The next morning found us on our way back to Jerusalem. Jesus told us that there was something he had to do at the temple. “I’ve been thinking about it all night,” Jesus said. “Solomon would be turning over in his grave if he could see what’s happening inside the temple gates.” I wasn’t…

It was just like Jesus said it would be. Why was I always surprised? John and I arrived in the city, and after several wrong turns, we finally found the house that Jesus had described to us. The front door opened as we approached the house, and a woman and young teen stepped out. “We’ve…

WE heard them coming long before they arrived at the house. Our group never arrived anywhere quietly. The sound of voices and laughter always preceded us. When you had a dozen guys together, there was always a joke being told, an argument being continued, or a story being started or finished. The one thing there…

  The streets were quiet as we made our way through Jerusalem. Most people were home enjoying their meal and celebrating the beginning of the holidays with their family. Even those with less than honourable reasons for being out seemed to be taking the evening off. We encountered the occasional Roman soldier, but even they…

THEY TOOK JESUS to the house of Caiaphas, the High Priest, which seemed a little strange at first, but it was the middle of the night. I watched as they closed the door behind them, and looking around, I saw a group gathered around a fire warming themselves. I stayed at the edge of the…

Stupid, stupid, stupid! He said I would do it, and I did it." And then, to add insult to injury, the rooster crowed, stupid bird. Could anything else go wrong? Looking around to make sure no one heard my betrayal, I turned, looked Jesus straight in the eye, and my world fell apart. His face…

I HAD TO find the rest of the group. But I didn't even know where to start looking. Maybe they went back to Abigail's home. That was the last place we'd been before the garden, but I was so turned around that I wasn't even sure if I could find it again. The streets were…

It was brutal. Two of the soldiers held Jesus’ arms while the third flogged him. They pulled his robe down and beat him with a lead tip scourge. And he didn’t utter a sound. The crowd couldn’t believe it. Public flogging wasn’t uncommon under the Romans, and the screams that accompanied the crack of the…

The soldiers dragged Jesus down the steps and across the street and laid the cross beam prepared for Barabbas across his shoulders. Weak from the lack of sleep and loss of blood, Jesus only took a few steps when the beam fell to the ground. I tried pushing through the crowd, but the Romans had…