The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him.
At Calvary outside Jerusalem, after condemnation, scourging and mockery, Jesus was nailed to the cross, and after He cried out and said He thirsted one bystander gave Him vinegar while the rest said to leave Him alone to see whether Elijah would come to save Him, mistaking His cry to God for a call for Elijah. The words were mockery and scorn from the priests, people and crowd, refusing Him relief and sympathy and failing to recognize Him as the Son of God who needed no rescue. The darkness, earthquake, rent rocks and His death hushed the mockers with fear that He was the Son of God, while His disciples saw their hopes of a temporal deliverer die and were left crushed and doubting. His agony was suffering greater than any human could bear, endured as humanity's substitute and curse to redeem from the curse of the law and open the way to salvation. Because He gave up all, He demands all, entire consecration, separation from the world, self-sacrifice and patience under affliction.
Setting and Words Spoken
This saying belongs to what happened after Jesus left Pilate's court for Calvary to be crucified, following condemnation, scourging, mockery and insults through the night, with the cross laid upon His bruised and bleeding shoulders. It belongs to the taking away of the Bridegroom, when He approaches the cross and descends into humiliation with His own nation clamoring for His blood, crowned with thorns, clad in the purple robe, struck with the reed, scourged as the worst of criminals, replaced by Barabbas, and finally lifted up on the cross dying as a malefactor.
The crucifixion took place outside Jerusalem, where criminals were executed. There He was led pale, weak and fainting to His crucifixion, stretched upon the wooden cross with nails driven through His tender hands and feet. There on Calvary He hung as a malefactor in the hands of a cruel mob, crowned with thorns and treated with derision and insult and mockery.
Immediately after He cried out to God and said He thirsted, one bystander gave Him vinegar on a reed to drink, while the rest held back to watch whether Elias would come to rescue Him. One was a Roman soldier who offered Him vinegar on a reed or sponge, while the rest said to leave Him alone and wait to see whether Elias or Elijah would come to save Him and take Him down. They had misread His cry to God as a call for Elijah, and refused to ease His thirst, saying they would wait to see whether Elijah came to save Him. Their words were spoken in ridicule of His cry and His thirst and expressed pitiless scorn rather than pity. The offer of drink was the last opportunity for His persecutors to sympathize with and relieve Him, but they mocked His cry, wrongly claiming He was calling for Elijah and challenging one another to wait and see whether Elijah would come to save Him and take Him down.
A mysterious darkness covered the earth for three hours and passed away when He died. The darkness had lifted from His oppressed spirit and He had revived to a sense of physical suffering when He said He thirsted and received vinegar on a reed. His death came sooner than was usual for those crucified, and the centurion confirmed that He was dead. His death at Calvary was witnessed by His followers before they laid Him in the tomb.
His suffering and death were accompanied by darkness in which nature was shrouded and showed sympathy. The sun refused to behold the scene and hid its light, while angels veiled their faces from the horrid agony on the wooden cross. The earth quaked and rocks were rent or split as the heavenly host approached, yet heaven's angels were present at His death while the darkness concealed them.
Mockery and Witness Responses
The words were spoken by the bystanders, the people, the priests and the crowd, including the religious leaders gathered at the cross. They were part of the mockery, insults, ridicule, reproach and contempt poured upon the suffering Christ in His dying agony. They mocked Him for His cry to God and for His thirst, having misread His cry as a call for Elijah. One gave Him vinegar on a reed or sponge, while the rest refused to ease Him and told others to leave Him alone and wait to see whether Elijah or Elias would come to save Him and take Him down. That refusal denied Him the last opportunity for relief and sympathy, expressing pitiless scorn rather than pity.
Their terror had eased yet they still dreaded that He might escape them. When the gloom was removed and the darkness lifted from His oppressed spirit, their terror abated and the old fear and dread returned that He might yet escape or be taken down. So they watched to see whether Elijah would come, with fear that He might yet be rescued returning as their terror subsided.
Their challenge showed mockery and failure to recognize Him as the Messiah and the Son of God. He was the One who died to bring everlasting life to sinners and who needed no rescue from Elijah. Heaven's angels watched Him in His suffering without being permitted to intervene.
