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FIVE INTERVIEWS 1974 YEARS AGO IN THE MOST TRAGIC WEEK IN HISTORY
I met them in my fantasy: they were there present, they saw everything as a matter of fact even participated in the event. I approached them to ask them some questions to hear from their own mouth the impressions of the tragic events.
We are in Jerusalem 1974
years ago, the week before the Jewish Passover.
SUNDAY BEFORE PASSOVER – A BoyThe crowd in front of the
Temple is dispersing. The ground is covered with palm and olive branches. A young boy walks in front of me and I want to call him over. He looks energetic and has dust all over his clothes. What am I going to ask him. Wait, he's coming my way.
"Did you see what a day we had today? I never saw anything like that before. I loved it and cut some palm and olive branches from the trees.... look, I even bruised my legs while climbing the trees, but I'm very happy. I was there in front of Him and He even smiled at me. I was shouting loud praising Him and now I lost my voice. You know what? There was a man who tried to stop us and you know what Jesus told him? He said: 'If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!'. It was a day of joy, but His smile, yes, the smile that Jesus gave me - I'll never forget it."
THURSDAY EVENING - Apostle
I can see the door of the hall where Christ had His last Supper opening up. Hold it, they are coming out, yes, Jesus and eleven men with Him. It's getting quite dark already but the moon is illuminating the streets. It looks like one of the Apostles forgot something and comes out a few seconds after the others. He's coming out now. I'm going to ask him for his impressions. He seems very sad.
"I can't explain, but the Master seems upset. He said He's going to leave us .... I can't understand. And it's not the first time he told us that. Did you see His triumphant entry a few days ago? I think that in a short time, everyone will follow Him. There's something though that I couldn't understand this evening: at one moment, our Master took a piece of bread, blessed it and said: "This is my body." Then He took a glass of wine and said: "This is my blood which will be shed...." Shed??? Does that mean He's going to die? How about the sermons on love He delivered this evening? Excuse me, I have to go to catch up with the others. We're going to the Getsemani to pray...."
GOOD FRIDAY - A Centurion
I met him after the soldiers returned back from their duties on Golghota. He's removing his uniform. He seems very sad.
"You want my impressions? It was a horrible day, in fact the worse in my life. This is a cursed country!... You ask me why they killed him? Go and ask Pilate. That man we crucified was not a criminal like the other two. He was the Son of God and I can attest to it. Tell me, have you ever seen a 3 o'clock in the afternoon with the sun disappearing, the earth shaking just because a condemned person shouted 'Into your hands I commit my spirit'? I wish you saw Him as I did! He didn't even whisper one word of hatred, in fact He prayed for us. You see this lance? This went in up to here into His side and in the wound I saw the heart of God. Excuse me but I can't continue."
FRIDAY NIGHT – The same boy of last Sunday
The streets of Jerusalem are packed with people because of the Jewish Passover. But I can't see the usual joy in their faces. When the crowd enters the Temple, they see the huge curtain torn in two.
As I was walking around wandering, I saw the same kid I met last Sunday. But he's now so different; he's not happy at all but very sad and with tears in his eyes.
"Did you see what they did to Him!!! There's nothing we kids could have done. We just looked out of the window and saw Him covered with wounds and carrying the Cross. Afterwards I went running up to Mount Golgota and I saw them crucifying Him. How can they be so cruel? A little while ago, I saw the some soldiers who said will be going to guard His tomb. He loved us kids so much, but now, now.... now they killed Him."
The young boy burst into tears.
EARLY MORNING EASTER SUNDAY - A soldier
Many people are whispering to each other. It looks like something extraordinary has happened. They are saying that the tombs have opened and the bodies of godly people went to Jerusalem and appeared to many in the Temple. I approach another group of people and amongst them there was a soldier talking to them. He is very excited....
"It's unbelievable. I thought it's the end of the world. The large stone covering the tomb rolled by itself - I don't know how. There was like an earthquake and very bright light that came from the tomb. We all ran away. No, no, that Man was not just a human. He rose more powerful than before. He was truly the Son of God. Now, everyone will know that ... and they paid us some money not to say anything ... But they'll never succeed in silencing God. Now, all the world will know, all the world.....!!!"
