The Crucifixion, Death, and Burial of Jesus (Mt. 27: 33-61)

And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of the Skull), 34 they gave Jesus wine to drink mixed with gall. But when he had tasted it, he refused to drink. 35 After they had crucified him, they divided his garments by casting lots; 36 then they sat down and kept watch over him there. 37 And they placed over his head the written charge against him: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews. 38 Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and the other on his left. 39 Those passing by reviled him, shaking their heads 40 and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, if you are the Son of God, [and] come down from the cross!” 41 Likewise the chief priests with the scribes and elders mocked him and said, 42 “He saved others; he cannot save himself. So he is the king of Israel! Let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusted in God; let him deliver him now if he wants him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 The revolutionaries who were crucified with him also kept abusing him in the same way.

45 From noon onward, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 46 And about three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47 Some of the bystanders who heard it said, “This one is calling for Elijah.” 48 Immediately one of them ran to get a sponge; he soaked it in wine, and putting it on a reed, gave it to him to drink. 49 But the rest said, “Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to save him.” 50 But Jesus cried out again in a loud voice, and gave up his spirit. 51 And behold, the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked, rocks were split, 52 tombs were opened, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. 53 And coming forth from their tombs after his resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many. 54 The centurion and the men with him who were keeping watch over Jesus feared greatly when they saw the earthquake and all that was happening, and they said, “Truly, this was the Son of God!” 55 There were many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him. 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who was himself a disciple of Jesus. 58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be handed over. 59 Taking the body, Joseph wrapped it [in] clean linen 60 and laid it in his new tomb that he had hewn in the rock. Then he rolled a huge stone across the entrance to the tomb and departed. 61 But Mary Magdalene and the other Mary remained sitting there, facing the tomb.

They led Jesus outside the city walls of Jerusalem to Golgotha. Many of the OT prophets were killed outside the city walls after they were rejected and persecuted for proclaiming God’s message (Mt. 23:37-39). The soldiers offered Jesus some wine mixed with Gall but he refused to drink it. They crucified Jesus, callously divided his garments by casting lots, and sat down nearby to guard him. The inscription, "Jesus, the King of the Jews," was placed on the cross over Jesus’ head. The inscription was written in multiple languages and was intended to be an accusation against Jesus, but it proclaimed Jesus’ true identity. Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled by the two revolutionaries being crucified with Jesus, “Therefore I will give him his portion among the many, and he shall divide the spoils with the mighty, Because he surrendered himself to death, was counted among the transgressors, Bore the sins of many, and interceded for the transgressors (Is. 53:12).” Jesus was counted as a transgressor which identified him fully with sinful humanity which he would redeem by his sacrifice. Passersby mocked and insulted Jesus, the “Son of God” as he hung on the cross, taunted him about destroying the temple and rebuilding it (Jn. 2:19), and challenged him to come down from the cross and save himself. The insults contributed to his suffering on behalf of humanity. The Chief priests and elders also mocked Jesus saying that he worked miracles for others but could not save himself. Even the two revolutionaries joined in mocking Jesus. It seemed like everyone joined in the hostility and rejection of Jesus as he hung on the cross suffering for them.

A supernatural darkness enveloped the land from noon until three in the afternoon (Amos 8:9). The Son of God was dying, and the darkness symbolized the spiritual darkness that accompanied Jesus’ crucifixion. Around three in the afternoon, Jesus cried out in Aramaic quoting the opening words of Psalm 22. “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me (Ps. 22:2)?” Psalm 22 foretells the suffering and vindication of the righteous servant of God. Jesus’ cry of anguish reflected the depths of his suffering and his feeling of abandonment as he bore the sins of humanity while hanging from the cross. The bystanders misunderstood what Jesus was saying and one of them offered him sour wine on a sponge to drink. Another mocked Jesus and said they should wait to see if Elijah would come to rescue him. Jesus cried out once more and surrendered his life into his Father’s hands. God’s plan of salvation for humanity was complete.

The veil of the temple being torn in two symbolizes the removal of the barrier between God and humanity. A new covenant was inaugurated with Jesus’ sacrificial dearth. The earthquake and the splitting of rocks signified the cosmic upheaval that was taking place. Creation was being renewed by Jesus’ sacrifice atoning for mankind’s sins. The saints were miraculously resurrected immediately following Jesus’ death and appeared to many, and the men keeping watch over Jesus confessed that Jesus was truly the Son of God. Women who were faithful to Jesus throughout his ministry and John were the only ones who remained with Jesus until he died. Those faithful women witnessed the events of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.

Joseph of Arimathea, a rich disciple of Jesus, asked Pilate for his body. Joseph took a risk by publicly associating with a convicted criminal. Joseph prepared Jesus’ body for burial according to Jewish custom and placed it in his new tomb fulfilling the prophecy in Isaiah (Is. 53:9). The tomb was secured by rolling a large stone across the entrance. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary remained at the tomb in devotion to Jesus.

Almighty God, as we reflect on the solemn events of Jesus' crucifixion and burial, we come before you in sorrow but also with hearts filled with gratitude and awe. May we never forget the depth of love displayed on the cross, and grant us the grace to understand the significance of His sacrifice and to live in accordance with His teachings. This we pray through Christe our Lord. Amen!

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References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.

                Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.