This is a story that I made up and is not found anywhere in the Bible, but hopefully this will please God and give someone hope and comfort.
NOTE: There will probably be grammar mistakes that I will fix later.
Although he could not see them, Ezri could feel the vultures circling above his head. And although nails had been driven through his wrists and feet, he had grown numb to the physical pain; the only pain he felt now was in his heart.
He had sinned because he put his trust in thieves and murderers instead of the Lord. He had grown tired of being ruled by the Romans and decided to take matters into his own hands instead of waiting for the Messiah to come and deliver them. He followed Barabbas, a very sinful man, and believed in him, but their leader abandoned them when the tides began to turn in favor of the Romans. He and twenty other rebels were captured and sentenced to death without even being allowed a trial, and they were to die in the most excruciatingly way: by crucifixion.
To his right, the other crucified rebels cursed the Romans and even God in their dying moments, but he remained silent. As he hung there, he thought about his family. His mother didn't even know that her only son was nailed to a cross and dying with the scum of the Earth, or at least he prayed that she hadn't found out yet and never would. He didn't want her to live with the shame of knowing that her child was a murderer. And those men that he killed, they had families as well, mothers who have had to bury their own sons because of him.
It had been nearly a day since they nailed him to the cross, and the people who passed by would give him looks of disgust and contempt. Some did pity him and prayed to God that he would die much quicker, but their compassion and prayers did not soothe him even the slightest. He feared what awaited him after death. After what he had done, he was beyond redemption. His hands were stained with blood, and he rejected God, so of course He would reject him as well. He would never see the glory of Heaven or the feel the warmth of the Lord's embrace. He would suffer for all eternity for his transgressions, surrounded and tormented daily by the demonic servants of the Fallen One.
All of a sudden he heard one of the rebels shout hoarsely, "My God! It's Him! He has come at last!"
He raised his head and turned to look at what his comrade was yelling about. A group of thirteen men, Galileans, walked on the dirt road alongside the row of crosses. He immediately recognized the one who was leading them: Jesus of Nazareth.
Ezri first saw the rabbi preaching to a multitude back in Galilee and was deeply moved by His sermons. He even considered following Him and becoming His disciple, but Barabbas eventually convinced him that freeing Israel was much more important than serving a holy man. A few months later, he heard about the miracles and wonders that Jesus had performed and regretted his decision to not follow Him. This Man was without a doubt the Messiah, the Great Deliverer, the One that Moses and the other great prophets spoke of. But before he could turn from his path and go after Him, he was captured by the Romans.
And now he was to be seen in this shameful state by God's own Son.
The other rebels on the crosses began to beg Him for freedom and salvation. "Messiah! Messiah! Free us! Save us from death! Messiah! Messiah! Deliver us!"
Jesus glanced up at each and every one of them as He walked by, His eyes full of sorrow and compassion, but He did nothing to help them and continued down the road. This angered the other rebels, who now spat curses at Him.
Ezri felt his chest tighten with dread as Jesus got closer to his own cross. He wasn't sure if he could even speak to the Messiah. What could he say? He squeezed his eyes shut and bit his lower lip as Jesus passed by the cross right next to his. He couldn't bear to look at Him.
And yet...
Jesus was about to pass by Ezri's cross as well when the young rebel suddenly yelled at the top of his lungs, "JESUS!" And He stopped, much to the surprise of His disciples.
Ezri refused to look at Him, but he continued to shout as loudly as he could. "JESUS! SON OF DAVID! HAVE MERCY ON ME! I HAVE SINNED AGAINST HEAVEN!" Warm tears slid down his cheeks as he lowered his voice. "I have sinned. Please..." He began to sob as he finally opened his eyes to look straight into Jesus'. "Please, Lord...forgive me."
For what felt like an eternity, Jesus stared up at him, but there was no disgust nor condemnation in His eyes; only love. And maybe even...forgiveness? No, that couldn't be. But then the corners of His mouth lifted into a warm smile and He began to approach the cross. His disciples called after Him, warning Him not to get any closer, but He ignored them.
Then He reached up and gently touched Ezri's nailed feet, the criminal's blood now on His hands. Ezri turned his head and felt so ashamed. How could the Son of God touch him and get His hands dirty?
But then Jesus said in a loving voice, "Son, your sins are forgiven."
As soon as he heard those words, Ezri saw a vision. He saw Jesus nailed to a cross as well, wearing a crown of thorns and beaten beyond recognition, but His eyes were still the same. It was a horrendous yet glorious sight, and Ezri felt a warmth that grew in his chest and quickly spread throughout his entire body. He knew that this was God's love and that he had been forgiven.
The vision ended as soon as Jesus let go of his feet, but Ezri still felt the warmth in his soul, and he started to weep again, only this time it was out of joy and laughter was even mixed in.
Jesus gave him one final smile before He continued on His way, His disciples following after Him.
The other rebels looked at Ezri like he was crazy as he began to praise Jesus. The rebel right next to him shouted, "Hey! Hey, Ezri! What's wrong with you?! How could you praise Him?! He didn't save you!"
"That's right!" another rebel shouted. "And He's not the Messiah! We were fools to believe that He was!"
Ezri looked over at them with a peaceful smile, no longer afraid of death. "No, He is the Messiah. And He has saved me."
…
If you are still looking for your purpose in life and want to change your ways, I suggest going to a pastor, preferably a Pentecostal one. God bless you and thank you for reading.