He Never Would Have Guessed

Imagine you’re going to work as a security officer for the day, in a city far from where you grew up. It’s not the life you dreamed of, but at least you stay for free in the barracks and you have enough spare change to send home to your mother who lives on another continent.

You’ve actually gotten pretty good at your job and have risen up to be a supervisor. Though, on occasion, you still have to take the crappy shifts when there are big and unruly crowds and there’s bound to be trouble. This is one of those days.

You see them coming at your post up on the hill - crowds cheering and taunting a few straggling men as they wind their way on the path up towards your perch. One of the three men catches your attention. You see the kindness in his eyes and the earnest words he shares with a few of his friends - even while he’s being pelted with old fruit. He faces his tormentors with dignity, even when they tie him up. Not a mean word escapes his lips, though he’s not afraid to name his pain and suffering. And, what’s that he’s saying? Forgive them, Father, for they do not know what they are doing. Those words - that attitude - those eyes. He’s different.

You never would have guessed your life story would have included a page with this man on it, but here he is, right in front of you. You find yourself tempted to take him down, to help him in some way, even as he’s whispering a final prayer while breathing his last.

How could you have known this would be the day that changed you. You’re not sure where to go from here, but you know it’s not back to work as usual. You are going to need to let your heart out to start wandering a new path in life, even though you’re not sure where it will take you…

And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” - Mark 15:3