Matt 27:33-34 They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). There they offered Yeshua (Jesus) wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, He refused to drink it.
Mark tells us it was Myrrh that he was given to drink. This was a narcotic.
Mark 15:23 And they gave Him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but He received it not.
This would have been outside the city gates for public display to all walking by. The place has a formation and image of a skull with eyes in a hill in what is now Jerusalem. He would not take the drink that would numb His pain because He was called to take on the full wrath of Adonai and to take on the full wrath of our sins. It had to be paid in full.
Matt 27:35-37 And they crucified Him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted My garments among them, and upon My vesture did they cast lots. And sitting down they watched Him there; And set up over His head His accusation written,
THIS IS YESHUA (JESUS) THE KING OF THE JEWS.
Psalms 22:16-18 For dogs (gentiles) have compassed Me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed Me: they pierced My hands and My feet. I may tell all My bones: they look and stare upon Me. They part My garments among them, and cast lots upon My vesture.
Matt 27:38-40 Then were there two thieves crucified with Him, one on the right hand, and another on the left. And they that passed by reviled Him, wagging their heads, And saying, You who are going to destroy the temple, and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself. If You are the Son of G-d, come down from the execution stake.
Isaiah 53:12 Therefore will I divide Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the spoil with the strong; because He has poured out His soul to death: and He was numbered with the transgressors; and He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Adonai could have taken Him down but it was the will of Adonai. Yeshua said He had the power to lay His life down and to take it up again. Yeshua was G-d who came in the flesh. G-d was offering Himself in our place out of His mercy for mankind. The cup could not be taken away. There was no other way. It was necessary. This is revealed to all through the Spirit. It pleased Adonai to crush him. He would raise the temple (His body) in three days.
Isaiah 53:10 Yet it pleased Adonai to crush Him; He has put Him to grief: when you make His soul an offering for sin, He will see His seed, He will prolong His days, and the pleasure of the L-RD will prosper in His hand.
After crushing Him, He will also prolong his days - this refers to the resurrection!
We too may have to give up our lives for the sake of doing the will of Adonai. We, however, are not as perfect and unblemished as our L-rd. This is why it was necessary for G-d in the flesh to die for us. Only He was acceptable. If Yeshua was not G-d in the flesh and therefore perfect his offering would have not been any good.
Phil 2:6-11 Who, being in the form of G-d, thought it not robbery to be equal with G-d: But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient to death, even the death of the execution stake. Wherefore G-d also has highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Yeshua every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Yeshua HaMashiach is L-rd, to the glory of G-d the Father.
Matt 27:41-43 Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the execution stake, and we will believe in Him. He trusts in G-d, let Him deliver Him now, if He will have Him: for He said, I am the Son of G-d.
He saved others - The chief priests acknowledge here Yeshua’s miracles.
They knew that He said He was the Son of G-d.
Psalms 22:7-8 All they that see Me laugh Me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head saying, He trusted on the L-RD that He would deliver Him: let Him deliver Him, seeing He delighted in Him.
Matt 27:44 The thieves also, which were crucified with Him, said the same.
Both thieves start out mocking Yeshua. Later one of the thieves had a change of heart.
Luke 23:39-43 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at Him: "Aren't you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!"
But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear G-d," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." Then he said, "Yeshua (Jesus), remember me when you come into your kingdom."
Yeshua (Jesus) answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."
Even when suffering for us, He has the compassion for this sinner who deserved death for his actions. Guess what? He admits his iniquity and asks for what Yeshua has to offer. This must have helped comfort Yeshua and what did you think he was thinking at this point? He was enduring this exactly for this reason. To save this man from his crimes, to save us from our iniquities of sin, to save us from our fallen nature we inherited from the first Adam. The second Adam succeeds where the first failed. Yeshua cared for this man so much. If this was the only man in all the world that would have accepted what HaShem had to offer through His Son do you think the Father would still have sent His Son or Yeshua would still have come for this purpose?
I believe He still would have.
The only thing that was required of the thief and each of us is repentance and faith in Yeshua dying for our sins. This man did not have a chance to perform any good works, he could not get baptized, yet, he was forgiven of his sins and joined Yeshua in paradise that very day.
Don’t trust in immersion or good works for eternal salvation from HaShem. This day the good news is before you for eternal life and spiritual goodness. Follow the command of HaShem and trust in the mercy He provides through the Son.
Again, Don’t trust in yourselves or your good works.
Proverbs 16:16-25 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. (Spiritual)
There will be consequences for those who are unfaithful and who choose to turn their hearts away from following the good news.
If one wants to have eternal (spiritual) life with the Father you must obey the Father and trust in that the blood of the Son (the lamb of HaShem) will take your sin away. Choose. Heaven and earth will record it against you. All believers will then be written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Rev 21:23-27 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of G-d did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved will walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it. And the gates of it will not be shut at all by day: for there will be no night there. And they will bring the glory and honor of the nations into it. And there will in no wise enter into it any thing that defiles, neither whatsoever works abomination, or makes a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Choose eternal life.
Also we should join and follow those who walk in the Spirit and not the flesh.
Philippians 3:17-21 Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the execution stake of Messiah. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, Yeshua HaMashiach, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body. (Also read: Gal. 5:24;Heb. 6:6,10:29)
Matt 27:45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land to the ninth hour.
