Arturo …The Guard of the Tomb

 This is a reprint from my book, THE JOURNEY OF JESUS, As Told by Those He Touched  Along the Way, by W. Patrick Queen

Arturo …The Guard of the Tomb

At last this horrible crucifixion was over, so I gathered my men and began the march back to the guard’s barracks. It had been a harrowing night and day leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus…and now we all deserved some much needed rest…but alas, that was not to be.

We had barely made our way back to the Palace walls when I was summoned by Pilate. He had been petitioned by a man, a follower of Jesus by the name of Joseph, of the village of Arimathea, to have the body of Jesus released to him for a quick and hasty burial before the start of the Jewish Sabbath. So, I gathered a small detachment of my men and headed with him back to the Hill. We arrived and quickly took the body of Jesus down and wrapped him in some linen sheets for his transport to the tomb….at last we were done with this man…whoever he was….son of God or innocent dupe….he was no longer my concern…or at least that’s what I thought. We marched back to the garrison and I set the guards for the rest of our duty and then, I went to bed. I was dogged tired yet, I could not sleep. I could not get the face nor the words of this man Jesus out of my mind; “Father, forgive them” and “It is finished”….what was finished and how could a mortal man endure such pain and agony and ask that his executors be forgiven?

I finally seemed to drift into an uncomfortable and fitful sleep when I was abruptly awakened by one of my men; seems I was being summoned to Pilate’s court again. I dressed hastily and hurried to the courtyard where I was ushered into the presence of my liege. Pilate was surrounded by the same yammering mob of Pharisees that had clamored for the death of Jesus and now they wanted a Roman guarded posted to keep out his disciples…they were afraid that his disciples would steal his body within the next three days and make claims that Jesus had risen from the dead. They listed several times that they say Jesus had made such claims and somehow,  they had convinced Pilate that such a commotion would be bad for him and the keeping of the peace during the Passover days. Pilate gave me my orders and instructed me to go with 11 of my men to post a full watch over the tomb…that meant 24 hours of guarding a dead man…and for what…..to appease a group of malcontents that hated our very existence in their land….but, I had my orders.

I posted the first watch and then went over to the hillside there in the garden. I found a grassy knoll that peered across the valley of Kidron and settled in for the hours that lay ahead. I checked on the guards periodically and made sure that the tomb was secure and that the seal had not been broken. Now, all that could be done was to spend another night and the three days would have passed….and then, maybe, I would be finished with this Jesus once and for all. I set the mid-watch and fell asleep for what seemed like only minutes when, I was awakened to the violent shaking of the ground …it reminded me of that day…just days before at Calvary when the ground shook and was split open. There was a bright light and I saw standing before me, a man or some angelic being, clothed all in white. I turned away for I feared that he had come to take my life. I threw myself on the ground and felt it tremble underneath my shaking body…it was hard to tell who was shaking more; me or the ground. I dared not look up in fear that I might be blinded by such a fearsome light.

Now, I have been in many great and ferocious battles in my life…and I have been frightened many times before; but never in my life have I been this terrified of what was about to happen. Was I about to die at the hand of this man robed in white or was there some escape from this doom that was set before me? I lay perfectly still, hoping that this being might think me already dead….I kept my head still and lay motionless, afraid to look around. I could sense that my men had deserted their post and fled in terror at the first sight of this creature. I was all alone…awaiting my eventual doom….but as I lay there, still and lifeless, I heard voices ….women’s voices.

I decided to risk it all; so, I slowly rose to my feet and looked up. The great stone that my men and I had rolled into the mouth of the tomb was now rolled away…and sitting upon it was the same man of white brilliance. He spoke softly to a small band of women…the same women that had been at the foot of the cross of Jesus …I heard him say that Jesus was not there….that He had risen and was alive and was going before them and would see them in Galilee…and then he commanded them to go and tell his disciples that He had risen from the dead….and then, the man, robed in white, was gone.

I stood there motionless, as the women peered into the tomb and then rushed by me as they hurried from the garden. I inched slowly toward the tomb, the huge stone rolled over twenty feet from the mouth of the grave, and then, I walked inside. I can hardly describe what I saw next….nor my astonished reaction….the tomb was empty…except for the neatly folded linen and face napkin…Jesus was indeed…GONE!

