After standing before Pilate, Jesus had been badly beaten, and the Roman soldiers had put a crown of thorns on His head to mock Him. Blood was running down His face and down His back where He had been beaten. After Pilate handed Jesus over to the soldiers to be crucified, they made Jesus carry His own cross through the streets. When Jesus had carried it as far as He was able, the soldiers forced a man from the crowds to carry the cross for Jesus. His name was Simon of Cyrene. They walked through the streets of Jerusalem and out of the city and up to the hill called Golgotha.
When they reached Golgotha, they crucified Jesus along with two robbers. First, the soldiers laid the wood on the ground in the form of the cross and laid Jesus on it.
Then they bound his arms to the wood with rope and nailed heavy metal spikes through His hands and feet into the wood. Then, using ropes, they lifted the cross into the air and secured it into place. They also crucified the two robbers in the same way, one on each side of Jesus. Then they sat down at the foot of the cross and began to throw dice, gambling for the clothes of Jesus.
There were many people nearby watching to see what would happen to Jesus. There were the women who had followed Him throughout His ministry. They were standing back watching everything very closely. The chief priests and teachers of the law were also there. They were mocking and reviling Jesus and making fun of Him saying, “He saved others. Why can’t He save Himself?” One of the robbers who was crucified beside him also mocked and reviled Jesus. But the other rebuked him saying, “No, stop! We are guilty. We deserve to be here, but this man is innocent.” Then he said to Jesus, “Remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus said to him, “I tell you the truth, today, you will be with me in paradise.”
Now when it was about mid-day, there came a great darkness over the whole land until about three o’clock. At this time there was a terrible earthquake, and everyone was very frightened. At that time, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” He also said, “It is finished!” And He gave up His spirit to God and died. And immediately the curtain in the temple was torn into two pieces from top to bottom. There was a Roman commander at the foot of the cross, and when he saw all these things, he said, “Surely this was the Son of God!”
Now it was Jewish custom to not leave bodies hanging overnight or on the Sabbath. So they asked the Roman soldiers to finish the job. The soldiers broke the legs of the two robbers, and they died very quickly. When they came to Jesus, however, they found that He was dead already, and they did not break His legs, just as had been prophesied. One of the soldiers thrust his spear into the side of Jesus, and when he pulled it out, blood and water came out of Jesus’ body. Joseph of Arimathea got permission to take the body of Jesus. He put it into a nearby tomb that had never been used before, and he rolled the stone over the tomb and went out. But the women who had followed Jesus throughout his ministry were watching everything very carefully, and they saw where Joseph had laid Jesus’ body.