Some soldiers took Jesus to the place where all the other soldiers lived. They got all their friends to come outside and watch what was going to happen. The soldiers took off Jesus' clothes and put a sheet around him, so it looked like a king's robe. Then they made a painful crown from a thorn-bush and pushed it onto Jesus' head. They put a stick in his hand to make him look important and silly at the same time. Then the soldiers teased him. They knelt down and pretended they were impressed by Jesus. 'Long live the King of God's people,' the soldiers said, but they spat on him. They took the stick they had given him away. They used it to hit him hard on the head, again and again.When the soldiers had finished picking on Jesus, they took away the sheet they had put on him. They put Jesus' own clothes back on him. Then they took him away to kill him.

As the soldiers were taking Jesus away to kill him, they met a man called Simon. They made Simon carry something they were going to use to kill Jesus. When they got to the place where they were going to kill Jesus, they gave him a drink. Jesus tasted it but wouldn't drink it. They started to torture Jesus to death. While he was dying the soldiers played a game to see who would keep Jesus' clothes after he was dead. Then they sat down to watch him die. They put a sign up over Jesus' head to tease him. The sign said, 'This is Jesus, the King of God's People.' The soldiers killed two bad men at the same time as Jesus, because the men stole things from people. They put one bad man on Jesus' right and the other on Jesus' left. People who were walking past said rude things to Jesus. 'You told us you are so strong. Prove it! Rescue yourself from dying. You told us you are God's Son. Prove it! Rescue yourself from dying.'

The leaders of the people teased Jesus the same way. They said, 'He rescued other people but he can't rescue himself! He says he's the King of God's people. We will believe him if he proves it by not dying. He trusts God. He says, "I am God's Son." If he is telling the truth, God will rescue him.' The bad men who were dying with Jesus also said lots of rude things to him.

Everything went dark from the middle of the day until the middle of the afternoon. Then Jesus called out in a loud voice, 'My God, my God, why have you left me all on my own?'

Some of the people who were standing near thought Jesus was calling for help. One of them ran to get Jesus a drink. He gave it to Jesus. Then the others said, 'Leave Jesus alone. Let's see if God sends someone to rescue him.'

After Jesus called out again in a loud voice, he died.

At exactly the same time, the door to the big church in God's city broke open. There was an earthquake. Many good people who had died came out of their graves to life again. Later, after God made Jesus alive again, many people saw these good people who had come back to life walking around in God's city.

The leader of the soldiers, and the people who were with him, saw the earthquake and everything that happened. They were very, very scared and said, 'He must have been God's Son after all.'