The Life and Teachings
of Jesus
A Restatement of the Gospels

164. Jesus’ Last Hour on the Cross

        45Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.a 46And about the ninth hour Jesus cried, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”b
        28After this Jesus said, “I thirst." 29A bowl full of common wine stood there; so they put a sponge full of the wine on a javelin and held it to his mouth. br />        46Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “It is finished; Father, into your hands I commend my spirit!” 30And he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
        39And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that he thus breathed his last, he said, “Certainly this man was innocent. Truly this man was a Son of God!”
        49And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance and saw these things.
        (Mt. 27:45, 46; Jn. 19:28–29; Lk. 23:46; Jn. 19:30; Mk. 15:39; Lk. 23:49)



a   “Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.”—This was probably due to a sandstorm from the Arabian Desert. “From the sixth...till the ninth hour” (after sunrise) would be from around noon till 3 PM. (New Oxford Annotated Bible, p. 1211) Thus Jesus probably died on Friday afternoon around 3 o'clock.

b   “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”—This is the first line of This is the first line of Psalm 22. In his final hours of consciousness perhaps Jesus' human mind here returns to the repetition of Psalms memorized in childhood.

Mt. 27:46  cried, “Eli / cried with a loud voice, “Eli (RSV)
Jn. 19:28  Jesus said, / Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (RSV) • said, “I / said (to fulfill the scripture), “I (RSV)
Jn. 19:29  of common wine stood (TCNT) / of vinegar stood (RSV) • the wine on (Phi) / the vinegar on (RSV) • on a javelin and (NEB) / on hyssop and (RSV)
Lk. 23:46  said, “It is finished; Father, (Jn. 19:30) / said, “Father, (RSV) • into your hands (NAB) / into thy hands (RSV) • I commend my (KJV) / I commit my (RSV)
Mk. 15:39  said, “Certainly this man was innocent. Truly (Lk. 23:47) / said, “Truly (RSV) • was a Son (Gspd) / was the Son (RSV)   (187:5/2010–1)

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