THE OLD RUGGED CROSS

the old rugged cross

He is almost doubled over from the weight of the old rugged cross, and he is climbing a narrow path up a steep hill.  He is bare chested, and his arms are outstretched like bird wings.  With each bend in the road, he begins to stand straighter.  By the time he reaches the top, he is fully upright and vertical yet the cross stays affixed to his back as if glued on.  As I stare at the cross, I see it suddenly transform itself into wings, and when I look back at the man, he is no longer bare chested.  He is now wearing a white robe and looking more like an angel than a man.  Then I see the wings become a cross again, and I watch as he pounds it into the ground. 

Beyond the man is a crowd of spectators who are angry and shaking their fists at him.  They are calling him a traitor and a trouble maker.  Many are trying to push forward to reach him, but another man is holding the group back with his arms.  He is telling them to leave him alone, that he is being punished now and no one else needs to get involved at this point.  “It will only make matters worse” is what he is saying to everyone.  But some are still so upset at what he did to them that they can’t calm down, and a few have to be restrained and taken away.  

When I glance back at the man with the cross, I hear him say the words:  “I am sorry for what I have done.  No one believes me, but I am sorry.  If I could do it all over again, I would take a different path.  I would have forgiven my enemies and tried to make peace with them.  I would have let go of my bitterness and feelings of revenge and tried to love again.  But I have made so many mistakes, and it’s too late to change my ways.  I am ready for my punishment now.”  Then I watch as he backs up to the cross, and two others come over to tie up his arms and his legs. 

As they hammer the nails into his flesh,  I hear what sounds like a woman crying.  I find her in the middle of the crowd.  She is wearing a blue robe and is sitting on the ground holding herself and rocking back and forth, sobbing uncontrollably.  Others have stood back to give her space, but no one is offering to help or comfort her.  Some are asking who she is, and others are just telling everyone to leave her alone.  I hear one man say, “Trust me. She is not worth your time.” 

I glance again at the man on the cross, and he is losing consciousness.  I see him look up toward the heavens for a moment, and then his head drops down suddenly.  The crowd gasps and then grows silent. 

Suddenly, another man appears from behind.  He is pushing himself through the crowd, and I immediately do a double take.  I can’t believe my eyes, but what I see is an exact duplicate of the man who is on the cross.  But this one is very much alive, strong and healthy looking.  As he approaches, he begins to yell orders and demands that the man on the cross be taken down immediately.  He is outraged over what has happened and accuses those in charge of being cruel and barbaric.  He wants to know who authorized this and begins to look closely at all the men standing closest to the cross.  He then points to each one, and asks:  “Did you order this?”  But they all shake their heads and say “Not I”, and just as the man begins to grow angrier, another one emerges from the crowd and says:  “I am the one you are looking for.  Who are you, and who do you think you are questioning my orders?”  

They stare at each other for a moment until the first man finally responds authoritatively:  “I am God, and this man who just died on the cross was my son.  I demand an explanation of what he has done and why he was killed in such a cruel and merciless way.”

The spectators cover their mouths in shock, and all eyes turn toward the second man as he says the following:  “He deserved what he got.  He is guilty of every sin imaginable.  No one here will dispute this.  We all agree with the facts.  He had his day in court, and he was found guilty on ALL counts charged against him.  I only did what any other minister of justice would do.” 

Tears begin to well up in the eyes of the first man, and he says: “I lied to you a minute ago when I said the man on the cross was my son.  That was not my son.  That was me.  And I am not God.  I only pretended to be to fool others and to get my way.  You did the right thing to stop him.  He was out of control and half out of his mind.  I know a part of him actually wanted to get caught and wanted others to find out what he has done.” 

No one knows how to respond to this, and for a moment there is only silence.  Then I hear the voice of the woman who was crying earlier but has now stood up and is moving forward toward the man who claimed to be God.  “Why on earth are you doing this?  Why are you telling everyone who you are now and what you have done?  This is not what we planned, and you are not keeping the promise you made to me.” 

“I have changed my mind,” explained Pontius Pilate. “I can see our first plan is not working with these people, so I decided to try something else instead.  I decided to admit what I have done and hope for their mercy.  Maybe in time they will trust me again, and I can gain my power back later.  This has worked in the past, so I am going to give this a try again.  I believe it’s our only hope.”

 Copyright © 2014 (Michelle Parsons, Getting Back on Your Path). All Rights Reserved.

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