Wood and Nails and their uses -part 1 and 2

Wood and Nails and their uses -part 1 and 2

fiction
edward w pritchard

part 1


The businessman must know his inventory, and as a carpenter Jesus' inventory would have been wood. During his apprenticeship with his Father he would learn the strengths and uses of various kinds of wood, and as a practicing craftsman he would choose carefully a particular type of wood for a specific job, and the characteristics and value of types of wood would be close to Jesus. Later, when Jesus traveled about the Country as a teacher, after a career change, his trained eye would note the workmanship of a fine piece of furniture, or might consider the best type of local woods for sundry uses, and he might for diversion as he traveled speak with local people about local trees and their value as product.

A soldier's talk is direct and his strength is his ability to follow orders and complete a task without second guessing or judgment.

The Roman soldier who nailed Jesus to the cross would have done it before and have a quick and practical way to get through the unpleasant task. More than likely, the soldier would from habit not look at the  unfortunate victim of the crucifixion, preferring to focus his attention on his hammer and nails; and perform the task methodically, much like a doctor or nurse in our time might give a patient a shot in the spine prior to surgery. Jesus' hands would be strong and sinewy from long years as a carpenter and would hold a nail and that would make the soldiers task easier.

Having dragged the heavy cross for several hundred yards Jesus would have had time to think about the structural qualities and weight of the wood that the cross was composed of. Perhaps he had used the same type of wood to span a long gap in a high ceiling or as a header above a window in the past. Also a hammer and nails would be familiar to Jesus, and as a boy Jesus might have sorted and straighten bent nails, and might note the quality of the Roman hammer. Jesus would watch the soldier pound the nails into his flesh and he might have made a comment to the Roman soldier.

The soldier looking at his hammer and nails would feel the powerful eyes of Jesus upon his hands and face and his eye would be drawn to Jesus. As Jesus watched the soldier pounding nails into his hands, despite his troubles and pain, Jesus would seek to comfort the soldier in the terrible task. Jesus would say a few words and that would be the last person to person conversation Jesus would have with Humanity while alive.

Later would the soldier help to raise Jesus on the cross to his full height and then help lower the dead man from the cross. While this was routine for roman soldiers, more than likely the soldier would remember Jesus. It is unlikely that any soldier ever heard a crucifixion victim forgive them verbally during the pain of death on the cross.

During the rest of his life that Roman soldier would remember Jesus' gaze and last few words as he went about his duties that day as a roman soldier on the day that Jesus was crucified. The simple soldier might ask one of his officers what Jesus' forgiveness on the cross had meant and why he had said it. Likely the officer would look away and say more to himself that Jesus-es message could be profound, for the officer would have heard about Jesus from the commotion leading to his arrest, and then the officer would look at the soldier in anger and order him back to work.
end part 1

part 2

The Roman soldier who nailed the Nazarene know as Jesus Christ on the cross was working on an Egyptian style water raising device when I approached his modest farm. I work directly for Caesar and I am one of his elite assassins and I have journeyed a very long way out here to Judea to terminate this humble Roman soldier. Of course I must be careful for any Roman soldier even an old worn out retired one is a dangerous adversary, and I know from my research that this tired old man was in many battles. However, seeing this old soldier as I approach him at his work I sense a weariness and resignation to death about this man, who I will execute in a few minutes.

Being resourceful, I offer to fix the waterwheel for I trained as an engineer as a boy and until the age of twelve I dreamed of working on the Roman aqueducts. As you have guessed I am tinkering with this water device for myself, for my curiosity and for my inventiveness, since in a few minutes this man I work with here and now and talk to with utmost respect will be dead, as I have orders to kill him directly from Caesar. As we work I begin to ask the old soldier about his campaigns and he quickly draws reference to the death of Jesus of Nazareth since as he says he has not ceased to remember the crucifixion of Jesus Christ for more than one hour in the last 14 years. It being fourteen years since He nailed the spikes into the dead preachers hands back in Old Jerusalem.

This man definitely believes Jesus to be divine and he has tortured himself psychologically as few humans can over an action they took, and it is surprising as this is to put it kindly just an uneducated hick, a good soldier once but a man incapable of logic or reasoning. Now however, this tired soldier tortures himself with what he calls his part in the worse blasphemy in history, the death of the son of God.

I killed the old soldier with dignity. I ran him through the left chest with my sword a quick and merciful way to die. Now however, I carry his burden for he told me the last words Jesus said to him in private as he nailed his hands on his cross. I keep obsessing of the ramifications of Jesus words to this simple soldier who was crucifying him. I am no simple soldier, or hick, for I have studied philosophy in Greece and at Ephesus. Still the message is profound. Forgive your enemies. An unusual thing to say during a crucifixion.

I have decided not to return to my duties in Rome. After I buried the dead soldier I have decided to stay on here at the farm and finish fixing this water wheel and think and study on Jesus' last words to the man I just executed. It will give me something to do until my assassin comes for me for not returning to my duties as an assassin for Caesar.
end