47: Some of those who were observing at this point were apparently easily confused. Not hearing Jesus correctly, they assumed that ‘Eli’ was a reference to Elijah. The Jews thought that Elijah never died, and that he came to earth sometimes to help rabbis that were in trouble. They may have thought that this was what Jesus had in mind.
48: There was a barrel of vinegar not too far away. Jesus had also, at this time, said ‘I thirst’, so this came in response to that. Unlike the first time, this was just the vinegar, and Jesus did drink some of this non-spiked liquid.
49: It is not clear exactly who makes this statement, but it was likely those who mocked him earlier.
50: This final cry is when he says, ‘It is finished’, and ‘Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit’. The phrase ‘yielded up the ghost’ can be a figure of speech indicating that a person died. However, this phrase, coupled with his last words, shows that Jesus gave his life. In other words, he chose to die at this point. His life was not taken, it was given.

Personal Journal Entry #12044
Prayer Journal Entry #12044
Daily Bible Reading: Leviticus 26:1-27:34
Praise Journal Entry #12006: Infinitely Wise Heavenly Father, thank You for this passage of Your Holy Word. It is such a blessing to know that Jesus willingly gave His life for us. It is great to know that His obedience to You was complete. It is great to know that Salvation is a finished work. The Blessed Hope is a huge motivator for me. I love You and Your plan for all of mankind. Father, You way is perfect. I praise You and pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

46: Three in the afternoon would have been the approximate time of the offering of the Passover sacrifice. Jesus words, following three hours of silence, come straight from the first verse of Psalm 22. Jesus responded to the judgement of God with scripture.
It was during these three hours of darkness and silence that he seems to have suffered the most. It was apparently at this time that he was made sin for us. In this state, God would not look upon him. One who had been in complete fellowship with the Father for all of eternity was separated from him for three hours. It is impossible for us, as humans only, to fathom what Christ went through at this time.

Personal Journal Entry #12043
Prayer Journal Entry #12043
Daily Bible Reading: Leviticus 24:1-25:55
Praise Journal Entry #12005: Lord God Almighty, my Wonderful Heavenly Father, I praise You for Your greatness and graciousness. Your love for us is amazing. That You would go through with Your plan for redemption is the most wonderful illustration of love that could ever be. Your act in this defines love, grace, and mercy. Lord Jesus, Your willingness to do all that the Father had planned is a great blessing to us all. If only our lives can reflect that blessing, Your love for us, back to You! Oh God, You are, in all of Your glory, so wonderful to me! You have made a way for us to come to You by Christ. For this I am eternally grateful. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

45: From noon to 3 in the afternoon that entire region was covered in darkness. It is not clear how large of a region was darkened. However, two things must be noted about this darkness. First, the time of year at which it happened cannot have been the time for an eclipse of the sun by the moon. Second, the fact that a certain region was darkened, and not everywhere that the sun was then shining, is not explainable by science.
The only explanation for this darkness is the hand of God.

Personal Journal Entry #12042
Prayer Journal Entry #12042
Daily Bible Reading: Leviticus 22:1-23:44
Praise Journal Entry #12004: Almighty God, my Father, and the Creator of this place we call Earth, thank You for another day to serve You. Your Word and Spirit bring such joy to my heart, I must praise you for it! Your thoughts are higher than our thoughts. Your ways are good. Father, thank You for sending Christ to make a way of Salvation for us. I cannot praise you enough for that. Help me every day to live in tune with Your Eternal nature, instead of the temporal things of this life. I praise You and pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

43: The parallel between this statement of the Jewish leaders and Psalm 22:8 is uncanny. It only makes sense that the self-righteous Jews would say something like this. They would have no trouble saying something so close to what was found in Psalm 22, even if they realized the similarities. Orthodox Jews even today will do strange things to avoid the association of Jesus with the fulfillment of prophecy. Their eyes are blinded to the truth.
44: This verse has been the cause of much confusion. It is plainly recorded by Luke that one of the thieves railed on him, whereas the other spoke of his innocence and asked to be remembered. Many have said that the one thief simply had a change of heart. However, this interpretation is difficult to imagine given the thief’s words in Luke. It is better to see this as a case of synecdoche, the use of the whole for part in this situation.
This figure of speech is used elsewhere in scripture, and flows well into the figure of speech at the end of the verse. To say that they cast something into his teeth simply means that they mocked him in a similar fashion.
Matthew and Mark both say that both of the thieves did so. They were not present for the crucifixion. John, who was standing right there, says nothing about it. Luke, who has a reputation for getting at the details, records that only one of the thieves mocked Christ. Thus, it is best to see the words of Matthew and Mark as synecdoche in this instance.

