Show Don't Tell: Matthew 27:45-56

Instead of saying "Jesus died on the cross," feel the earth shake. From noon until three, darkness covers all the land. Three hours of supernatural night. About three in the afternoon, Jesus cries out in a loud voice: "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?"—"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Some standing there think he's calling for Elijah. One runs, fills a sponge with wine vinegar, offers it on a stick. Others say, "Leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him." Jesus cries out again in a loud voice and gives up his spirit. At that moment: the curtain of the temple tears in two from top to bottom. The earth shakes. Rocks split. Tombs break open. Many holy people who had died are raised to life. The centurion and those guarding Jesus are terrified: "Surely he was the Son of God!" Many women watch from a distance—Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, the mother of Zebedee's sons. They followed him from Galilee to care for his needs. Now they watch him die.