I am a soldier, first and foremost. I serve Rome as part of the military, but my main job is to make sure that the prisoners remain alive until they come to trial. Most of them are thieves. Some have committed serious crimes, like murder, treason or worse. Rome doesn’t have time or space for the scum that try to stir rebellion in the streets. They spread their own ideas in hopes of gaining a following and then you never see them again. Many times, the leaders of the Jewish religious community quickly dispose of the troublemakers. The church has great influence you see. They might even include passing of bribes or payment for information regarding those who could cause problems for them. It wasn’t a perfect system, but it seemed to work. The only good thing about my experience as a jailer was being able to leave the prison and go home at the end of the day. The souls I left behind would have to remain and wallow in their misery.

You would not believe the horrors I experience each day. The prison cells are nothing like the jails of your time. These had been used and reused for many years. They weren’t sanitized or even slightly cleaned. The sweat, blood, tears and other bodily fluids of the prisoners remained as each new one came in. The stench was overwhelming. Since they were confined to their cells, you can’t begin to imagine what I was exposed to. It would’ve been easier to endure the battlefield.

As I walked through the city streets one late afternoon, I noticed one of my fellow soldiers, kneeling at the feet of a common man. It certainly looked strange. Usually, the general population would cower at the feet of law enforcement. There was a strong presence of the military in the city streets. Rome insisted on it. I watched and listened as the soldier begged for help from this man. I’d seen this commoner before. He was one of those who had been inciting the crowds. He spoke to the desperate soldier, saying he would come to his house and heal the servant. The soldier rose to his feet and took the stranger’s hand. He said he was convinced his servant was already healed simply by this man’s command.

I later discovered that the man was named Jesus. Jesus admired the soldier’s faith and healed his servant without any physical intervention. Just a simple word and a miracle occurred. I thought about those suffering back in the jail. My heart suddenly ached for them and the chains that held them. It was something I’d never experienced. I heard Jesus words many times after that. He spoke about compassion and loving our enemies. I had been taught from an early age, to fight those who cause trouble, not to love them. The chains that held me captive were finally released. I realized that this was not just another religious fanatic. It changed the way I felt about my job, my family, my own life. I was no longer a prisoner to those things. My own bonds were set free, by the Messiah who had come to save everyone.