Last Chance to Show Human Pity

When the darkness lifted, Christ became aware again of His physical suffering and said, “I thirst!” One of the Roman soldiers, touched with pity, took a sponge, dipped it in vinegar, and offered it to Him. But the priests mocked His agony. His words, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” they misinterpreted. They said, “This Man is calling for Elijah!” They refused the last opportunity to relieve His sufferings. “Let Him alone,” they said, “let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.”HH 348.2

The spotless Son of God hung upon the cross, His flesh lacerated with stripes, His hands nailed to the wooden bars, His feet spiked to the tree, His royal head pierced by thorns. And all that He endured—the agony that racked His body, and the unutterable anguish that filled His soul at the hiding of His Father’s face—speaks to each child of humanity, declaring, For you the Son of God consents to bear this burden of guilt; for you He plunders the domain of death; for you He opens the gates of Paradise; for you He offers Himself as a sacrifice—from love to you.HH 348.3