This was part of a series of dramatic monologues that people in my parish were asked to come up with for the Stations of the Cross yesterday. Each Station was presented by a voice of someone who was present there, and was followed by a meditation and a prayer. This was mine, and there were many that were much much better.
Second Station Jesus Takes Up His Cross
John 19:13-17
When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge’s bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon. He said to the Jews, ‘Here is your King!’ They cried out, ‘Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!’ Pilate asked them, ‘Shall I crucify your King?’ The chief priests answered, ‘We have no king but the emperor.’ Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.
My name is Pollo. Sergeant in the tenth century, second cohort, Third Legion. Twenty years service, marched clear across the empire and back three times in that. Seen a thing or two, I can tell you.
I remember because it was Passover, lots of strangers in Jerusalem, things were on edge and the high mucky mucks in the Palace wanted extra security. So me and my lads drew extra duty, out in the crowds, watching things and then when they arrested that fellow, Jesus, well, it was all a mess, wasn’t it?
I had trouble with the new recruits, cuz they was all nervous, with the crowds shouting and all. And Pilate, him mucking around being indecisive, and asking the crowd what they wanted, this Jesus or Barabbas. I wouldn’t have done it that way, no sir. I would have had me lads wade into the crowd, swords out, settle them down, show em Rome was boss, that’s my style. Anyway, that was above my pay grade, wasn’t it.
So it was decided, like, and Centurion Quintus, he brings this Jesus over to me, and says, Pollo, here’s your man, get him up the hill smart like, and I saluted and said yes sir, like you does. Now I could see that Pilate’s guard had roughed him up bad, which was a problem for me, since he still had a way to walk and him being all messed up, well that was my problem now. Wasn’t fair, was it? So I says, Right, sunny Jim, there’s your lumber, get hauling. It wasn’t the whole cross, see, just the beam that they nailed the arms to, the poles were fixed in the ground. Our lads what did the crucifying, they were pros, they could get twenty men raised up high in a morning and still have time for dice and wine.
Now normally, they’re all Boo hoo, I have a wife and child, have mercy but this Jesus was quiet, just stood there, quiet, like a lamb, which was odd, so I looks at him, and I thinks, hang on, he’s that same bloke what I saw on the donkey, a week ago, when he came into the city, the crowds all adoring and welcoming him, like. That wasn’t half strange, seeing how they all turned on him, and what was more, he didn’t look like a king, but he looked, I dunno, special, like. Different, y’know? I says to him, Well, your highness, where’s your people now? Not much of a king, are you? And I meant it as a joke, like, but it came out all sad, sympathetic, like, and he just looked at me, then he turned to his cross, like he had his duty, same as me.
I could see him trying to lift the wood like a good un, but he was right played out and finding it hard going. Normally I’d give a fellow a taste of the whip, or have the lads tickle him with spears to get him going, but none of us wanted to do that. Now me, I’m a simple soldier, can’t explain it, but it just seemed, well, wrong. Even Glavus, my youngest soldier, he was even wanting to help this man, can you believe it? Back in ranks, i shouted, and I could see I had to something, and quick. We had to get him up the hill and onto his cross, because those were our orders, weren’t they? We was following orders …
John 19:13-17
When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge’s bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon. He said to the Jews, ‘Here is your King!’ They cried out, ‘Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!’ Pilate asked them, ‘Shall I crucify your King?’ The chief priests answered, ‘We have no king but the emperor.’ Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.
Meditation
For the Romans, the cross was part of a system of brutality and discipline that made their empire work. The men who ran the empire, like the soldier Pollo, had their orders and they did their duty.
Two thousand years later, the world still works that way. Some men made nerve gas and put in bombs, other men loaded the bombs onto planes, and other men dropped those bombs on a village because they had their orders. Then as now, rebellions have to be crushed, power has to be reestablished, kings must protect themselves.
How does Good Friday challenge these earthly systems of power. By lifting the cross to his shoulders and taking it on himself, what does Jesus say about how God’s power works? As Christians, and as the Church, how does Jesus teach us how to live in a world of earthly power?
Prayer
Gracious God, thank you for your son and for his willingness to lift the cross on our behalf. Teach us how we as your people can also embrace the cross, and show the world how your love and grace are the source of your power.
No comments:
Post a Comment