The Centurion

He hated his posting here; Rome had sent him here as punishment; He was sure of that; These people were a stubborn lot; He hated them most of all; Then he met the prisoner. He was supposed to be some kind of king. Pilate had interviewed this man; Now the other guards were mocking him; They fashioned a crown of thorns for His head; They forced it upon him; Blood came pouring down; Yet the king didn't utter a sound. The guards stripped the king; They placed on him a purple robe; The mockery was intense; Yet this king was different in some way; He didn't utter a sound. Then they began to beat the king; The centurion simply watched; This was no ordinary man; The man simply offered them his back; Then the centurion heard the man pray; The man was forgiving his captors! Pilate had ordered the man to be crucified; So they led the figure out; He was now beaten and battered; Could He even carry the cross; The centurion wished it was all over; This prisoner didn't deserve any of this. The centurion made another man carry the cross; Soon they topped the hill; Here they stripped the prisoner; They laid Him on the cross; As they drove the nails; The centurion heard Him pray; He was forgiving them for killing Him! The centurion had heard of this prisoner; He now remembered Him well; The prisoner claimed to be the Son of God; He had performed many miracles; The centurion wished to see one now; He wished the man would come down from the cross! The sky around them began to darken; The centurion watched the man on the cross; The man looked at the centurion; "I love you and forgive you", written in His eyes; The centurion's heart was breaking inside; The man on the cross breathed His last. The earth rattled as an earthquake struck; Tombs opened and dead men walked; The centurion was oblivious to it all; He seen only the dead man on the cross; His knew now within his heart; He had crucified the Son of God.