The darkness, earthquake, final cry and death troubled His enemies and made His murderers tremble. As His death and the signs in nature made the spectators fear that He was the Son of God, their mocking was hushed. The disciples, whose hopes were centered on Him as a temporal prince who would deliver Israel and in whom their hopes of eternal life were centered, saw their hopes die when they beheld Him dying as a malefactor and a criminal. Their faith was tried and their hope and courage failed, leaving them crushed, doubting, afflicted and in terrible anguish that cannot be appreciated, so that afterward they could not believe He had risen, and even His mother wavered in her faith that He was the Messiah.
Sacrifice and Its Demands
The moment belongs to a life and death of humiliation and suffering greater than any human being could suffer. After he cried out, one bystander gave him vinegar on a reed to drink while the rest held back to watch whether Elias would come to rescue him. That crucifixion took place outside Jerusalem where criminals were executed, and there he suffered as humanity's substitute and was made a curse to redeem people from the curse of the law.
His agony on the cross, following mockery and insult and being led away to be crucified, shows the great cost of his sacrifice for humanity. It was part of the hardship he endured as Redeemer to show the way to salvation and bring the help people need.
He was led away pale, weak and fainting to his crucifixion and stretched upon the wooden cross with nails driven through his tender hands and feet, in dreadful hours of agony while angels veiled their faces from the horrid scene and the sun refused to behold and hid its light. Because he gave up all, he demands all, an undivided affection and entire consecration, with separation from the world and from dead heartless professors. What he gave up puts anything called self-denial in the shade and proves the narrow way is not too strait. His agony on the cross teaches self-sacrifice and patience under affliction, with solemn consecration to God and preparation for holy work.
The taking away of the Bridegroom is seen as he approaches the cross and descends into humiliation, witnessed by disciples in whom their hopes of eternal life were centered, now in the hands of wicked men with his own nation clamoring for his blood. He was crowned with thorns, clad in the purple robe, struck with the reed, scourged as the worst of criminals, replaced by Barabbas, and finally lifted up on the cross dying as a malefactor. That sight gives cause to mourn and fast, while their faith is tried and their hope and courage fail.
At Calvary outside Jerusalem, after condemnation, scourging and mockery, Jesus was nailed to the cross, and after He cried out and said He thirsted one bystander gave Him vinegar while the rest said to leave Him alone to see whether Elijah would come to save Him, mistaking His cry to God for a call for Elijah. The words were mockery and scorn from the priests, people and crowd, refusing Him relief and sympathy and failing to recognize Him as the Son of God who needed no rescue. The darkness, earthquake, rent rocks and His death hushed the mockers with fear that He was the Son of God, while His disciples saw their hopes of a temporal deliverer die and were left crushed and doubting. His agony was suffering greater than any human could bear, endured as humanity's substitute and curse to redeem from the curse of the law and open the way to salvation. Because He gave up all, He demands all, entire consecration, separation from the world, self-sacrifice and patience under affliction.
Setting and Words Spoken
This saying belongs to what happened after Jesus left Pilate's court for Calvary to be crucified, following condemnation, scourging, mockery and insults through the night, with the cross laid upon His bruised and bleeding shoulders. It belongs to the taking away of the Bridegroom, when He approaches the cross and descends into humiliation with His own nation clamoring for His blood, crowned with thorns, clad in the purple robe, struck with the reed, scourged as the worst of criminals, replaced by Barabbas, and finally lifted up on the cross dying as a malefactor.
The crucifixion took place outside Jerusalem, where criminals were executed. There He was led pale, weak and fainting to His crucifixion, stretched upon the wooden cross with nails driven through His tender hands and feet. There on Calvary He hung as a malefactor in the hands of a cruel mob, crowned with thorns and treated with derision and insult and mockery.
Immediately after He cried out to God and said He thirsted, one bystander gave Him vinegar on a reed to drink, while the rest held back to watch whether Elias would come to rescue Him. One was a Roman soldier who offered Him vinegar on a reed or sponge, while the rest said to leave Him alone and wait to see whether Elias or Elijah would come to save Him and take Him down. They had misread His cry to God as a call for Elijah, and refused to ease His thirst, saying they would wait to see whether Elijah came to save Him. Their words were spoken in ridicule of His cry and His thirst and expressed pitiless scorn rather than pity. The offer of drink was the last opportunity for His persecutors to sympathize with and relieve Him, but they mocked His cry, wrongly claiming He was calling for Elijah and challenging one another to wait and see whether Elijah would come to save Him and take Him down.
