After the soldiers had arrested Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane
he was brought to a Roman governor named Pontius pilate
Pontius pilate questioned Jesus about the things he had been preaching
did he really say he was the king and the son of god?
Pontius pilate asked him
are you the king of the jews?
but Jesus would only reply
you have said so
Pontius pilate thought about Jesus answer
and tried to question him more but to Pontius's amazement Jesus would not respond
Pontius understood that the priests and elders wanted Jesus arrested
because they didn't like the things he preached
still, Pontius couldn't find any crime that Jesus had committed
so Pontius went on to the balcony of his office
where a large crowd who hated Jesus and his teachings had gathered
I find no guilt in this man
but the crowd were angry they shouted and booed back at Pontius
they called out accusations that Jesus had riled up the people of Judea and galilee
they believed he was misleading them and telling lies about god
they shouted to Pontius that Jesus should be crucified
Pontius truly believed that Jesus had done nothing wrong
but he was scared of the crowd and what they might do to him
so he gave in to their wishes shouting back
I am innocent of this man's blood it is your responsibility
the crowd cheered shouting louder
crucify him! crucify him! crucify him!
and so Pontius pilate handed Jesus over to the soldiers to be crucified
the soldiers led Jesus into the courtyard and stripped him of his clothes
they dressed him in a red robe and placed a crown of thorns on his head
they laughed and pointed at Jesus cruelly mocking him
hail king of the jews
Jesus was so brave and strong that he didn't weep or get angry at the soldiers
he knew that this was all part of god's plan and he must die for the sins of all the people on earth
when the soldiers put a big heavy cross on Jesus's shoulders
Jesus doesn't fight with them or say angry words to them
then they led Jesus and two other prisoners out of the town towards a hill named Golgotha
on the way, they saw a man named Simon from Cyrene who wept for Jesus in his crown of thorns
the soldiers did not like this so they grabbed Simon from the roadside
and forced him to carry a huge, heavy wooden cross on his back
following Jesus and the soldiers were a group of women who mourned for Jesus
Jesus called back to them
daughters of Jerusalem do not weep for me but weep for yourselves and for your children
when they arrived in Golgotha the soldiers stripped Jesus of his clothes again
and shared them out amongst themselves
they gave him water to drink mixed with a plant to numb his sense and make him feel less pain
but after tasting the water Jesus decided not to drink it
he knew that to fulfill god's plan properly he must suffer pain
then the soldiers nailed his hands to each side of the cross
then they placed a sign above his head saying king of the jews
next, they hoisted the cross into the air
to his left and his right they hoisted the other two prisoners on their crosses
the women who followed Jesus wept for him in his pain
as Jesus hung from the cross he called to the sky
father forgive them they know not what they do
the soldiers scoffed and laughed at Jesus
if you are the king of the Jews save yourself
one of the criminals hanging next to Jesus shouted out to him
are you not the son of God?
save yourself and us
but the other criminal shook his head and said
you should fear god!
we are receiving the due reward of our deeds but this man has done nothing wrong
instead of asking Jesus to save him the second criminal simply asked for god's forgiveness
he said to Jesus
Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom
and Jesus replied to him truly I say to you today you will be with me in paradise
as Jesus hung there on the cross the soldiers kept mocking him
One soaked the sponge in vinegar and held it up for Jesus to drink pretending it was water
his cruel trick gave Jesus no relief from his thirst
but selfless Jesus knew that this too was all part of god's plan he must suffer for our sins
at around noon darkness fell all across the land
at about three o'clock Jesus called again to the sky
my god! my god! why have you forsaken me?
as Jesus breathed his very last breath and his spirit left his body
an earthquake rumbled in the ground
the temple in the nearby town was split right in two with a terrible crash
when the soldiers saw what had happened they felt terrified
they knew they had made a colossal mistake they wailed to each other
this man truly was the son of god
that evening a wealthy man named Joseph of Arimathea went to Pontius Pilate
and asked if he could take Jesus's body down from the cross
joseph was a true believer in Jesus and the kingdom of God
and he wanted to give Jesus a proper burial befitting a king
Pontius pilate agreed
joseph carefully took Jesus's body down from the cross and wrapped it in a clean white linen cloth
he carried Jesus into a tomb cut out of rock and laid his body gently on a stone slab inside
the women who had watched over Jesus including Mary Magdalene and Jesus's mother Mary
watched as joseph rolled a massive stone over the entrance of the tomb where Jesus laid
then the women left to get spices and make ointments
so they might anoint Jesus's body as was their custom