Regional accent
If you take a look outside the city you’ll find a hill, looking like a skull. There was a time when some stunted olive poles, just about the height of a man stood awaiting the morning justice. They had some blood stains, but were otherwise just there. The poles were rough wood, not finished, and why should they be after all it was a death only for the lowest of society, the outcasts.
Some men were coming up the hill, one of them was black, he carried his cross. No it wasn’t for him, but someone else, that looked like a walking escapee from a bomb blast. I couldn’t see much flesh left on him. It must have been some vicious crime against the state.
Ah I could see it now - treason. Yes he deserved all that was coming.
He had set himself up as a king. No Herod wouldn’t like that, nor would my boss.
Still we’ve got work to do. Get his cloths off fellows - we don’t want dignity here. Roman Justice is good. It works for you and against you. You get it wrong and its the chop, you get it right and its up and away. This man got it wrong. So we punish them - reminds all the others not to do the same.
So we have peace and all works in harmony - King of the Jews eh.
Bung that sign on top - don’t use the big nails - haven’t got many left.
Tie the arms on the post, don’t worry about the muck getting in his back, Serve him right for getting it wrong. Use the nails in the box Antichous - I’ll get some more ordered. This Olive tree is bad wood, splits if your not careful.
Alright then lift him up, drop the cross beam in place
Sit his backside on the post, Remember to get the legs in the right position Right angles to the post - yes that right. Never mind the noise. Shouldn’t have crossed the Roman system
So there he was - the criminal of the day - must have been treason
I looked into his face and only then did I see It wasn’t marked like all the others - that recognisable bitterness and hatred. I just saw love; It was like he loved me. He was hanging, contorted with spasms of pain, blood dripping from .. everywhere. He just looked back at me and I knew he loved me - I was a Roman he was a Jew
The rest of the day just paled into insignificance against the feeling of wretchedness. It was me - I had nailed Him to the cross and nailed his ankles to the post. He was special - I’d no idea why he was there now, except we Romans had done the deed.
I operated by training for the rest of the day.
'Then then', They were all saying - ‘Get yourself down, you clever man’. ‘Show us your miracles now’
I forced the tears back - how could they have rejected this man so much?
Couldn’t they see his eyes. He said ‘Father forgive them, they have no idea’
My troops cast lots for his garments - they were so good - they didn’t want to tear them.
I wanted to shout - STOP - but my training got in the way. He’d been convicted and that was that. And there he was - still thinking about others, he let one of the men look after his mother. I had never seen anything like it - nothing at all. There was peace and serenity in that man, you could see his contorted muscles, The disjointed bones, we were used to that. All the others were writhing and shouting.
He said he was thirsty, so I gave orders to let him drink, it was the least I could do.
He Shouted something in Hebrew or similar, sounded like he was calling for something. The people around jeered ‘leave him - lets see if Elijah will come for him’
I felt - yes me a Roman - Don’t you know who this is you foolish people.
I looked again - He was dead. Then I knew.
It became so dark, The earth shook. I was scared - in all the fighting and death I had seen, I had never felt frightened like this. Oh yes - I shook to. This man had power. He must have been - yes - what they said. This man was what he was - The son of God
I then gathered my troops and said ‘Do you realise - that man WAS the Son of God’.
And then I wept, I knew what he had done, and I knew what we had done. He had done nothing wrong, we had killed him, yes us and those local officials too. I was pleased when they took the body away, with great dignity to - he deserved that. I still had tears in my eyes - I wanted to know him. How could I know this great man?