Jesus Was on the Cross About Six Hours
Jesus’ final hours on the cross lasted from approximately 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., a period about six hours. “The chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked Him. ‘He saved other,’ they said, 'but He can’t save Himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let Him come down now from the cross and we will believe in Him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue Him now if HE wants Him, for He said, ‘I am the Son of God’” (Matthew 27:41-43). Answering the question of how long Jesus was on the cross is complicated by the fact that two systems of marking time are used in the Gospels. Matthew, Mark and Luke use the Jewish system of marking time. John uses the Roman System. Using the Jewish system, Mark says, “They crucified Him and divided His garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. And it was the third hour when they crucified Him” (Mark 15:24-25). According to this, Christ’s crucifixion began at 9:00 a.m. Also, using the Jewish system of marking time, Matthew says that “from the sixth hour there was darkness over the land until the ninth hour” (Matthew 27:45). That is, the darkness lasted from 12 noon to 3 p.m. This was Jesus’ final hours on the cross.