After Jesus was arrested and condemned to die, the soldiers led him off to the execution site. At that time, Jesus was already very weak because of the beatings he suffered. He wasn’t able to carry the heavy cross himself. There, the soldiers found a bystander and they made him carry the cross for Jesus. A huge crowd of people followed them and many women were weeping for Jesus. At one point Jesus turned to the women and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, don’t cry for me. Cry for yourselves and for your children. A terrible time is coming and there will be many disasters and great suffering in your generation.”
There were two other criminals, murderers and thieves, who were taken along with Jesus for execution. When they got to the execution site, the soldiers nailed Jesus to the cross, along with the two criminals, one on his right and the other on his left. While they were crucifying him, Jesus prayed and said, “Father, forgive them; they don’t know what they’re doing.” Many people were there watching Jesus, and some of the religious leaders mocked Jesus and said, “Well, he said that he can save others. Let’s see if he can save himself now! The Messiah of God—ha! The Chosen One—haha!” The soldiers also came up and poked fun at him, making a game of it. They toasted him with sour wine: “So you’re King of the Jews! Save yourself!” Printed over him was a sign that said, “THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.” Then, one of the criminals started mocking him too. The guy said, “So you are the Messiah, right? Save yourself! Save us!” But the other criminal immediately said to that guy, “Have you no fear of God? We deserve this, but not him—he is a good man and he did nothing to deserve this.” Then he said to Jesus, “Jesus, please remember me when you go to heaven.” Jesus said to him, “Don’t worry, I will remember you. Very soon today you will join me in paradise.” By now it was noon. Suddenly the whole earth became dark, completely dark. And the darkness lasted for three hours. Then Jesus cried out with a loud voice and said, “Father, I place my life in your hands!” Then he breathed his last and died. Immediately, there was a strong earthquake. When the captain of the soldiers there saw what happened, he realized who Jesus truly was and said, “This man was innocent! He was a good and holy man!” Many people who were there were overcome with grief, and they headed home after seeing what happened. But for those men and women who knew and followed Jesus, they all stood there with him. Then three days later very early in the morning, a group of women went to the tomb carrying spices prepared for Jesus’ body. But when they got there, they discovered that the entrance stone had moved and Jesus’ body was no longer there. They were very puzzled and were wondering what had happened. Then, out of nowhere, two men with bright light shining out of their bodies appeared and stood there in front of them. The women were dumbfounded and realized that they were angels. The angels said to them, “Why are you looking for the Living One in a cemetery? He is not here, but he is now alive. Remember how he told you this before that he would be killed on a cross and in three days rise up?” Then they remembered Jesus’ The women left the tomb and went to Jesus’ disciples to tell them about all this, but his disciples didn’t believe a word of it. They thought they were either mistaken or just making things up. While they were speaking, Jesus suddenly appeared and said, “Peace be with you.” They thought they were seeing a ghost and were scared half to death. Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid and have faith in me. Look at my hands; look at my feet—it’s me. Touch me. Look me over from head to toe. A ghost doesn’t have muscle and bone like this.” As he said this, he showed them his hands and feet. They still couldn’t believe what they were seeing. It was too much; it seemed too good to be true. He even took a piece of fish and ate it right before their eyes.
He then said, “Now you understand why I told you that I must die and rise from the dead on the third day so that I can offer the forgiveness of sins and new life to the whole world. And you’re the first to hear and see it. You’re my witnesses and your mission is to share my love and my message starting from here to all nations! What comes next is very important: I am sending what my Father promised to you, which is the Holy Spirit so that you will be equipped with God’s power to spread my message.
He then led them out of the city. He blessed them, and while blessing them, he was carried up to heaven. And they were on their knees, worshiping him. They returned to Jerusalem bursting with joy, praising God, and then spreading Jesus’ love and message everywhere.
(Luke 23:26-56, 24:1-12, 36-53 paraphrased)
