The Good Servant

The sun has risen and the guards sitting across my cell are now in a flurry of activity. It's going to be a big day for all of us. Today is Crucifixion Day. Three men, all condemned to death, will be marched across town, carrying wooden beams on their backs, all the way up to the place of the skull - Golgotha, where they will be stripped of their clothes, their hands nailed to the beams they will be carrying, and their feet nailed to the posts from which they will hang.

Never before has man seen punishment as brutal as a Roman crucifixion. It doesn't just rob a man of his life, but of his dignity as well. And this will be my final penalty - penalty for sins I did not commit. But I cannot back out now, not when I can almost see the prize that will be handed down from heaven - not for myself, but for the entire human race. My body is starting to fail, yet my Spirit remains strong. And as long as I have breath in my lungs, I will continue with what I have set out to do. I must, or all else...everything will be for naught.

The soldiers are now preparing the beams that will soon be strapped to our backs; laughing and joking about the forthcoming activities. It's nothing new to them. Most of them are veterans to this gruesome event. They're immune to its horrors. Little do they know that what they are about to do today will set in motion a chain of events that will impact not only them, not only this day, not only this empire, but the whole world, for generations and generations to come, up until the end of time.

I see one of the higher ranking officers walk into the courtyard and the soldiers quickly jump to their feet, standing at attention. I recognize him immediately. He's the Centurion whose servant I had once healed. I should pity him for being part of this doomed regime. But I have seen his heart and I know he will be one of the first Gentiles to be saved. In fact, he will be a defender of the faith, bringing countless people into the light. After a while, the Centurion turns his head towards my cell, sorrow written on his weathered face. He's been asking about me. He dismisses the soldiers and slowly walks towards me.

He stops just a few paces from my cell. I can feel the struggle raging inside him. He's trying to remain composed, to not show weakness in front of his fellow soldiers. Yet the tears rimming his eyes are proof of his compassion for me. I want to reach out and comfort him. But I must also conserve whatever energy I have left. I must have enough strength to see this through. I try to at least smile, to assure him that I understand his dilemma. But my face, being too battered from the beatings I received last night, sends pain cascading through my body with just a twitching of my lips.

"Teacher, is that you?" the Centurion asks, his voice ragged with emotion.

His question surprises me. Does he not recognize me? Has he so easily forgotten? Then, I remember. Ah, yes! Those blows that pummeled my face must have already disfigured me. My face is probably beyond recognition, even to those who know me personally. My left eye is now swollen shut and my lips are puffy, cut in several places. My nose is not broken, but it, too, is swollen to twice its normal size. Perhaps, even the woman who gave birth to me will not even see the son she so loves in this mutilated face of a man. I sigh and shards of pain shoot to my sides. Even breathing hurts now. I wonder how long it will take this fragile shell to finally give out. I raise my hand, ignoring the sharp stab at my side. Thankfully, it is enough for the Centurion.

He bows his head and mutters under his breath, "I'm so sorry, Teacher. I was not there to defend you."

Inwardly, I smile. He really is a good man and I do not have the heart to tell him that there was nothing he could have done. Everything that is happening now has been pre-ordained even from the creation of the world. And no one, except I, can stop it. I need only say one word and Legions of Angels will descend upon this land to whisk me off to safety. But, if I do that, then Man will truly be doomed.