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Author's Notes: I came up with this story while listening to the song 'Why'. It made me think about what would it have been like to be someone in that time and age when Jesus was crucified. So here is this story. Jesus' crucifixion in the eyes of a fifteen year old girl.
The song at the end is called "Why" by Nichole Nordeman. I don't own it. So don't sue me.
I'm not one who is fit to tell a tale like this, I'm only fifteen years old and I'm a female at that. My name is Sari, and don't get to excited, I'm not very well known in my town. I live a simple life of a girl my age. My father rules the house, my mother has the children, and since I'm the oldest girl, I have the duties of the oldest daughter. I draw water for my mother, who is again pregnant with her fifth child....
But this is not what I'm here to write about. I'm here to write about this man, Jesus. I will try to explain this as well as I can. But people, please know, I'm not fit to tell this and this is only coming from my point of view.
This whole thing started when a man who was supposedly a friend of Jesus betrayed him for a certain amount of money. I believe his name was Judas Iscariot, but I'm not sure. Most of the things I have heard are from rumors, so who knows what is true and what is not. But to make matters worse, they arrested Jesus for basically nothing.
I'm not sure what happened next. As I mentioned before, I'm only a common peasant. I believe he was brought before the high priest's father- in-law, Annas. Apparently, after Jesus answered, one of the officers struck him. They struck him for telling the truth. He was then sent to Caiaphas, the high priest of that year.
They sent him to Pilate after Caiaphas. It amazes me; they send a common man, someone who was only trying to help people with their faith....and because he called himself the Son of God. I believe him; how else was he able to preform all of those miracles? He's the Christ, the Messiah the people have been praying for. This is what I will never get. These people PRAYED for this man....and now they've killed him.
I was present at the whole scene with Pilate. My father and I happened to pass by on the way back from buying food in the town. I could tell that Pilate didn't understand why everyone wanted him dead. They accused Jesus of being a criminal and with every word, my father trembled more and more.
"Take him yourselves," Pilate replied. "Judge him by your own laws."
"We have no right to execute anyone." They objected.
Pilate sighed, walking back inside his palace. A moment later, Jesus was summoned to follow him. My father and I waited anxiously as Pilate spoke with him.
"Father?"
Daddy looked down at me, tears in his brown eyes. His eyes held the answer to my question. He didn't understand it either. His mind was spinning with the fact that they would want to crucify such a great man. He turned as Pilate walked back outside, turning to the Jews. "I find no basis for a charge against this man. It is your custom though, for me to release one prisoner at the time of the Passover. We have two prisoners here. Barabbas and Jesus. Do you want me to release the king of the Jews?"
"Give us Barabbas!" They cried out. "Give us Barabbas!"
A sob escaped my lips as tears poured down my face. "Why?!" I screamed. "Why not Jesus? Barabbas kills your families; Jesus saves you!"
A hand was slapped over my mouth as my father stood there, his face read, obviously embarrassed. He apologized to them, giving me a hard look and began to drag me away. "Sari, keep your voice to yourself. I know you are upset, but you don't need to be yelling, especially at Pilate. If you are not careful, you will end up without a head."
Behind us, we could hear Pilate again saying that he found no basis for a charge against Jesus, and I turned around, immediately regretting it. Jesus stood there, wearing a bright purple robe and a throned crown upon his head. The were flogging him and mocking him by yelling 'Hail, king of the Jews!" The chief priests and their officials were shouting 'Crucify! Crucify!"
Pilate's face fell and sighed again. "You take him and crucify him....as for me, I find no basis for a charge against him."
"We have a law," a person in the crowed yelled. "We have a law. According to that law, Jesus has to die. He claims to be the Son of God."
Pilate tried his best, I will give him that, doing his best to try to convince the people to let Jesus go. But when someone shouted 'If you let his man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be King opposes Caesar.'
Pilate gave up. He sat Jesus on the Pavement. "Here is your king."
"Take him away! Crucify him!"