As a soldier, I knew what this meant….I had failed my assigned duties and I would pay dearly for my dereliction of duty (and so would my men); but, as a mortal man who was in complete control of my intelligent faculties, I knew a miracle had taken place. My men and I had guarded this tomb with our lives and no one had breached our security…BUT THE TOMB WAS EMPTY…and I had seen with my own eyes, the stone rolled away and a being, not of this realm, seated upon it….and he proclaimed, in no uncertain terms that Jesus was alive…I was left with the same conclusion that I remember saying at the time of his death…..

Truly, this man was the son of God!

Today, you are faced with the same unequivocal evidence that the Roman centurion saw as he stood before the cross of Jesus and then later, as he peered into Christ’s empty tomb….Truly, this man…this Jesus so despised by the maddening throng….this man of sorrows… is the son of God.

Now, we may never know, this side of heaven, if that centurion’s declaration of Jesus as the Son of God sealed his place in God’s eternal home, but today,  you can know for yourself….if you will accept his blood shed for your remission of sin and if you will peer into that empty tomb and believe that Christ has been raised from the dead….then, Easter is your time of thanksgiving and eternal celebration….Jesus said many times, “He who has ears, let him hear.”

Are you listening today for the voice of the risen Savior....Pleading, O sinner, come home?

Declaring the Risen Lord….Savior and Friend,

 WPQ

On Golgotha's Hill ....The Old Rugged Cross

 This is an excerpt from the book, THE JOURNEY OF JESUS...As Told by Those He Touched Along the Way! by W. Patrick Queen

As Jesus hangs upon the cross, a small crowd begins to gather to see this spectacle. For some it is the culmination of their hatred for this man who claimed to be the Son of God...and now he is receiving His just dues for such blasphemy. Others have gathered to tell this Man of Sorrow how much He is loved. And hanging on either side are two men, criminals receiving their payment for their deeds done against the Roman empire. One jeers but one calls on Jesus and he is.....

Reuben ….Rebel of Conviction
I have been dreading this day and yet, knowing that it was inevitable, it gave me a sense of strength and purpose. Killing that Roman guard after what he did to my mother and my sister…well, he got what he deserved…and now, according to Roman law, I will get what I deserve. But, this man, Jesus? I can’t believe that he is hanging next to me? What crime are they punishing him for….healing the sick, making the lame to walk or the blind to see? My death; I get it! And I would do it all over again to avenge my mother and sister. But why Jesus? I heard their accusations; watched as Pilate had him beaten beyond recognition, then washed his hands of this whole fiasco. And these religious hypocrites clamoring for him to be crucified…they should be the ones hanging next to me, not Jesus. Even now, they scoff at him and beg the soldiers to take down the sign hung there by orders from Pilate…”Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the Jews.” The soldiers have stripped him naked and cast lots for his purple robe and yet, I heard him say, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”

Who is this man that even on this cruel cross he pleads for those that would kill him? And you….you vile serpent ….you are getting just what you deserve…a sentence to death and damnation….do not mock this man. For He is innocent and does not deserve the same fate as you and I. Would you mock God and fear Him not? Leave him alone and let him die without the haunting screech of a condemned man ringing in his ears….but King Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom and do not count my sins against me. And then He did the unthinkable; he raised himself upon the nails; looked at me with his loving eyes and said, “It will be so. Today, you will be with me in paradise.”

By now, it was near noon and I was beginning to lose some of my strength and my will to live was beginning to falter. The sky began to darken and it became like night…the sun seemed blotted from the sky. The women at the foot of Jesus’ cross kept reaching up to touch Him as they held onto each other, sobbing and calling out for God to save His Son. Then, as the darkness seemed to deepen, Jesus called out in a voice that shook the heavens above and made the foundations of the earth quake. He cried out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” The sky grew darker still and the heavens opened up with torrential rain. The rocks seemed to split open as the whole earth shook. Then, with all the strength He had left He shouted once more, “Father, It is finished! Into your hands I commit my spirit.”

And in that last breath, He was gone. I heard the centurion who had stood guard at His feet, turn and tell all those who were still there, “Surely this man was the Son of God.” Then I turned and looked away…. for I, a guilty, sinful man, was not worthy to gaze upon the Son of God.

Maybe, today as you read this confession of the criminal that hung beside Jesus there on Golgotha's hill, you know that like him, YOU ARE GUILTY OF CRIMES AGAINST A HOLY AND RIGHTEOUS GOD...and God Almighty says that such crimes are punishable by death, utter destruction and an eternity spent forever in a place called HELL. But praise be to our Heavenly Father that loved us so much that He drove the nails in His own Son's hands and feet so that His sacrifice on the cross would pay our debt and set us free to once again become the sons and daughters of the living God...and that is the story of Easter and the crucifixion ...JESUS DIED FOR YOU AND ME SO THAT WE MIGHT BECOME HOLY AND ACCEPTABLE TO OUR HEAVENLY FATHER THROUGH WHAT HE ENDURED ON THE CROSS...but there is more to the rest of this story.

