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NARRATION:
(1)
There, on a criminal's cross, bleeding, hung God's blessed Son.
What crime had this holy One committed? Passersby mocked and
jeered. Yet He looked down upon them with eyes of love, as He
prayed, "Forgive them, for they do not realize what they are doing."
(2) Placed above Him, on the cross, was a sign, written in Hebrew,
Latin and Greek, so that it could be read by all who passed. It said,
"Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." This only led to more
shouts of derision from onlookers, who said, "If You are indeed, the
King of the Jews, why don't You come down from the cross?"
(1) Even the robbers who had been crucified on either side of Jesus,
called out, "Why don't You save Yourself?" Finally, one of them
recognized that Jesus had done nothing wrong. He begged our Lord to
remember Him when He returned as King. To him, the Savior replied
tenderly, "Today, you will be with Me in paradise."
(2) Standing near the cross were many of Jesus' followers, including
His own mother, Mary, and His most beloved disciple. Speaking to the
two, He said first, "Woman, behold your son," and then, to the
disciple, "Behold your mother."
(1) The hot midday sun continued to beat down mercilessly on that
horrible scene. Our Lord's suffering must have been unimaginable.
But then, suddenly, at noon, darkness fell over the entire land, blotting
out all light.
For
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