6th thru 9th hour - this was noon until 3 pm
This darkness is recorded as fact by Thallus a historian who lived during this time and wrote of the events of the Roman Empire of the first century. Julius Africanus in 221 C.E who had access to the writings of Thallus (We do not have the writings of Thallus today.) tries to explain it away as a solar eclipse. Africanus states this could not have been an eclipse because the crucifixion took place at Passover, which always occurs during a full moon and during a full moon; there can’t be any solar eclipse. (The search for Messiah by Mark Eastman, M.D. and Chuck Smith, co-published by The Word for Today, Costa Mesa, CA; Joy Publishing-revised,. Fountain Valley, CA, co. 1996. pg. 246,247.)
Matt 27:46 And about the ninth hour Yeshua cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? Which means, My G-d, my G-d, why have You forsaken Me?
Psalms 22:1 My G-d, my G-d, why have you forsaken me? why are you so far from helping Me, and from the words of my roaring?
Yeshua spoke Aramaic.
He was perfect but He took our sin on Himself. I don’t think we can understand how much it took for the Son of G-d to take on our sin. The Father had to turn away from His Son and could not look upon Him for our G-d is a righteous G-d and cannot look upon sin. This may have been what Yeshua dreaded the most above all things. If you have not the Son, HaShem will not be able to look upon you either. If you have the Son, HaShem looks on us through the blood of the lamb (His Son) and looks on us just as if we had not sinned. Praise the mercy of HaShem who sent his Son to die for us!
Matt 27:47 Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calls for Elijah.
They assumed He was calling for the prophet Elijah.
Matt 27:48-49 And immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink.
Matt 27:49 The rest said, Let Him alone, let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him.
Matt 27:50-51 Yeshua, when He had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up His Spirit. And, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom; and the earth shook, and the rocks were split;
John 19:30 When Yeshua (Jesus) therefore had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished: and He bowed His head, and gave up the spirit.
Psalms 22:31 They will come, and will declare his righteousness to a people that will be born, that he has done this.
The veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom - Did you read that? HaShem reached down from heaven and tore the veil between Himself and mankind, letting us know that the death of Righteous Yeshua as payment for our sin had been accepted. There is no longer a separation between G-d and man. We now can come boldly to the mercy seat of G-d on our own and in our own place.
Heb 4:14-16 seeing then that we have a great High Priest, that is passed into the heavens, Yeshua (Jesus) the Son of G-d, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of mercy, that we may obtain mercy, and find mercy to help in time of need.
Yeshua is still G-d but He also is still human. We have a High Priest who understands our humanity and can understand our weaknesses.
The earth shook, and the rocks were split -This must have been quite a shock to the people there.
Matt 27:52-53 The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Yeshua’s (Jesus') resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the L-rd G-D is upon me; because the L-RD has anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
Wow!!! Can you imagine the dead coming back and going throughout Jerusalem and telling their loved ones about paradise?
Prior to the death and resurrection of Yeshua, those who were believers did not go directly to heaven when they died. They went to paradise, (Abraham’s bosom), which was located in the center of the earth across a great gulf from hell. (See Luke 16:19:31) Yeshua descended into this place and ministered to them, leading them out and to heaven when He resurrected. (See Eph 4:8-11) Today when a believer dies they go directly to heaven.
Matt 27:54 So when the centurion and those with Him, who were guarding Yeshua (Jesus), saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, "Truly this was the Son of G-d!"
Flesh and blood did not reveal this to him, but the Spirit.
This uncircumcised roman soldier had more spiritual discernment than the chief priests did.
Matt 27:55-56 And many women were there looking on from a distance, who had followed Yeshua (Jesus) from Galilee, ministering to Him, among whom was Mary of Magdalene, along with Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
Matt 27:57-61 When the evening came, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Yeshua (Jesus): He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Yeshua (Jesus). Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulcher, and departed. And Miryam from Magdala (Mary Magdalene) was there, and the other Miryam (Mary), sitting opposite the grave.
Joseph was a member of the Sanhedrin but was not in favor of their decision to execute Yeshua.
Luke 23:50-51 And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counselor; and he was a good man, and a just: (The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them;) he was of Arimathea, a city of the Jews: who also himself waited for the kingdom of G-d.
We discussed this in our study on John.
Isaiah 53:9 And He made His grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death; because He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth.
Matt 27:62-66 Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together to Pilate, Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while He was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulcher be made secure until the third day, otherwise His talmidim may come at night, and steal Him away, and say to the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last deception will be worse than the first. Pilate said to them, You may have your guard: go your way, make it as secure as you can. So they went, and made the sepulcher secure, sealing the stone, and putting the guard on watch.
Now the guard watching the tomb was not one guy but a group of soldiers. They would not fall asleep while on duty under penalty of death. The stone was sealed to prove that it had not been tampered with.
The nation of Israel mourned over the death of Moshe.
Deut 34:8 And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended.
They will one day mourn for Yeshua as for an only Son.
Zech 12:10-14 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they will look upon me whom they have pierced, and they will mourn for him, as one mourns for his only son, and will be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. In that day will there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. And the land will mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart; The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart.