Brutus and the Empty Tomb

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My name is Brutus, and I am a Roman soldier.

Soldiers are brave and trained to obey orders. But one week in Jerusalem, I saw some things I will never forget.

I had heard a lot about Jesus. I heard about his many miracles. I heard that he healed many sick people. But now I know that he MUST be the Son of God!

I was one of the soldiers that arrested Jesus in the garden. We brought him to the religious rulers where he was accused of all sorts of things. They could not find any fault with him so we marched him over to Pilate who was the Roman governor at the time.

As He was led through the city, people shouted at Him. Some mocked Him. Some cried for Him. I watched quietly and wondered why so many people hated a man who had helped so many others.

Jesus was condemned to death, so I was ordered to go to a hill called Calvary where he was to be crucified.

There, Jesus was nailed to a cross.

I had seen criminals crucified before. Usually they cursed, screamed, and fought. But Jesus was different.

Even while He was suffering, He prayed for the people hurting Him.

"Father, forgive them," He said.

I could hardly believe my ears.

At exactly mid-day, darkness covered the whole land.

People stopped talking.

The crowd became uneasy.

Some looked at the sky in fear.

I gripped my spear tightly.

"What is happening?" one soldier whispered.

No one answered.

The darkness lasted for 3 long hours.

Then Jesus cried out with a loud voice and said, "It is finished!"

Then He died.

Suddenly the ground beneath my feet shook violently.

An earthquake!

The rocks cracked.

Fear swept through the crowd.

As I stared at Jesus, I realized, "This man truly was the Son of God."

Later that evening, Jesus' body was taken down and placed in a tomb. A huge stone was rolled across the entrance.

The religious leaders worried that His followers might steal his body and pretend He had risen, so Pilate ordered the tomb to be secured.

Some soldiers and myself were assigned to guard the entrance.

For two days, everything was quiet.

The stone remained in place.

Then, before sunrise on the third day, the ground shook again.

A brilliant light appeared.

A big powerful angel from heaven came down and rolled away the huge stone from the tomb.

The other soldiers and myself were terrified!

We fell to the ground and could not move.

But as I stared at the open tomb, I realized that the angel had not come to let Jesus out.

Jesus was already gone!

The stone was rolled away so everyone could see that the tomb was empty.

Just as Jesus had promised, He had risen from the dead after three days.

The prophecy had come true!

From that day on, I became fully convinced that Jesus was the Son of God.

Full Story

My name is Brutus, and I am a Roman soldier. Soldiers are brave and trained to obey orders. But one week in Jerusalem, I saw some things I will never forget. I had heard a lot about Jesus. I heard about his many miracles. I heard that he healed many sick people. But now I know that he MUST be the Son of God! I was one of the soldiers that arrested Jesus in the garden. We brought him to the religious rulers where he was accused of all sorts of things. They could not find any fault with him so we marched him over to Pilate who was the Roman governor at the time. As He was led through the city, people shouted at Him. Some mocked Him. Some cried for Him. I watched quietly and wondered why so many people hated a man who had helped so many others. Jesus was condemned to death, so I was ordered to go to a hill called Calvary where he was to be crucified. There, Jesus was nailed to a cross. I had seen criminals crucified before. Usually they cursed, screamed, and fought. But Jesus was different. Even while He was suffering, He prayed for the people hurting Him. "Father, forgive them," He said. I could hardly believe my ears. At exactly mid-day, darkness covered the whole land. People stopped talking. The crowd became uneasy. Some looked at the sky in fear. I gripped my spear tightly. "What is happening?" one soldier whispered. No one answered. The darkness lasted for 3 long hours. Then Jesus cried out with a loud voice and said, "It is finished!" Then He died. Suddenly the ground beneath my feet shook violently. An earthquake! The rocks cracked. Fear swept through the crowd. As I stared at Jesus, I realized, "This man truly was the Son of God." Later that evening, Jesus' body was taken down and placed in a tomb. A huge stone was rolled across the entrance. The religious leaders worried that His followers might steal his body and pretend He had risen, so Pilate ordered the tomb to be secured. Some soldiers and myself were assigned to guard the entrance. For two days, everything was quiet. The stone remained in place. Then, before sunrise on the third day, the ground shook again. A brilliant light appeared. A big powerful angel from heaven came down and rolled away the huge stone from the tomb. The other soldiers and myself were terrified! We fell to the ground and could not move. But as I stared at the open tomb, I realized that the angel had not come to let Jesus out. Jesus was already gone! The stone was rolled away so everyone could see that the tomb was empty. Just as Jesus had promised, He had risen from the dead after three days. The prophecy had come true! From that day on, I became fully convinced that Jesus was the Son of God. ### Memory Verse "He isn't here! God has raised him to life." — Luke 24:6 (CEV)

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