Blessed to be a child of the King...living in the Resurrected Glory of the Son,
WPQ

Come back this weekend and hear the glorious story of the Resurrection of King Jesus!!!

At the Foot of the Cross

The road known as the Via Dolorosa now looms imminent for Jesus. The Roman guards have beaten Him, spat upon Him, slapping Him in the face as they mocked Him; adorned Him with a crown of thorns and a purple robe. It is now 9 A.M. and Jesus has been nailed to the cross. The Romans did not invent the cross, but they made it the most excruciating and painful way to die ever invented in the history of mankind. The crucifixion took place on Golgotha's Hill, just outside the city, so all who passed by one the way into the city had to view this horrible scene. And there at the foot of the cross was....

Mary…..The Mother of Woe

I stand here at the foot of this hill to see my son, my firstborn hanging on this cruel cross and my heart is torn from my body. It only seems like days ago that I birthed him on that blessed evening, the cattle lowing in the background as I laid him in that manger. I knew he was Heaven’s child as I held him in my arms and sang a mother’s lullaby. Oh, how my heart leapt for joy as Joseph and I stood over our son and prayed for God’s blessing and faithfulness. As I nursed and nurtured him, he grew into a strong and well-mannered child. I still remember the visit from the Magi with their precious gifts, our trips to the synagogue for his Bar Mitzvah and the Passover sacrifices. I remember the panic I felt when we could not find him for three days …and the look of peace and serenity on his face when he told us that he must be about His Father’s business. Though puzzled by his remark, I was so happy to have my precious Jesus in my arms again that I even failed to scold him. Even now, as he labors to breathe, his thoughts and concerns are for me…to give me to his beloved friend, John, so that I may be cared for in the days that are left for me. He told me, so many times, that this day would come…a day when sinful, deceitful men would triumph and he would give his life as a ransom for many….and for me….my Jesus….my son….my Messiah. (An excerpt from THE JOURNEY OF JESUS...As Told by Those He Touched Along the Way by W. Patrick Queen)

Please be sure to read the post that follows as we meet the criminals that were crucified with Jesus...one on the right and one on the left.....and Christ was the man in the middle.

Pilate…Clean Hands, Cold Heart.

The following is an excerpt from a book by W. Patrick Queen, entitled,  

THE JOURNEY OF JESUS...As Told by Those He  Touched Along the Way!

Pilate…Clean Hands, Cold Heart.

I hate this desolate, barren land. It is worse than a boil on the backside of their wretched camels. Why would I, a captain of Caesars’ very own Elite Guard, end up in a place like this? What could I have possibly done to displease him that would merit such punishment? Governor of this region is certainly not what I was hoping to have as my reward for my last great victory. Surely, my time here will be short and my interactions with these Jews will soon be over.

And yet, here they are again….these weak, insignificant peasants; religious pontificators whining about some homeless prophet that they can’t control. It’s barely daylight and already they would summon me from my slumber to decide the punishment for this Jesus. I should have them all dragged into the palace and made to bow at my feet…it is of no consequence to me that they would be unfit for their Passover feast. But, let’s get this over with so I can get back to more important matters.

I went out to them, into the courtyard and listened as they brought witness after witness to regale how this Jesus had excited the crowds to follow him; had turned out the moneychangers and the livestock from their beloved temple…so I told them to take him and judge him by their puny Jewish laws. They refused since for them it was unlawful to crucify anyone. I found no fault in him; but better to let the local ruler have this on him than me …so I sent him to Herod….and in only a matter of hours, Jesus was standing in front of me again.

So I asked him, “Tell me, are you the King of the Jews?” ...and his answer puzzled me; “Are you asking this of your own accord or have others told you about me?” I told him that I was not a Jew and it didn’t matter to me…. That it was his own nation and High Priest that had brought him to me and that I had the power to have him killed or let him go. He told me that His kingdom was not of this world and when I questioned him about this, he told me that he was here to testify to the truth…whatever that meant, I really wasn’t sure. So, I sought to return him to the Jews for I found no legal grounds on which to condemn him….but they shouted me down and called out to release the rebel, Barabbas, according to the custom of the Passover to release one criminal from bondage.

