27:39-41
(Verse 39 seqq.) And those passing by were blaspheming him, shaking their heads, and saying, 'Vah! You who destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days, save yourself; if you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.' Similarly, the chief priests, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, 'He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him; for he said, "I am the Son of God."' But he, mocking, says that the foolish people had produced false witnesses.
27:42
(Verse 42.) He saved others, but he cannot save himself. Even unwillingly, the scribes and Pharisees confess that he saved others. Therefore, your own judgment condemns you. For if he, who saved others, had wanted to, he could have saved himself.
27:43
(V. 43) If he is the king of Israel, let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver him now if He wants. For he said, 'I am the Son of God.' A fraudulent promise. What is more difficult, to come down from the cross while still alive, or to rise from the grave when dead? He has risen, and you did not believe. Therefore, even if he were to come down from the cross, you would not believe. But it seems to me that demons are sending him this message. For as soon as the Lord was crucified, they sensed the power of the cross and understood that their powers had been broken. And they are doing this in order for him to come down from the cross. But the Lord, knowing the snares of his adversaries, remains on the cross to destroy the devil.
27:44
(Verse 44) Now even the robbers who were crucified with him were reviling him. Here, in a figurative sense known as σύλληψις, both robbers are depicted as blaspheming him. However, Luke asserts that while one blasphemed, the other confessed, and contrary to expectations, rebuked the blasphemer (Luke 23). It is not that the Gospels are inconsistent; rather, both robbers initially blasphemed, but then, as the sun set and the earth shook, and with rocks splitting and darkness descending, one believed in Jesus and rectified his previous denial with a subsequent confession. Among the two thieves, both the Gentiles and the Jews initially blasphemed the Lord. Later, one of them, struck by the magnitude of the signs, repented and to this day scolds the Jews for blaspheming.
27:45
(Verse 45) But at the sixth hour, darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. Those who wrote against the Gospels suspect a solar eclipse, which usually occurs at certain fixed times, as the reason for the disciples of Christ being misunderstood about the resurrection of the Lord: since a solar eclipse only occurs when the moon is rising. However, there is no doubt that during the time of Passover, the moon was full. And so it would not seem that the shadow of the earth, or the opposite side of the moon, made brief and rusty darkness, is placed in a space of three hours, so that every opportunity of causing harm is removed. And I think this was done in order to fulfill the prophecy, saying: The sun shall go down at noon, and it shall be dark over the earth in broad daylight (Amos 8:9); and in another place: The sun went down while it was still day (Jeremiah 15:9). And it seems to me that the most radiant light of the world, that is, the greater luminary, withdrew its rays so as not to see the Lord hanging, or so that the wicked blasphemers might not enjoy their own light.
27:46
(Verse 46.) And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying: Eli, Eli, lammasabacthani, which means: My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? He made use of the beginning of the twenty-first psalm, and that which is read in the middle of the verse: Look upon me, for it is useless. For it is read in Hebrew: My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? Therefore, those who think that this psalm is spoken from the perspective of David, Esther, or Mordecai are wicked, since the evangelists also understand the testimonies taken from it concerning the Savior, as in: They divided my garments among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots. And another thing: They pierced my hands and my feet. Do not be surprised at the lowly words and the complaints of one who is forsaken, when you see the form of a servant and the scandal of the cross.
27:47
(Verse 47.) But some of those standing there, when they heard it, said: This man is calling Elijah. Not all, but some whom I believe were Roman soldiers, not understanding the nature of the Hebrew language, but from what he said: Eli, Eli, thinking that he was calling Elijah. But if we want to understand the Jews who said this, they do this in their usual way, to dishonor the Lord of weakness, who invokes the aid of Elijah.
27:48
(Verse 48.) And immediately one of them, running, filled a sponge with vinegar and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. And these things were done so that the prophecy would be fulfilled: They gave me vinegar for my thirst (Psalm 68:22). Even to this day, the Jews and all the unbelievers give Jesus vinegar and gall to drink on the Sunday of his resurrection; and they give him wine mixed with myrrh to make him sleepy, so that he does not see their evil.
27:50
(Verse 50.) But Jesus, again crying out with a loud voice, gave up his spirit. It is a sign of divine power to release the spirit, as he himself also said: No one can take my life from me; but I lay it down of my own accord, and I will take it up again (John 10:18).
27:51
(Verse 51.) And behold, the veil of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The veil of the Temple was torn, and all the sacred mysteries of the Law, which were previously covered, were revealed and passed on to the Gentile people. In the Gospel, which we often mention, we read that the threshold of the Temple, of infinite size, was broken and divided. Josephus also reports that the angelic powers, the former guardians of the Temple, together cried out: Let us leave these seats.
27:52
(Verse 52) And the earth shook, and the rocks were split, and the tombs were opened. There is no doubt that this signifies, literally, the magnitude of the signs, such as the crucified Lord and the heavens and the earth, demonstrating everything. But it seems to me that the earthquake and the rest symbolize the belief of the believers, who, having abandoned the vices of their past errors and softened the hardness of their hearts, who were previously like the tombs of the dead, have now recognized the Creator.
27:53
(Verse 53.) And many bodies of saints who had fallen asleep were raised. And coming out of the tombs after his resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. Just as Lazarus, who was dead, rose again, so too many bodies of saints rose again to show the rising of the Lord (John 11). And yet, although the tombs were opened, they did not rise before the Lord rose, so that he would be the firstborn of the resurrection from the dead. But let us understand the holy city, in which they [the risen ones] were seen, either as the heavenly Jerusalem, or as this earthly one, which was previously holy. Just as Matthew is called a tax collector, not because he still remains a tax collector, but because he retains the former title. The city of Jerusalem was called holy because of the temple and the holy of holies, and in distinction from other cities where idols were worshipped. When it is said 'truly', they appeared to many, it is shown that the resurrection was not general, which would appear to everyone: but specific to many, so that those who were worthy could see.
27:54