XI.

The Eleventh Station: Jesus Is Crucified


"O my people, what have I done to you? In what have I wearied you? Answer me!"

Micah 6:3


Kara felt a vicious dagger of pain stab her right through the heart.

How could Natalie have done this to her?

They had been friends for as long as Kara could remember. Inseparable. Sharing everything with each other, even their deepest secrets. Trusting each other completely, relying on each other like sisters.

Yet now Natalie had turned on her.

It's nothing, really, just a normal phase, Kara had innocently thought when Natalie had begun to drift away and become more distant. She'll get over it.

But Natalie hadn't. Instead, she had deserted her closest, most loyal friend for that clique of girls consumed with nothing but ugly disdain for anyone outside their circle. She had left Kara as an outcast, forgetting everything they had ever done together and throwing it away like a heap of garbage.

Kara had been hurt by people before. But never like this.

She had had no idea that losing a best friend could be this painful.


Dismus looked down at the gruesome scene below as he hung from his cross atop the hill. He had never seen a man who could take such great suffering with such willing acceptance as Jesus of Nazareth was. Dismus had heard of Him, of the miraculous things He'd done, of the amazing words that He had preached, and had thought that He must truly be a holy man, one sent down from God. But now, watching Him as He screamed upon His cross, Dismus realized that He was much, much more.

He had said that He was the Son of God.

And, looking down upon the agonized face of the man pleading forgiveness for the men driving the nails into his flesh, Dismus knew that He had been telling the truth.

Dismus shook with guilty sobs as he watched the soldiers finish plunging the nails into the poor man's body and then as they hauled the wooden cross upright in between him and Gesmas. He cried out in anguish with every slight movement of his bloody body, and Dismas hung his head in shame.

Why did He have to endure this? He had done nothing wrong, had committed no crime. He didn't deserve any punishment, and yet here He was, crucified between two vile sinners not worthy to even be in His presence.

"The Son of God, are you?!" Dismas lifted his head at the sudden sound of Gesmas' grating voice rising above the din of the crowd gathered below. "If you're the Son of God, come down from there and save yourself, Jesus, King of the Jews!"

He hung His head at the insult, heaving and gasping for breath. Dismas was flooded with pity.

"Leave him alone, Gesmas!" he yelled suddenly through tears. "We deserve this! But He…he has done nothing wrong…if anything, He should be the one condemning us!" He turned and met Jesus' eyes, which were stricken with terrible agony and yet swimming with compassion. Dismas choked with heavy sobs as he looked upon the face of this blameless man who was offering His life up for him, although He didn't have to.

"Oh, Lord," he whispered in an utter plea for forgiveness, "I only ask of You this one thing…remember me when You enter Your Kingdom…"

Jesus held his gaze, His eyes speaking to Dismas without words. Then, He opened his mouth. "Truly…I promise you," he gasped, never breaking eye contact, "that today…you…will be with…me…in Paradise…"

It was as if a great weight had been lifted off Dismas' chest, and suddenly, he cared about his pain no longer.

He had been healed.


Kara couldn't hate her.

No, no matter how easy it would be to despise Natalie for what she'd done, Kara couldn't do it. She loved her friend too much.

At first, she had spent sleepless nights crying for her own self, but somewhere along the line, she'd forgotten all about her own pain and could only think of Natalie's foolish mistake. And so now she cried for her, praying that the greatest friend she'd ever had would one day wake up and realize what she'd done.

It didn't matter what the pain had done to her. Kara would do anything for Natalie, even if Natalie had betrayed her.

Kara would move on, of course. But she would never forget.

Natalie meant too much to her for her to stop caring.