A Witness at the Cross - Hardcover

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

David and Trina Clark have been married for nine years and have two young children. David has a Masters Degree in Psychology and is licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist. His work as a counselor made him aware of a need for literature that inspires and uplifts people. David has also authored a series of books for young readers entitled: The Ammon Adventures.

Trina is a book cover designer and an oil painting artist. She is also an at home mother with their two daughters.

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Experience the crucifixion of Jesus Christ as told by Darius, the Roman centurion who presided at Calvary. Mark records (in Mark 15:39) that after the death of Jesus Christ, the centurion who stood at the cross was heard to say, "Truly, this man was the Son of God." What thoughts and feelings ran through the heart and mind of this veteran soldier? He had been trained to kill by the Great Roman Empire, yet he testified of the divinity of Jesus Christ after he executed Him.

The scriptures come to life in this story about the crucifixion, atonement, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. You will find yourself drawn into the events and empathizing with the men and women who were there.

Darius wanted nothing to do with the God of Israel when he came to Jerusalem. He did not even believe in Roman gods. To him, all religions were a waste of time. His time at the cross, however, set in motion a series of events that would change his life forever.

Following the execution, Darius sets out to discover more about the Son of God. His discussions with Pontius Pilate, Joseph of Aramathea, and others lead him to seek out Peter. He hopes that Peter can answer his questions and teach him about the gospel of Jesus Christ. If he finds his answers and becomes converted, Darius will stand as a witness of Jesus Christ.

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Jesus Christ looked down from where He hung on the cross. A few of His faithful followers were gathered amongst the crowd who stood, mocking the Lord. Below Him the cruel soldiers who had nailed Him to the cross stood at their posts. He had come in the meridian of time. He had preached His gospel. He had atoned for the sins of the world. Having suffered the will of the Father in all things, it was time now to end His mortal ministry.

Through the physical agony and exhaustion that gripped His body, Jesus gathered the strength to lift His head toward the heavens. He spoke in a loud voice, startling the Roman soldiers below. "It is finished. Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit." He bowed His head and died.

The Roman soldiers stared in amazement at the limp body of Jesus Christ hanging on the cross above them. They had crucified hundreds, even thousands, of men. They had seen people die in every way possible. Never before, however, had they witnessed such an event. This Jesus of Nazareth, whom they had personally nailed to the cross, seemed to have decreed the moment of His own death.

Darius also stared in awe at the body on the cross. He didn't like what he saw. The sight of the body itself didn't bother him. Neither did the cruel torture preceding the crucifixion or the crucifixion itself. Administering pain and death was his job, and such suffering had no effect on him. What worried him was how Jesus had seemed to command the moment of His own death. More disturbing was that He had spoken to His father in order to do so. The centurion had heard the angry cries of the Jews. He knew that this man had declared Himself to be the Son of God. The Jews only had one God, but they feared Him greatly.

"Be careful, Darius," the centurion said quietly to himself. "If Jesus truly was the Son of God then something else will happen."

Darius' thoughts turned back to when the sun had darkened. Darius had been afraid during the hours of darkness, but had not expressed his fear. To show fear would be to lose the respect of his men at the cross with him. You couldn't lead men whose respect you didn't command. Darius had simply hidden his fear and told his men to keep a close watch on the crosses, lest someone use the darkness to free the condemned men. The earlier questions returned to Darius' thoughts. Could the hours of darkness have been related to the crucifixion of this man? Could He really be the Son of Israel's God? Darius had seriously considered the possibility, but he refused to fully accept it. If Jesus had been the Son of God, then God would have rescued Him before the crucifixion was complete.

Darius clung to his skepticism like a child to a blanket. It kept him safe. While Darius had been raised to believe the stories of the gods, he had decided that the stories could not be trusted. For many years, he had only truly believed that which he had seen with his own eyes.

Now with his own eyes, Darius had seen this man, who had professed to be the Son of God, decree the moment of His own death. If He were the Son of Israel's God, then Israel's God would be very angry. Darius looked around. Nothing else seemed unusual about the scene. If Jesus Christ had been the Son of God, there would certainly be a reaction from the forces of nature at His death. As the darkness was a response to Christ being lifted up on the cross, there would certainly be a response to His death.

Darius began to relax a little. Though it had only been a few moments since the death of Jesus Christ, something momentous certainly would have already happened if He had been more than a man.

The ground began to shake.

The earthquake was sudden and violent, tossing the soldiers to the ground. Darius himself was thrown into the cross to which the body of Jesus Christ was nailed. The course wood of the cross cut open the length of his forearm as he struck the cross. As the earthquake continued, Darius fell at the foot of the cross, and lay on the ground that heaved so violently beneath him, looking up at the man he had just executed. He could hear the horrible sounds that filled the air: the low grumbling of the earth beneath him; the random beat of boulders being torn from mountains and pounding their way down mountain slopes; and the terrified screams of people scrambling for safety when none could be found. There was no safety, for the Earth itself was unleashing its destructive power.