification with His Father and the future vision of His enemies witnessing Him at the right hand of Power. In His last moments, He cried out twice in extreme agony at the separation from His Father, marking the end of His human thoughts as His tortured body and mind lay dead for three days and three nights.

Jesus Christ, our Passover, did not die at the expected beginning of the 14th day of the first month but near the end of that day. The timing of His crucifixion on the afternoon of Abib 14 holds significant meaning, pointing to events centuries before the Passover in Egypt, specifically to the promises and covenant God made with Abraham. During the daylight portion of the 14th in Abraham's day, preparations were made for that covenant, aligning with the hour of Christ's death. When Jesus was crucified, He fulfilled the requirement of the Passover lamb, and His body remained intact, with not one bone broken, serving a positive purpose rather than one of defeat. His sacrifice, confirming a New Covenant, occurred on the anniversary of God's covenantal promise to Abraham, at the same day and hour. This specific timing draws attention to the eternal inheritance promised to Abraham and his spiritual seed. On that afternoon of Abib 14, Jesus shed His blood to establish this New Covenant, an outgrowth of the covenant with Abraham, making his great nation a reality. After His death, the crowds who witnessed the spectacle returned home beating their breasts, their feast turned into mourning as the sun went down at noon and the earth was darkened in broad daylight.

Jesus of Nazareth, the only begotten Son of God, was crucified as a sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins. He is the propitiation by which we can enter into God's presence, paying the incalculable price for sin as provided by God, the righteous Judge of all mankind. At Passover, the focus centers on Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God, slain for the sins of the world, a human sacrifice of the most sublime quality. The cup at Passover symbolizes the blood He spilled in sacrificing His life, sealing God's agreement of salvation with us. Such a monumental sacrifice must be fittingly remembered, for failing to grasp the point of His death risks treating it unworthily. Understanding Christ's sacrifice properly determines the quality of our observance of Passover. To avoid taking it in a careless manner, we must examine ourselves, discerning the Lord's body, and seriously review our spiritual and moral failures in contrast to the perfect glory of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who lived without committing even one sin. The focus at Passover is not on ourselves but on the payment for our sins through His sacrifice, concentrating on the most elementary precepts of our salvation and the part He plays in it. God in His grace is willing to forgive our transgressions on the basis of Christ's death. The sacrifice of the sinless God-Man, Jesus Christ, was necessary as no common person or animal could pay for all sin. His sacrifice has the power to cleanse from sin, establishing a New Covenant based on an intimate personal relationship with our Creator. The theme of Passover is the awesome cost of salvation, manifested in His sinless sacrifice, not a mechanical sinlessness but one with sympathy, empathy, compassion, kindness, and concern for the helpless slaves of sin. We should feel revulsion that our sins caused such an injustice as His death, while expressing appreciation, indebtedness, and thanksgiving by departing from sin. His name is Savior, Redeemer, and Lamb of God, and His unique sacrifice, with the approval of the Father and His selfless participation, was enough for all time.

Suffering and sorrow indeed come to those Jesus Christ loves, as evidenced by His crucifixion, where every detail was orchestrated by the hand of God in fulfillment of Scripture. The apostle John records four specific prophecies fulfilled during the crucifixion, demonstrating that God was in control, the Scriptures do not fail, and Jesus is the anointed One of God, the Messiah. The first prophecy, from Psalm 22:18, was fulfilled when soldiers divided Christ's clothing and cast lots for His seamless inner garment. The second, from Psalm 69:21, came to pass when Jesus, exclaiming "I thirst," was given vinegar or sour wine to drink, as noted in John 19:28-29. The third prophecy, from Psalm 34:20, was realized when the legs of the two thieves crucified with Him were broken, but His legs were not, as described in John 19:31-33, 36. The fourth, from Zechariah 12:10, was fulfilled when a spear pierced His side, as recorded in John 19:34-35, 37. These events, prophesied centuries before, occurred with precision within a twenty-four-hour period at the time of His crucifixion, affirming that no aspect of His death was accidental. During His final hours, Jesus meditated on Psalm 22, reflecting on His suffering and its purpose, crying out at the beginning of the darkness, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" and later, at the end of three hours, declaring, "It is finished," marking the completion of His work. His thoughts encompassed the alienation He experienced, the suffering described in the psalm, and the eventual spread of the gospel among the Gentiles. Jesus was crucified at 9 a.m. and remained on the stake until 3 p.m., with darkness covering the land from noon to 3 p.m. During these hours, He spoke seven times, revealing His clarity of mind, understanding of His death's purpose for salvation, and habitual concern for others even in acute suffering. His words included a prayer for forgiveness for His crucifiers, a promise to the believing thief, care for His mother and the disciple John, an expression of thirst to fulfill Scripture, and a final declaration of completion before yielding His spirit to the Father. Even in His agony, Jesus thought of others, from His disciples to future generations, looking forward to the spread of the good news of the coming Kingdom of God, satisfied with what He envisioned for the future.

Jesus Christ, in addressing the Pharisees' request for a sign, declared that the only definitive proof of His message would be His time in the grave, stating that He would be dead for exactly three days and three nights, unable to resurrect Himself. If God the Father resurrected Him after precisely this duration, it would confirm beyond doubt that He is the Messiah. He reiterated this sign to various audiences, emphasizing His death and resurrection after three days, as seen in His words to His disciples that the Son of Man must suffer, be rejected, killed, and rise again after three days. Even the chief priests and Pharisees recalled this sign, reporting to Pilate after the crucifixion that He had claimed He would rise after three days. The accounts of His crucifixion detail that He was crucified around noon and died at the ninth hour, about 3 PM, as recorded by the gospel writers using the Hebrew method of counting hours from sunrise. Following His death, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus prepared His body and laid Him in the tomb near sunset, with all accounts agreeing on the timing close to the end of the day. The narrative confirms that He was buried for exactly 72 hours, from sunset to sunset, dismissing the traditional timeline of a Friday burial and Sunday morning resurrection as incompatible with the three full days and nights. Instead, the evidence points to His resurrection occurring at sunset on the Sabbath, not at dawn. Further, the crucifixion occurred on a Preparation Day of the Passover, identified as Nisan 14, followed by a high day Sabbath, the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This aligns with the understanding that He was crucified on a Wednesday, with the holy day Sabbath on Thursday, and the weekly Sabbath two days later, within the 72-hour period of His burial. The sequence of events, including the women observing the burial, resting on the high day, preparing spices on Friday, and resting again on the weekly Sabbath, supports this timeline, culminating in His resurrection at sunset on the Sabbath. Additionally, His resurrection coincided with the wavesheaf ceremony, symbolizing the first and best of the harvest offered to God. As the Sabbath ended, exactly 72 hours after His burial, God resurrected Him, fulfilling the role of the firstfruits of the spiritual harvest. Early that morning, He had not yet ascended to His Father for acceptance as the Savior and High Priest, completing the symbolism of the wavesheaf ritual by ascending at the time of the morning sacrifice. The timing of His ministry, lasting three and a half years as prophesied, places His crucifixion in AD 31, with Passover falling on a Wednesday according to the Hebrew Calendar, further corroborating the sequence of events leading to His death and resurrection on the specified days.