Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: JOIE DE VIVRE (delight in being alive) (08/18/16)
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TITLE: The Cross Maker | Previous Challenge Entry
By Gary Ritter
08/22/16 -
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My carpentry provided a good living. Throughout Jerusalem I gained a reputation of being a dependable craftsman. People came to me with requests, both mundane and unusual, and I produced a product that was pleasing to the eye and reasonable to purchase. Whether it was a simple table or an intricate cabinet, I did the job and enjoyed every minute of the work. Life was good.
It all began to change when the centurion came to my house. “Carpenter, we have need of your services.”
I wasn’t fond of the Romans; who of us Jews were? The occupying force in our country giving me a commission was a double-edged sword. The pay would be more than generous, but what of my name among my people? They’d believe I had sold out. In this case I had no choice.
“Our cross maker has died. You will make our execution crosses.” His stony face brooked no dissent. I wasn’t a rebel and had no desire to cause trouble for my family and myself.
Soon, the needs of my masters consumed my thriving multi-client business. There was much opposition to the Romans among my countrymen, and few days went by that didn’t require one or more of my handiwork. Knowing the suffering and death resulting from each cross I made quickly sapped my delight in life. I slumped into great despondency and couldn’t pull myself out of the pit of depression. I became rich, but lost the love I’d once had for my work.
The knock on my door early that morning didn’t wake me, but it was unusual. I grimaced as my wife and I looked at each other as a premonition overtook me. It was the centurion again. “We need three crosses immediately.”
Fortunately I had two ready to go, and a third required just a bit more work. I quickly finished it, and for a reason not clear to me, I inscribed the words “Ruach Elohim” on it, meaning the Spirit of God. Soldiers took away the crosses, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
Not long after that I heard a commotion on the nearby Via Dolorosa. Curious as to the noise, I wandered into a mass of people lining the way who were shouting, weeping, and praying. Roman cavalrymen pushed back the crowd to open a pathway, trampling those who wouldn’t comply. Three beaten and bloodied men passed before me carrying their crosses. One of them collapsed; I saw his cross held my inscription. He raised his head and our eyes met. In that moment heaven and earth seemed to collide, and a terrible longing to know this man entered my soul. But He was about to die. I could never know Him.
One of the soldiers grabbed someone from the crowd and made him help the one who had fallen. I followed the crowd up to Calvary, wishing with every fiber of my being that I could help this man in some way. Rather, what I had done was to provide the instrument of His death. My shame burned within me.
They crucified Him, and I wept, staying to the end. The day turned black, and fear came over us all. A centurion said, “Surely this man was the Son of God.” In that instant I knew the connection between what I’d cut into the wood and this person hanging from the tree, but it made no sense. How could this happen that God in the flesh was killed?
Even when the sunlight returned, the day remained hazy. It mirrored the confused condition of my mind and heart. I was like that for over forty days.
On Shavuot I joined another crowd that gathered in wonder at hearing a group of men speak to them in every language and tongue. Someone called Peter spoke about Jesus, the one who’d hung from my cross. He told of the Spirit of God, and I believed.
A sensation of joy passed as a wave through me. Life coursed back into my body. I lifted my hands in praise to my Savior.
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God bless~
My only regret is that the word count really limited your ability to show us a more complete picture of him learning about Jesus. That part felt rushed and I don't know how you could have done it any better without more words.
Really nice work, here. Thanks for sharing it with us!