Simon and Peter
Simon and Peter were enjoying the Passover in Jerusalem like they had many times before. They could not make every Passover but they made it as often as possible because it was a great distance away from their homes and it was hard for them to get all the way over to Jerusalem. The Passover week was almost over and Simon and Peter were headed across Jerusalem to visit some friends. They were stopped by some soldiers who were escorting men up to Golgotha to be hung on a cross.
As they watched they saw the first two men go by. They knew by what others were saying that the two were murderers and deserved to die on the cross. Then a third man came by, he could barely walk, he had been whipped, hit, slapped and a crown of thorns was placed on his head and pushed down so hard his head was bleeding. Peter recognized him as the man they call the King of the Jews. He remembered hearing that the teachers at the synagog wanted to crucify him because they did not like what he was saying.
Simon said “That man, Jesus of Nazareth, will not make it much farther.”
As soon as Simon finished talking Jesus collapse, he could not go any farther his heart was willing but his body was gone. The soldiers looked around and looked right at Simon and Peter.
Then they grab Simon who was bigger and said “You will carry the cross for this man Jesus because he cannot go any farther.”
Simon had no choice he went over and put the cross on his shoulders and then helped Jesus to his feet. In this way they walk the rest of the way to Golgotha.
Peter tried to follow Simon and Jesus but because of all the other people around him trying to get up on Golgotha Peter ended up a long way behind. When he finally got up to Golgotha it took him a while but he finally found Simon. When he got to Simon he could not believe what he was seeing. Simon was all bent over and in a lot of pain.
Peter said “Come with me Simon, you need to lay down for a while.'
Simon said “ I can't, I have to stay here and see this out.” Then he started to explain “When we got up here I laid the cross down where the soldiers told me to and then I saw them laying Jesus on the cross. That's when it hit me I am partially responsible for putting Jesus on the cross.”
Peter said “Yes, but was not your fault, you were forced into it.”
“It doesn't matter” Simon said “I have to bear some responsibility for my actions. It wasn't so bad until I turn my back and then I heard BANG.......BANG......BANG. They were hammering nails into the hands and feet of Jesus. That was when I really started feeling sick.”
Right then they started lifting up the cross that Jesus was on and putting it in a hole in the ground. When all the crosses were up you could see the signs on the other two crosses they were big lists of all their crimes. Up above the head of Jesus was a small sign all is said was “The King of the Jews.” People were yelling that it was wrong it should say He says He is King of the Jews.
Pontius Pilate said “It stays the way I wrote it.”
People started mocking him and yelling at him to get off the cross and they would follow him. Even one of the prisoners got into it. He said “Jesus get off the cross and take us with you.”
Then Peter heard something in his head. He had no idea where it came from, but this is what it said. “He could have called 10,000 Angels to destroy the world and set him free, he could have called 10,000 Angels but he died alone for you and me.”
Then the other prisoner said “Shut up, we belong here this man doesn't.” Then he turned to Jesus and he said “Jesus, when you come to kingdom make a place for me.”
Jesus said “You will have a place in my kingdom.”
Then Jesus looked up in the heavens and he said “Father forgive them for they don't know what they are doing.”
As soon as Jesus finished speaking Simon said “This must be the King of the Jews no one else could forgive me as easily as he did. As soon as Jesus quit speaking all the pain and guilt I had been feeling was gone.” Simon was standing straight again.
As they watched, Jesus was looking at an older lady and a man standing next to her, he was about the same age as Jesus.
Jesus said “John, take care of Mary as if she was your mother. Mary, go with John he will take care of you as if he was your son.”
Doing this he make sure his mother was taken care of.
A little bit later Jesus said “I am thirsty.”
One of the soldiers put a sponge on the end of his sword and dipped it in a bowl of liquid that was sitting there. Then lifted it up to Jesus. Jesus refused to take it.
Peter told Simon “I asked around and found out that the Roman soldiers mixed up a bowl of painkillers so that when the pain gets too bad they can give it to the men being crucified.
Just about the sixth hour Jesus looked up into the heavens and said “My God, My God, why have you left me.”
Peter thought about it and figured that Jesus had taken all our sins and was taking them down into hell so that he could lay them at the feet of Satan. And when Jesus went into hell he had to go alone so for the first time in his life he was really alone and that was why he said that.
A few minutes later Jesus said “It is finished.” And then he died.
The skies turn black and the curtain in the temple that protects the holy of holies was torn from top to bottom.
About the ninth hour the skies got light again. It was getting close to the Sabbath, so soldiers went around making sure the men was dead so they could be taken down before the Sabbath started. They broke the legs of the prisoners to make sure they were dead. When they got to Jesus they could tell he was dead so all they did was take a spear and jab him in the side. When they pulled the spear out nothing came out of Jesus except water he had no more blood in his body.
A man named Joseph of Arimathea had asked for the body of Jesus and got permission to take it, he put the body in a newly dug cave. Then the Romans rolled a great big heavy stone in front of the cave and left a Roman there to guard it. They wanted to make sure no one took the body so they could claim he rose from the dead.
These are my translations. You will find them no where else.
The words Peter heard in his head were from a song called “Ten Thousand Angels” by Ray Overholt. The song was written in the 1950s. God told me to put the words in and I always try to do what God says.
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