I sent Jesus away and had the captain of the battalion beat and flog him…they placed a crown of thorns on his head and wrapped a purple cloth around him, all the while mocking him, punching him and asking, “if you are a prophet, tell us who hit you.” I then brought him back before the assembly of the Jewish leaders and the ever-growing crowd and told them once again that I could find no grounds to merit a conviction. 

He stood before them, wearing that purple robe and his kingly crown of thorns and I said, “Behold, here is the man!” I was really not prepared for this angry mob as they screamed out … “CRUCIFY HIM, CRUCIFY HIM!” I silenced them and told them to take him away and kill him according to their laws for I found nothing in this man that deserved his death by crucifixion ….but they would not be silenced.

What happened next gave me great pause for concern…they told me that he must die according to their rabbinical law…for he had proclaimed himself to be Son of God. Now, I am a god-fearing man that worships many Gods and I was not willing to take the chance that this man might actually be the son of one of them, so I brought him back into the inner chamber and asked him once again, “Where are you from? Who are you? Are you the Son of God?”…but, he just stood before me and offered nothing in his defense. I reminded him that it was within my powers to release him or to have him crucified, yet he told me that I had no authority over him had it not been given to me from above.

 This was not an ordinary man and I did all within my powers to release him…I truly desired to let him go with the beating that he had endured and a strong reprimand not to appear before me again. I took him back to the courtyard with every intention to silence the Jews and to let Jesus go, but they cried out even louder that if I did such a thing, I was no friend of Caesar. I could not let this anarchy go on any longer, for word might return to Rome that I was unable to control these weak-minded Jews…so I presented them with the King, yet they shouted even more, “Away with him. We have no King but Caesar. Crucify Jesus!”

So, I did what expedient. I called for a basin of water, and there before this angry mob and the gods of Rome, I washed my hands of his innocent blood…then, I gave Jesus over to them so that he should be crucified.

It had to be done. I had no choice. I had sworn an oath to Rome and to Caesar to protect this horrible land and to keep the peace. If I failed to give this mob what they wanted, many would probably die trying to restore order and I would be held responsible for their deaths…but my conscience was clear; I had tried to release Jesus …I had done all that I could to let him go, but my duty to Rome came first. After all, I am a soldier and soldiers follow orders no matter how unpleasant they might be. I did all that was possible that day…his death was not my fault!

Today, is that what you have been telling yourself….that Jesus’ death was NOT YOUR FAULT? It was not your decision to send Him to his death… to have Him bludgeoned to within an inch of his life, nailed to a rugged tree and hung between two thieves. Have you tried to wash his innocent blood from your hands and declare that you, too, have a clear conscience?

If so, you have missed the meaning of the cross….Christ may have chosen the nails, but it was your sins that swung the hammer…you and I were the ones that drove those spikes deep into the flesh of Jesus. God requires that we come to Him, holy and acceptable; Jesus accomplished that for us by giving himself as a blood sacrifice on the cross. Now, we must accept our part in His death….it was our sin that put Him there;  it is our pride that keeps us from accepting the fact that WE NEED A SAVIOR!!!!

Don’t let pride keep you from knowing Jesus and accepting what He accomplished for you on Calvary…He is just a heartbeat away ….and so is eternity without Him!

Sorrow-filled for my part  … forgiven and forever His,

WPQ

 

 

 

 

 

The Torture of the Cross...Part Two

NOW, THE REST OF THE STORY….as Dr. Alexander Metherell continues,

 Once a person is hanging on the cross in the vertical position, crucifixion is an agonizing slow death by asphyxiation. The stresses that are placed on the muscles and the diaphragm in the inhaled position are acute; one, literally, must push up on his feet so the tension in the muscles is eased for a moment, allowing him to exhale. Each rise and fall upon the nail causes the flesh to tear in the foot until it eventually locks against the tarsal bone. Each breath was labored and exhaustive as Christ would scrape his bloodied back against the rough, coarse wood of the cross. As his breathing slowed, a medical condition known as respiratory acidosis occurs…carbon dioxide in the blood is dissolved as carbonic acid which causes an irregular heartbeat. This faint, but irregular heartbeat, would have been known by Jesus and He would have known the very minute of his death before he uttered, “Lord, into Thy Hands I commit my Spirit.” Death would have been sure, but not to a Roman guard. So, upon examination, the soldier took a spear and thrust it in his side, between his ribs, through his lung and into his heart.

