Time to die

The sun beat down mercilessly on his back, every muscle screaming in agony. His wrists felt as if they were on fire, the coarse rope grating against raw flesh. It was a fitting end, he supposed, for a lifetime of stealing and hurting.

He squinted against the glare, taking in the scene before him. A sea of faces, some mocking, some pitying, swam in his blurred vision. Beside him, his partner in crime, hurling insults at the guards and the gathered crowd, his voice a hoarse rasp. But he could find no fight left in him.

His eyes drifted to the figure in the middle. The Nazarene, they called him. Even in this moment of extreme suffering, his face held an impossible serenity. There was no anger, no fear. Just a deep well of sorrow that reached out and touched something within his tormented soul.

Memories flickered through his mind, ghosts of a wasted life. The stolen coins that never brought happiness, the empty promises, the betrayals. He’d always been chasing something, but the satisfaction had always slipped through his fingers like sand.

He’d never thought much about God. It wasn’t something that concerned his kind. But here, with death staring him in the face, the reality of his guilt hit him with brutal force. He was a thief, a liar, a sinner through and through. He deserved this agonising death.

But the Nazarene… He was different. Even his partner, in his anger, had spoken of his miracles, his kindness. He had seen it too, in the brief moments before their capture. There was an aura of purity about him, an innocence that made him feel even more wretched.

Was it too late? How could it have gone so wrong? Can I escape my responsibility? No I am guilty. I am on my own. It is time to die, to pay for my crimes. And yet, the Nazarene, he talked of forgiveness. Ask him, ask him, ask. Just ask. But what if he says no. He is my last hope.

A sob caught in his throat. “Lord,” he choked out, the word unfamiliar on his lips, “remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

The Nazarene turned his head, his eyes meeting his. There was no condemnation in that gaze, only compassion. A gentle smile touched his lips. “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

A wave of peace washed over him, soothing his pain and his fear. It was the first true peace he’d ever known. He closed his eyes, a single tear rolling down his cheek. He was guilty, yes, but he was forgiven. And today, he would enter paradise.