"Shall I crucify you king?"
"We have no king by Caesar!" the chief priests answered.
Pilate sighed once more and handed Jesus over to be crucified.
I snuck out of the house later, shivering to myself as I saw the sky had almost gone black and I frowned. I followed the crowds that were making there way to a hill....a hill called Calvary. I chocked back a sob, knowing this was a place where countless criminals had been crucified, drying a horrible death. It didn't seem right that Jesus was to hang on that cross.
Some were sobbing, some were screaming at him. Looking closer, I saw a middle aged woman at the foot of the cross, sobbing as she looked up at the man hanging there. Looking between the two, I came to the conclusion it was probably his mother, for there was a slight resemblance between the two. Two there women were standing beside her, along with a man who I learned was a disciple, the one who was said to be loved by Jesus.
I looked above the cross, and my heart sank as a I saw a sign hanging there. In letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew. "THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS"
At the sixth hour after he hung there the whole land was covered in darkness. It wasn't until the ninth hour though, that Jesus finally died. He cried out in a loud voice "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachtani?"
"Listen," Someone next to me said, grinning. "He's calling Elijah."
A man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, and offered it to Jesus to drink. "Now leave him alone. Let's see is Elijah comes down to take him." he said.
Tears fell from my eyes like they had never before as Jesus looked towards the sky, spoke the words 'It is finished', and breathed his last. Since it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be the Sabbath, the Jews asked Pilate to have the legs of the men broken and to have the bodies taken down.
But it seemed though, as the soldiers came to take Jesus down, he had already died, so they didn't break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers ran a spear into his side, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. I cried as they did, feeling someone come up beside me. I looked over, seeing my father. He smiled down at me, tears running down his face.
My only question was why? Why were they screaming and why did the face of them beam as the hung him on that cross? I'm sure everything hurt him more than he showed. And all he had to do to end it all was snap his fingers....and then he would have been at home. Home with his father.
Why? People say that he did it for us....but why would he do it for a world that doesn't even care about what a sacrifice he made for them. But then I think....he did this for us. Because he loved us. And his father loved us so much that he had his own son killed for us.....
And me.....
We rode into town the other day
Just me and my daddy.
He said I’d finally reached that age
And I could ride, next to him on a horse
That of course was not quite as wide.
We heard a crowd of people shouting
And so we stopped to find out why.
There was that man, that my dad said he loved.
But today there was fear in his eyes.
So I said, “Daddy, why are they screaming?
Why are the faces of some of them beaming?
Why is he dressed in that bright purple robe.
I’ll bet that crown hurts him more than he shows.
Daddy, please, can’t you do something?
He looks as though He’s gonna cry.
You said He was stronger, than all of those guys.
Daddy, please tell me why. .
Why does everyone want Him to die?”
Later that day, the sky grew cloudy.
And Daddy said I should go inside.
Somehow he knew things would get stormy
Boy was he right!
But I could not keep from wondering,
If there was something he had to hide.
So after he left, I had to find out.
I was not afraid of getting lost.
So I followed the crowds,
To a hill where I knew men had been killed.
And I heard a voice come from the cross. . .
And it said, “Father, why are they screaming?
Why are the faces of some of the beaming?
Why are they casting their lots for my robe?
This crown of thorns hurts me more than it shows.
Father, please, can’t You do something?
I know that You must hear My cry.
I thought I could handle a cross of this size. . .
Father, remind Me why. .
Why does everyone want Me to die?
Oh, when will I understand why?”
My Precious Son, I hear them screaming,
And I'm watching the face of the enemy beaming.
But soon I will clothe You in robes of My own.
Jesus, this hurts Me much more than You know.
But this dark hour, I must do nothing.
Though I've heard Your unbearable cry....
The power in Your blood, destroys all the lies.
Soon You'll see past their unmerciful eyes.
Look there below, see the child......trembling by her father's side....
Now I can tell you why.....
She is why you must....die...
My God, my God, why hast though forsaken me?