A mysterious darkness covered the earth for three hours and passed away when He died. The darkness had lifted from His oppressed spirit and He had revived to a sense of physical suffering when He said He thirsted and received vinegar on a reed. His death came sooner than was usual for those crucified, and the centurion confirmed that He was dead. His death at Calvary was witnessed by His followers before they laid Him in the tomb.
His suffering and death were accompanied by darkness in which nature was shrouded and showed sympathy. The sun refused to behold the scene and hid its light, while angels veiled their faces from the horrid agony on the wooden cross. The earth quaked and rocks were rent or split as the heavenly host approached, yet heaven's angels were present at His death while the darkness concealed them.
Mockery and Witness Responses
The words were spoken by the bystanders, the people, the priests and the crowd, including the religious leaders gathered at the cross. They were part of the mockery, insults, ridicule, reproach and contempt poured upon the suffering Christ in His dying agony. They mocked Him for His cry to God and for His thirst, having misread His cry as a call for Elijah. One gave Him vinegar on a reed or sponge, while the rest refused to ease Him and told others to leave Him alone and wait to see whether Elijah or Elias would come to save Him and take Him down. That refusal denied Him the last opportunity for relief and sympathy, expressing pitiless scorn rather than pity.
Their terror had eased yet they still dreaded that He might escape them. When the gloom was removed and the darkness lifted from His oppressed spirit, their terror abated and the old fear and dread returned that He might yet escape or be taken down. So they watched to see whether Elijah would come, with fear that He might yet be rescued returning as their terror subsided.
Their challenge showed mockery and failure to recognize Him as the Messiah and the Son of God. He was the One who died to bring everlasting life to sinners and who needed no rescue from Elijah. Heaven's angels watched Him in His suffering without being permitted to intervene.
The darkness, earthquake, final cry and death troubled His enemies and made His murderers tremble. As His death and the signs in nature made the spectators fear that He was the Son of God, their mocking was hushed. The disciples, whose hopes were centered on Him as a temporal prince who would deliver Israel and in whom their hopes of eternal life were centered, saw their hopes die when they beheld Him dying as a malefactor and a criminal. Their faith was tried and their hope and courage failed, leaving them crushed, doubting, afflicted and in terrible anguish that cannot be appreciated, so that afterward they could not believe He had risen, and even His mother wavered in her faith that He was the Messiah.
Sacrifice and Its Demands
The moment belongs to a life and death of humiliation and suffering greater than any human being could suffer. After he cried out, one bystander gave him vinegar on a reed to drink while the rest held back to watch whether Elias would come to rescue him. That crucifixion took place outside Jerusalem where criminals were executed, and there he suffered as humanity's substitute and was made a curse to redeem people from the curse of the law.
His agony on the cross, following mockery and insult and being led away to be crucified, shows the great cost of his sacrifice for humanity. It was part of the hardship he endured as Redeemer to show the way to salvation and bring the help people need.
He was led away pale, weak and fainting to his crucifixion and stretched upon the wooden cross with nails driven through his tender hands and feet, in dreadful hours of agony while angels veiled their faces from the horrid scene and the sun refused to behold and hid its light. Because he gave up all, he demands all, an undivided affection and entire consecration, with separation from the world and from dead heartless professors. What he gave up puts anything called self-denial in the shade and proves the narrow way is not too strait. His agony on the cross teaches self-sacrifice and patience under affliction, with solemn consecration to God and preparation for holy work.
The taking away of the Bridegroom is seen as he approaches the cross and descends into humiliation, witnessed by disciples in whom their hopes of eternal life were centered, now in the hands of wicked men with his own nation clamoring for his blood. He was crowned with thorns, clad in the purple robe, struck with the reed, scourged as the worst of criminals, replaced by Barabbas, and finally lifted up on the cross dying as a malefactor. That sight gives cause to mourn and fast, while their faith is tried and their hope and courage fail.