Luke 23:26-56.

Luke 23.26-56
Jesus Is Nailed to a Cross

"As Jesus was being led away, some soldiers grabbed hold of a man from
Cyrene named Simon. He was coming in from the fields, but they put the
cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.

A large crowd was following Jesus, and in the crowd a lot of women
were crying and weeping for him. Jesus turned to the women and said:

Women of Jerusalem, don't cry for me! Cry for yourselves and for your
children. Someday people will say, "Women who never had children are
really fortunate!" At that time everyone will say to the mountains,
"Fall on us!" They will say to the hills, "Hide us!" If this can
happen when the wood is green, what do you think will happen when it
is dry?

Two criminals were led out to be put to death with Jesus. When the
soldiers came to the place called "The Skull," they nailed Jesus to a
cross. They also nailed the two criminals to crosses, one on each side
of Jesus.

Jesus said, "Father, forgive these people! They don't know what they're doing."

While the crowd stood there watching Jesus, the soldiers gambled for
his clothes. The leaders insulted him by saying, "He saved others. Now
he should save himself, if he really is God's chosen Messiah!"

The soldiers made fun of Jesus and brought him some wine. They said,
"If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself!"

Above him was a sign that said, "This is the King of the Jews."

One of the criminals hanging there also insulted Jesus by saying,
"Aren't you the Messiah? Save yourself and save us!"

But the other criminal told the first one off, "Don't you fear God?
Aren't you getting the same punishment as this man? We got what was
coming to us, but he didn't do anything wrong." Then he said to
Jesus, "Remember me when you come into power!"

Jesus replied, "I promise that today you will be with me in paradise."

The Death of Jesus

Around noon the sky turned dark and stayed that way until the middle
of the afternoon. The sun stopped shining, and the curtain in the
temple split down the middle. Jesus shouted, "Father, I put myself in
your hands!" Then he died.

When the Roman officer saw what had happened, he praised God and said,
"Jesus must really have been a good man!"

A crowd had gathered to see the terrible sight. Then after they had
seen it, they felt brokenhearted and went home. All of Jesus' close
friends and the women who had come with him from Galilee stood at a
distance and watched.

Jesus Is Buried

There was a man named Joseph, who was from Arimathea in Judea. Joseph
was a good and honest man, and he was eager for God's kingdom to come.
He was also a member of the council, but he did not agree with what
they had decided.

Joseph went to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. He took the body
down from the cross and wrapped it in fine cloth. Then he put it in a
tomb that had been cut out of solid rock and had never been used. It
was Friday, and the Sabbath was about to begin.

The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and
watched how Jesus' body was placed in the tomb. Then they went to
prepare some sweet-smelling spices for his burial. But on the Sabbath
they rested, as the Law of Moses commands."

Father God, forgive my sins. Thank you for sending Jesus Christ down
to die on the cross and for shedding his blood for me. Three days
later you resurrected him. I accept that. I Invite Jesus Christ into
my heart as my Lord and savior. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

God bless you.