When the darkness lifted, Christ revived to a sense of physical suffering, and said, “I thirst.” One of the Roman soldiers, touched with pity, took a sponge and dipping it in vinegar, offered it to Him. But the priests mocked His agony. His words, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” they misinterpreted. They said, “This man calleth for Elijah.” The last opportunity to relieve His sufferings they refused. “Let be,” they said, “let us see whether Elias will come to save Him.” HLv 504.1
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 frame, 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 spoils the domain of death; for you He opens the gates of Paradise; for you He offers Himself as a sacrifice—from love to you. HLv 504.2