FIVE INTERVIEWS 1974 YEARS AGO IN THE MOST TRAGIC WEEK IN HISTORY
I met them in my fantasy: they were there present, they saw everything as a matter of fact even participated in the event. I approached them to ask them some questions to hear from their own mouth the impressions of the tragic events.
We are in Jerusalem 1974
years ago, the week before the Jewish Passover.
SUNDAY BEFORE PASSOVER – A BoyThe crowd in front of the
Temple is dispersing. The ground is covered with palm and olive branches. A young boy walks in front of me and I want to call him over. He looks energetic and has dust all over his clothes. What am I going to ask him. Wait, he's coming my way.
"Did you see what a day we had today? I never saw anything like that before. I loved it and cut some palm and olive branches from the trees.... look, I even bruised my legs while climbing the trees, but I'm very happy. I was there in front of Him and He even smiled at me. I was shouting loud praising Him and now I lost my voice. You know what? There was a man who tried to stop us and you know what Jesus told him? He said: 'If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!'. It was a day of joy, but His smile, yes, the smile that Jesus gave me - I'll never forget it."
THURSDAY EVENING - Apostle
I can see the door of the hall where Christ had His last Supper opening up. Hold it, they are coming out, yes, Jesus and eleven men with Him. It's getting quite dark already but the moon is illuminating the streets. It looks like one of the Apostles forgot something and comes out a few seconds after the others. He's coming out now. I'm going to ask him for his impressions. He seems very sad.
"I can't explain, but the Master seems upset. He said He's going to leave us .... I can't understand. And it's not the first time he told us that. Did you see His triumphant entry a few days ago? I think that in a short time, everyone will follow Him. There's something though that I couldn't understand this evening: at one moment, our Master took a piece of bread, blessed it and said: "This is my body." Then He took a glass of wine and said: "This is my blood which will be shed...." Shed??? Does that mean He's going to die? How about the sermons on love He delivered this evening? Excuse me, I have to go to catch up with the others. We're going to the Getsemani to pray...."
GOOD FRIDAY - A Centurion
I met him after the soldiers returned back from their duties on Golghota. He's removing his uniform. He seems very sad.
"You want my impressions? It was a horrible day, in fact the worse in my life. This is a cursed country!... You ask me why they killed him? Go and ask Pilate. That man we crucified was not a criminal like the other two. He was the Son of God and I can attest to it. Tell me, have you ever seen a 3 o'clock in the afternoon with the sun disappearing, the earth shaking just because a condemned person shouted 'Into your hands I commit my spirit'? I wish you saw Him as I did! He didn't even whisper one word of hatred, in fact He prayed for us. You see this lance? This went in up to here into His side and in the wound I saw the heart of God. Excuse me but I can't continue."
FRIDAY NIGHT – The same boy of last Sunday
The streets of Jerusalem are packed with people because of the Jewish Passover. But I can't see the usual joy in their faces. When the crowd enters the Temple, they see the huge curtain torn in two.
As I was walking around wandering, I saw the same kid I met last Sunday. But he's now so different; he's not happy at all but very sad and with tears in his eyes.
"Did you see what they did to Him!!! There's nothing we kids could have done. We just looked out of the window and saw Him covered with wounds and carrying the Cross. Afterwards I went running up to Mount Golgota and I saw them crucifying Him. How can they be so cruel? A little while ago, I saw the some soldiers who said will be going to guard His tomb. He loved us kids so much, but now, now.... now they killed Him."
The young boy burst into tears.
EARLY MORNING EASTER SUNDAY - A soldier
Many people are whispering to each other. It looks like something extraordinary has happened. They are saying that the tombs have opened and the bodies of godly people went to Jerusalem and appeared to many in the Temple. I approach another group of people and amongst them there was a soldier talking to them. He is very excited....
"It's unbelievable. I thought it's the end of the world. The large stone covering the tomb rolled by itself - I don't know how. There was like an earthquake and very bright light that came from the tomb. We all ran away. No, no, that Man was not just a human. He rose more powerful than before. He was truly the Son of God. Now, everyone will know that ... and they paid us some money not to say anything ... But they'll never succeed in silencing God. Now, all the world will know, all the world.....!!!"
