Matthew, Chapter 27

- נ י ת -

Jesus Returns His Soul to God and an Earthquake Strikes Jerusalem

45Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. 46And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? 47Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias. 48And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. 49The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him. 50Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. 51And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; 52And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, 53And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. 54 Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. 55And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him: 56Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedees children.”  (Matthew 27:45-56)

In the afternoon, Jesus cries out to God. Someone dips a sponge in vinegar and lifts it on a stick to Jesus’ mouth so that he can drink from it. Others wait to see if he will be miraculously saved by the heavens. When Jesus draws his last breath, the veil of the Temple rips, the earth starts shaking, and many dead people rise from their graves.  All those present declare that he is indeed the Son of God. Mary Magdalene is there, as well as Jesus’ family. Jesus overcomes oppositional forces and attains spiritual immortality. He is taken down from the cross, his body laid on the Stone of Unction. Jesus’ mother bitterly mourns his death.

Cleanliness is the result of avoiding evil stemming from both internal and external impulses.