Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias.
This man calls for Elijah was the mistaken hearing of bystanders who took his cry to God from the cross for a call for that prophet, Elias being the Greek form of Elijah. He hung on the cross in agony while darkness covered the earth and the sun hid its light, dying as that darkness passed away amid signs in nature with the earth quaking and rocks torn. The priests and rulers seized on the misunderstanding to mock him with contempt in his dying suffering, refusing him final relief and telling the crowd to leave him alone to see whether Elijah would come to save him. His endurance under that derision and injustice stands as the example of faith holding firm against human power, teaching self-sacrifice, patience under affliction, and solemn consecration to God.
Misheard Cry at Calvary
Elias is the Greek form of Elijah, and some of those standing by the cross misheard or misunderstood Jesus' cry to God as a call for that prophet. They thought He was calling for Elias while He was dying.
The saying belongs to the crucifixion, when He hung on the cross in agony while the sun hid its light and darkness covered the earth, and He died as that darkness passed away. People standing nearby mistook His cry as a call for Elijah while He endured mockery and suffering on the cross.
It follows the laying on His bruised and bleeding shoulders of the cross prepared for Barabbas, to be suffered with two companions of Barabbas who were to die at the same time with Him. He was too weak to carry it, having taken neither food nor drink since the Passover supper, having agonized in Gethsemane, having endured betrayal and seen His disciples forsake Him and flee, having been taken to Annas, then to Caiaphas, then to Pilate, then to Herod, then again to Pilate, having passed from insult to insult and mockery to mockery and been twice tortured by the scourge through the night, yet having spoken no word but that which tended to glorify God and having borne Himself with firmness and dignity, until He fell fainting beneath the burden. The crowd that followed from the judgment-hall to Calvary saw His weak and staggering steps without compassion and taunted Him for being unable to carry the heavy cross, and when laid on Him again He fell again so His persecutors saw He could carry it no farther. The Jews themselves could not bear the humiliating load because defilement would prevent keeping the Passover, and none even of the mob would stoop to bear it.
It shows Christ approaching the cross and descending into humiliation in the hands of wicked men with His own nation clamoring for His blood, crowned with thorns by Herod and his soldiers, clad in the purple robe, bowed before and struck with the reed placed in His hand, scourged as the worst of criminals, rejected when the murderous Barabbas was chosen in His place, and lifted up dying as a malefactor. He was the one in whom the disciples centered their hopes of eternal life and whom they thought would take His place on David's throne, and seeing Him so gave them cause to mourn and fast, tried their faith, and caused their hope and courage to fail. It belongs to the climax of His suffering when He was in the hands of the cruel mob, crowned with thorns, treated with derision and insult and mockery, and stretched upon Calvary's cross as a malefactor. His followers watching saw Him whom they had believed would deliver Israel dying as a criminal, so their hopes died and their agony at that critical moment was beyond measure.
His death was accompanied by heaven's presence and by signs in nature and surrounding events: darkness covered the earth for three hours, the earth quaked and shook, and rocks were split and torn. His loud cry as He died troubled His enemies and made His murderers tremble. The disciples, whose hopes of His reigning as a temporal king died with Him, were left sorrowful and afraid.
Mockery and Faithful Endurance
Those standing near the cross treated his cry to God as a call for Elijah, and the priests and rulers seized on that misrepresentation to mock him with contempt. That mockery belonged to the final scenes at the cross, where the crowd derided him in his dying agony.
The priests mocked him in his agony with bitter contempt and scorn after the darkness lifted and he revived to a sense of physical suffering and thirst. Then a Roman soldier, pitying his parched lips, offered him vinegar on a hyssop stalk. His cry of abandonment, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani, was misinterpreted as a call for Elias. While darkness had covered the earth they had been filled with fear, and as their terror abated the dread returned that he might yet escape them. So they refused the last opportunity to relieve his sufferings and said to leave him alone to see whether Elias would come to save him.
The priests and others misunderstood his cry to God as a call for Elijah, mocked him by saying he was calling for Elijah, and told the onlookers to wait and watch to see whether Elijah would come to save him. In doing so they refused him his final opportunity for relief.
On the cross he stood against the Jewish priests and rulers who used the Roman governor to carry out their will, and his endurance stands as faith holding firm against human power and injustice. His agony on the cross teaches self-sacrifice, patience under affliction, and solemn consecration to God.