Personal Journal Entry #12041
Prayer Journal Entry #12041
Daily Bible Reading: Leviticus 19:1-21:24
Praise Journal Entry #12003: Gracious and Holy Heavenly Father, Lord of all, thank You for life. It is great to be given the opportunity to choose to worship You. All of us should sing your praises. Help me, unworthy though I am, to give You the praise You deserve. Your great love for all of mankind is a flame that will never be put out. Your plan for the redemption of man is brilliant and awesome! How can we respond with anything but hearts full of love for You! God, You are the center of our existence, the most important person in our lives. I praise You and ask You to fill my mouth with Your praises. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

39: Apparently there was some easily accessible roadway near the crucifixion site. Some may have simply passed by, while others came specifically for the purpose of seeing him. The reviling was blasphemy. They were mocking his claims to be the Messiah. Wagging the head here refers to mocking someone.
40: This verse records the words of the common Jews passing by, who had heard about the details of his trial. they repeated the misunderstanding of Jesus’ words about the temple of his body. And, they directly mocked his claim to be the Son of God. Once again we see self-justification. They reasoned that, if he were truly the Son of God, he could come off of the cross whenever he wished.
41: It seems that a good portion of the Sanhedrin came out on purpose for this spectacle. Their lust for blood is revolting.
42: The paradox of these words is revealing. Jesus could have saved himself. But, as they realized, he had saved others. What they did not see was that he was even then dying to save them. Some of these men may have been the ones who would be saved not long after as a result of Peter’s preaching at Pentecost. Indeed, even if they rejected it, he was dying for the sins of every person standing there that day.
These men were practiced liars. Had Jesus come off of the cross at this time their response would not have been belief, but fear. When Jesus returns again, he will come to judge, for he is the Son of God.

Personal Journal Entry #12040
Prayer Journal Entry #12040
Daily Bible Reading: Leviticus 16:1-18:30
Praise Journal Entry #12002: Gracious and Holy Heavenly Father, You are full of mercy and love. Thank You for Your justice as well. Thank You for calling sin what it is. Thank You for warning man about the dangers of it. Thank You for making Your goodness and righteousness obvious and available through Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. Your Word reveals Your right ways and intentions. Thank You for Who You are. You inspire me to be a good, godly, holy, pure, kind, helpful, person that I cannot be without You. Thank You for not giving up on us. Your long-suffering patience is a great comfort to me. Bless Your Holy Name! Everything about You makes my soul want to respond with praise and emulation. I want to be like Jesus. I am so far off from that. Help me, Father! I praise You in the name of my Precious Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ! Amen.

36: Having ended with their fun, the soldiers turned to their duty. They were to keep guard and see that nothing disturbed the crucifixion. Jesus had friends and enemies present. For all the soldiers knew, either could be the source of trouble.
37: It was customary to hang a placard on the neck of the prisoner as they made their way along the road, stating the crime that they had been sentenced for. This placard would then be affixed over their head on the cross. Jesus accusation was thus, quite strange. This is Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. It seems this was meant to be a snub against the Jewish leaders, who immediately took offense at it. They told him to change it, to say that Jesus claimed to be their king. But, not surprisingly, Pilate refused.
38: On either side they crucified thieves, possibly associates of Barabbas, though nobody can be sure of their identity. This was another fulfillment of prophecy. He was in the middle, as if he was considered just another common criminal. And, indeed, he was counted as such and died as such. He took upon himself the crimes of all humanity. Thus, he was the common thief of all common thieves with our sins there on him.

