There was something different about this Man. He seemed to almost relish the cross He carried. He touched it as if with a caress. As I stretched out His hand, He looked at me with something that almost looked like compassion... In place of fear, I saw determination. More like an athlete nearing the end of a competition than a criminal nearing the end of life.
Of course, that didn’t stop the scream of pain when I drove the spike. Or the gasps of pain and labored breathing as we hoisted the cross and unceremoniously dropped it in the ground.
As He hung there, I heard Him ask His God to forgive us - not Himself, the convicted criminal, but to forgive us! He looked straight at me as He painfully groaned, “Forgive them, for they know not what they do”. Watching this Man – hearing Him – seeing how He approached His own death as if reaching for a prize… reading the sign that was placed above His head… All of that, perhaps, would not have been enough.
But then I heard Him speaking to the man hanging next to Him. This brutally disfigured mouth that slowly grunted out the words between agonizing breaths spoke to the man; “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” Moments later the sky went black, the sun seemingly disappeared - hiding its light as if in mourning. And as the ground shook, it seemed as if the whole world was crumbling around me.
His final words I will never forget. He said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit” and “It is finished!” That’s when I finally realized – this was no criminal. Unthinking, and in a wonder-filled voice, I heard myself exclaim: “Certainly this was a righteous Man!”
I’ve never forgotten the terrible, wonderful events of that day. I’ve also never regretted being there for it.
#LoveMatters