A spear thrust into the heart of God….because of me.

All that has been described is because of ME....MY SIN…..MY SHAME...MY FAILURES….MY PLACE.

That cross was meant for me …and you. Each labored breath, as Christ rose upon that nail, bearing the weight of the sin of the world on his shoulders was placed their because of YOUR SIN AND MINE. He did not have to die; rather He chose to take my place. At any moment, he could have spoken just one word….COME, and the entire heavenly host would have left the glories of heaven in a mass assault against the darkness and evil of that crucifixion. But, he did not cry out for the angels. NO! He would rather have endured the torture and the shame of that cross than have to spend eternity without you and me. He spoke but one phrase that resounded throughout the heavenly realm…..IT IS FINISHED....and with that last breath, He glorified the Father and brought us into right standing with God because HE CHOSE THE NAILS!

He gave His life to pay a debt He did not owe, for sins He did not commit. And now the torture, the pain, the suffering of the Crucifixion matters not at all …if you and I fail to accept what Christ did to claim us as His own. Do you belong to Him or was His death wasted? Was the pain of this horrific event just a bad story in the history of the world or does it have a personal significance to you? Do you know my Jesus of the Cross or is His life and death of little importance in the greater scheme of your life?

The work has been done…it is finished….and the Christ of Calvary is RISEN.

Is He Alive in You Today?…..if not, let’s talk …the sooner, the better 

Blessed ….Because of the Cross, Saved Because He Loved Us That Much!

 

WPQ

The Torture of the Cross Part One

 The following is a reprint of  a former post....and on the celebration that follows at the end of this week, it is important to understand the great cost of our jubilation that comes at Easter.

I just finished reading Lee Strobel’s book, The Case for Christ…a legal journalist’s personal investigation of the evidence for Jesus. I read it all with a great hunger to see how he would treat the historical and empirical evidence regarding Christ. It is a compelling read, a must for every believer….not to bring you to faith, but to give greater clarity to what you already believe.

One chapter really tore me up….it dealt with the medical evidence regarding the torture and crucifixion of my Lord. I was NOT prepared for the insight of this chapter and the vivid picture that was indelibly imprinted in my heart and soul. The expert, Dr. Alexander Metherell, shared the weight of his medical and scientific credentials to set aside any thought that somehow the crucifixion of Christ was a staged event…that He swooned upon the cross, was pronounced dead and then was revived after he was taken down from the cross and put in a cool tomb.

As I read the following, I came to the stark realization of what Christ endured upon the cross so that I might be saved…

The torture before the cross is enough to kill most men, thirty-nine lashes or more depending on the mood of the soldier. The beating began at the shoulders, down the back, the buttocks and the legs; each lash with this braided leather thong embedded with metal balls and chards of bone literally ripping the flesh away, exposing bones, muscles, veins and often vital organs. The prisoner enters hypovolemic shock often fainting and dying from massive blood loss. Christ, already at the point of exhaustion and collapse, was in serious to critical condition, but he did not succumb to death (we have the written text regarding the Crucifixion). The soldiers would have laid Christ on a horizontal beam and nailed a 5-7 inch spike into each wrist just below the palm…to have nailed it into his palm would have been futile… his weight would have torn the skin and he would fallen from the cross. The Romans knew the nature of this business all too well.

The pain from this action would have been UNBEARABLE. Imagine, if you can, that feeling of pain that you get when you hit the ulna nerve (your funny bone). It’s extremely painful when you bang your elbow, even if only a glancing blow. What if someone could grab that nerve with a pair of pliers and squeeze and twist without letting go…the effect would be similar to what Jesus endured. In fact, the pain was so unbearable that there was literally no word to describe it; they had to invent a new word…. EXCRUCIATING, meaning, “Out of the Cross”. 

Think on that for just a moment if you can…the pain that Christ endured on the cross for you and for me was so unbearable, so life-devastating, so beyond words….that they had to create a word that would somehow capture the intense anguish and pain caused during the crucifixion….

THEN….Jesus was hoisted on the crossbar to be attached to the vertical stake having his feet nailed in the same manner, crushing and impaling the nerves in his feet. The weight of his body would have immediately pulled and stretched his arms, probably six inches in length and would have dislocated his shoulders…now death by asphyxiation had begun….

Tomorrow, we’ll examine the rest of the story… and how it impacts you and me.

Blessed by the Savior,

WPQ