Personal Journal Entry #12039
Prayer Journal Entry #12039
Daily Bible Reading: Leviticus 14:1-15:33
Praise Journal Entry #12001: Father, I praise You for all that You are, and all that You have already said You shall be. You are the God of all, reigning for all eternity. Thank You so much for the clarity of Your special revelation, the Bible. The fulfillment of prophecy, the meeting of the innermost needs of our hearts, and the specific expressions of Your love for us found in Scripture, all help me to realize the Truth of Your Word. Keep me in it. May I live it, breath it, think it, eat it. May it be the obsession of my heart. Teach me to love Your Words, so that my words may always be good, kind, and helpful. I ask this in the Name of Your Son, Jesus Christ. I love You, Amen.

35: Crucifixion was a very awful form of torment and death. It is worth noting that the gospel writers do not go into great detail on this subject. They focused on the fulfillment of prophecy and the words of Christ. It is man who has a lust for blood, not God. We must not diverge into a catalog of torments, but focus upon the securing of salvation which was here afforded.
The dividing of the clothes was a common practice. And yet, it was a direct fulfillment of the prophecy by David in Psalm 22. There were evidently four soldiers directly responsible for his crucifixion. They divided his clothes among them. However, his coat was seamless, and seemed a shame to rip. So, this is the part for which they cast lots, to see which of them might have it.

Personal Journal Entry #12038
Prayer Journal Entry #12038
Daily Bible Reading: Leviticus 13:1-59

34: This offer of vinegar (or wine) and gall (or myrrh) had become a common practice, in an attempt to offer some relief to those being crucified. However, it also fulfilled prophecy. He tasted the drink, so that all would know that he knew what it was, and that it fulfilled prophecy; but, he refused to drink it because he wanted to avoid any dulling of his senses. He did not want his words on the cross to be seen as the result of the drink. Besides this, though Christ did drink wine, he had likely always avoided this strong of a narcotic.

Personal Journal Entry #12037
Prayer Journal Entry #12037
Daily Bible Reading: Leviticus 11:1-12:8

32: Jesus was taken to Golgotha, which was just north of the city, outside the city walls. Those who were crucified were normally expected to carry the crossbeam of the cross all the way out to the crucifixion site. However, given the fact that Jesus had already been hurt much more than most criminals had been at this point, it is no surprise that he was not able to carry this beam as quickly as the soldiers liked. It seems that, right about the time they exited the city gates, they decided to get someone else to do it.
The Roman soldiers had the right, under their law, to compel someone to carry the crossbeam. They recruited a Jewish man from Cyrene, a city in North Africa. Simon was likely only there for Passover. Simon had two sons, Alexander and Rufus, who were apparently saved, possibly as a result of his involvement here.
33: The place is Golgotha in Aramaic, and Calvary in Latin. The location of the place, as well as the importance of the meaning of its name, is uncertain. There are a couple of different sites claimed to be Calvary, and it is likely that one of the two is correct. It makes little difference now. Salvation was not secured because of which hill was used, but because of who was crucified. What is certain is that this place was outside the city walls, because it was against the law to execute someone inside the city walls.
The place may have looked like a skull, or there may have been many skulls laying around there, or both. Once again, it doesn’t really make a difference. Most likely, there were many human remains there, and it surely looked like a execution spot, whether the place looked like a skull or not.

Personal Journal Entry #12036
Prayer Journal Entry #12036
Daily Bible Reading: Leviticus 8:1-10:20

30: Some have supposed that the spitting was also some form of mock homage. This may be the case. But, either way, the purpose was to hurt him and make fun of him. They would not have the opportunity to torture one who claimed to be the king of the Jews again soon.
The striking of his head was most likely done with the crown of thorns in place. However, it is not altogether certain that the crown remained on his head throughout the day, though this seems likely.
31: It was not until right before they led him away that he was changed back into his own clothes. Just before being changed, Pilate presented him to the people one last time, hoping to get them to let him release Jesus.

Personal Journal Entry #12035
Prayer Journal Entry #12035
Daily Bible Reading: Leviticus 5:1-7:38