Hello everyone! This piece is based off of the accounts in Matthew 27: 45-54 and Luke 23:26-49. I have quoted some verses, but, for the record, the Roman soldier's thoughts in this piece are not based on any historical records.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I hope you enjoy. God bless you.

Bluebonnet

His Motivation

The young Roman soldier stared at all that was happening around him and felt a wave of panic rise up in him. It had been dark since midday, and now the earth was shaking violently all around him. Rocks were splitting and bystanders were crying out and fleeing. The young soldier threw down his spear with every intent of following them when he heard the bellowing command of his captain.

"Hold your ground men!"

The young man looked at his captain, seeking reassurance, but saw the same paralyzing fear he felt mirrored on his superior's face.

Why is all this happening?

He tore his eyes away from the chaos around him to look up at the beaten and bloodied man hanging on the center cross. Something deep within his soul told him that this man was tied to what was happening. There was something powerful occurring here today.

He had heard the rumors about this carpenter from Nazareth. He knew that the man had earned a reputation as a wise teacher, something the Jewish religious leaders had resented, and although the young man was merely a soldier and not a politician, even he could recognize that someone was attempting to eliminate a man who had become a threat.

Unfortunately, during his short career in the Roman ranks, the soldier had witnessed many innocents being executed, but, compared to the others, this man was…different. The soldier's mind flashed back to the moment when the Jewish carpenter, hanging on the rough wooden cross with splinters tearing into his back, had looked down at the people below him, accepting their insults without comment. His voice full of anguish and his eyes brimming with pain, he had cried out, "Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing."

What did this mean? How could any man ask for the forgiveness of those who demanded nothing but his death? And who was this great Father that he had cried out to. As far as the young man knew, the Jews believed their God was the only one capable of forgiving sins…Had he been crying out to God?

He again looked up at the figure hanging limply on the cross, this time noticing one of the criminals next to him. The young soldier thought back to the moment hours before when the criminal had asked the man to remember him when he entered his kingdom. Such a request had surprised the young soldier, for this local of Nazareth was not royalty but a carpenter and at most a well-known teacher. However, the young soldier knew that he would never forget the man's response. He had strained to look over at the criminal and the soldier had seen, through the agony and pain in the man's eyes, a love so intense yet so gentle that it had taken his breath away. The man had simply said, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."

As far as the soldier knew, this Jew had no kingdom, but even if he had, the fact that someone would be willing to give a criminal, the scum of the earth, the chance to live in paradise made no sense to the young man. Were there not countless people more worthy of such a reward? Why did he give such a treasure to someone so unworthy so freely? What was his motivation?

As the young man looked up at the cross it dawned on him. The confusion lifted from his heart and he felt as if the curtain which had separated him from the Truth for so long had finally been torn in two. What else could it possibly be? The soldier smiled. The motivation was love! But not just any love. It was a love so intense, so steady, and so strong that this man had been willing to suffer persecution and torture and had even faced death, all to save a lowly mob of unworthy people.

The young soldier had been wrong earlier. Not even the most blameless man was worthy of such a reward. Nay, it was not a reward, for a reward is earned, but a gift, and through his faith, that lowly criminal on the nearby cross had been given it freely. The young man fell to his knees, and, taking off his helmet, let it fall to the ground. No mere man could be capable of such love…

"Surely this Jesus is the Son of God!"