Centurion
If I have seen one criminal die, I have seen a hundred. I am tasked with ensuring they are dead before we end these torturous crucifixions.
Sometimes we leave these worthless men hanging for days, but at times like this, with the Jew’s Holy days coming, Pilate has us rush things a bit. Once he feels they have been sufficiently crushed and humiliated, he will have us break their legs. When it comes to that, these hardened criminals nearly beg for the relief they think death will bring. Breaking their legs brings death in minutes.
But today . . . well, I’ve never seen anything like this before.
There were three trees planted on the hill today, three men facing the price for their crimes against Rome. Left and right were thieves—repeat offenders. Roman law is stern. The more public and harsh the punishment, the more cowed the populous. You don’t need to see many crucifixions to decide to give up a life of crime.
But this One in the center . . . I mean, I’ve seen criminals talk from the cross before, but it’s always been either a plea for mercy, cries of innocence, or, more often than not, it’s bitter and foul refuse flying from their mouths. But His words . . . Even on the cross there was life in them.
Rather than being consumed by His own pain and agony, He looked down and gave the care of His mother to another man. He even seemed to be comforting one of the other criminals while they both struggled for breath.
He didn’t blame, beg, or curse. He forgave. Forgave! Who does that?
“Father, forgive them; they don’t know what they’re doing.”
There was a moment when His agony peaked, but it did not seem related to the pain He was bearing. He cried out:
“My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
If it were possible, it seemed to grow even darker at that moment. Then I felt the rumble; thunder, I thought.
The end is usually ugly, but not for this man.
It was almost like He decided it was time to die and just passed on. When the Jews accused Him and Rome put Him on this cross, they intended to take His life from Him. But when He was ready, He said, “It is finished. Father, take my Spirit. I trust you with it.” And then His breathing stopped. Man intended to take His life, but in the end He gave it up Himself.
That’s when things got really strange.
The rumble returned. The sky was so dark it would be no surprise to hear such a roar from above. But as the rumble grew, things started shaking. It seemed the ground was about to open up and swallow us all!
The earth itself was breaking apart as this Son of glory and sorrow breathed His last.
A breach opened up clear across the city—through the temple and into the graveyard. What a mess! There have been stories of dead men walking the streets. The Jews are in full-blown panic because the breach has compromised their most holy place.
Are these raindrops the tears of a brokenhearted God pouring down to wash away the blood of a millennium of sacrifices?
Truly this was the Son of God.
~~~
To read the original story, see Matthew 27, Mark 15,
Luke 23, and John 19.
The preceding is a chapter from my book Encounters with Jesus. You can pick your copy up at Amazon.com in paperback or for your Kindle. Forty stories that chronical the life of Jesus from the perspective of those he touched.