This man calls for Elijah was the mistaken hearing of bystanders who took his cry to God from the cross for a call for that prophet, Elias being the Greek form of Elijah. He hung on the cross in agony while darkness covered the earth and the sun hid its light, dying as that darkness passed away amid signs in nature with the earth quaking and rocks torn. The priests and rulers seized on the misunderstanding to mock him with contempt in his dying suffering, refusing him final relief and telling the crowd to leave him alone to see whether Elijah would come to save him. His endurance under that derision and injustice stands as the example of faith holding firm against human power, teaching self-sacrifice, patience under affliction, and solemn consecration to God.
Misheard Cry at Calvary
Elias is the Greek form of Elijah, and some of those standing by the cross misheard or misunderstood Jesus' cry to God as a call for that prophet. They thought He was calling for Elias while He was dying.
The saying belongs to the crucifixion, when He hung on the cross in agony while the sun hid its light and darkness covered the earth, and He died as that darkness passed away. People standing nearby mistook His cry as a call for Elijah while He endured mockery and suffering on the cross.
It follows the laying on His bruised and bleeding shoulders of the cross prepared for Barabbas, to be suffered with two companions of Barabbas who were to die at the same time with Him. He was too weak to carry it, having taken neither food nor drink since the Passover supper, having agonized in Gethsemane, having endured betrayal and seen His disciples forsake Him and flee, having been taken to Annas, then to Caiaphas, then to Pilate, then to Herod, then again to Pilate, having passed from insult to insult and mockery to mockery and been twice tortured by the scourge through the night, yet having spoken no word but that which tended to glorify God and having borne Himself with firmness and dignity, until He fell fainting beneath the burden. The crowd that followed from the judgment-hall to Calvary saw His weak and staggering steps without compassion and taunted Him for being unable to carry the heavy cross, and when laid on Him again He fell again so His persecutors saw He could carry it no farther. The Jews themselves could not bear the humiliating load because defilement would prevent keeping the Passover, and none even of the mob would stoop to bear it.
It shows Christ approaching the cross and descending into humiliation in the hands of wicked men with His own nation clamoring for His blood, crowned with thorns by Herod and his soldiers, clad in the purple robe, bowed before and struck with the reed placed in His hand, scourged as the worst of criminals, rejected when the murderous Barabbas was chosen in His place, and lifted up dying as a malefactor. He was the one in whom the disciples centered their hopes of eternal life and whom they thought would take His place on David's throne, and seeing Him so gave them cause to mourn and fast, tried their faith, and caused their hope and courage to fail. It belongs to the climax of His suffering when He was in the hands of the cruel mob, crowned with thorns, treated with derision and insult and mockery, and stretched upon Calvary's cross as a malefactor. His followers watching saw Him whom they had believed would deliver Israel dying as a criminal, so their hopes died and their agony at that critical moment was beyond measure.
His death was accompanied by heaven's presence and by signs in nature and surrounding events: darkness covered the earth for three hours, the earth quaked and shook, and rocks were split and torn. His loud cry as He died troubled His enemies and made His murderers tremble. The disciples, whose hopes of His reigning as a temporal king died with Him, were left sorrowful and afraid.
Mockery and Faithful Endurance
Those standing near the cross treated his cry to God as a call for Elijah, and the priests and rulers seized on that misrepresentation to mock him with contempt. That mockery belonged to the final scenes at the cross, where the crowd derided him in his dying agony.
The priests mocked him in his agony with bitter contempt and scorn after the darkness lifted and he revived to a sense of physical suffering and thirst. Then a Roman soldier, pitying his parched lips, offered him vinegar on a hyssop stalk. His cry of abandonment, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani, was misinterpreted as a call for Elias. While darkness had covered the earth they had been filled with fear, and as their terror abated the dread returned that he might yet escape them. So they refused the last opportunity to relieve his sufferings and said to leave him alone to see whether Elias would come to save him.
The priests and others misunderstood his cry to God as a call for Elijah, mocked him by saying he was calling for Elijah, and told the onlookers to wait and watch to see whether Elijah would come to save him. In doing so they refused him his final opportunity for relief.
On the cross he stood against the Jewish priests and rulers who used the Roman governor to carry out their will, and his endurance stands as faith holding firm against human power and injustice. His agony on the cross teaches self-sacrifice, patience under affliction, and solemn consecration to God.