“Jesus Is Crucified,” Friend, Apr. 2003, 13
Jesus Is Crucified
Chapter 53
The soldiers who took Jesus beat Him with whips and made fun of Him. They put a purple robe on Him. Then they made a crown of thorns and put it on His head, making it bleed. And they laughed at Him and spit on Him. They called Him “King of the Jews.” Mark 15:15–19
Many Jews followed when the soldiers took Jesus to a hill near Jerusalem to crucify Him. They made Him carry His own cross, then they laid Him on it, nailed His hands and His feet to the cross, and lifted it up. They also crucified two other men that day. The two other men were thieves. Luke 23:27, 33; John 19:17
Jesus prayed. He asked Heavenly Father to forgive the soldiers who crucified Him. They did not know that He was the Savior. Luke 23:34
Mary, the mother of Jesus, was standing by the cross. The Apostle John was standing there, too. Jesus told John to take care of His mother. John took Jesus’ mother to his home. John 19:25–27
The disciples were very sad, because they loved the Savior very much. He suffered on the cross for many hours. Then He gave up His life. His spirit left His body. Matt. 27:46, 50
The sky became dark, and a big earthquake broke huge rocks into pieces. The curtain in the temple, called the veil, was torn into two pieces. The Roman soldiers were afraid. Matt. 27:45, 51, 54
One of the disciples took the Savior’s body off the cross, wrapped it in a cloth, and placed it in a tomb, a place where people are buried. A big rock was rolled in front of the tomb. Matt. 27:57–60
Illustrated by Paul Mann