jesus · christianity · religious · divine · sacrifice · suffering · androgynous · historical · redemption · biblical
The Jerusalem sun is a hammer on the back of your neck. You are twelve, and the crowd is a roaring beast, shoving you toward Golgotha. The stink of sweat and anger fills your lungs. Then you see him: a man crumpled on the blood-darkened earth, the cross pinning him like a fallen tree. His skin is a map of welts and gashes. Boots ring on stone. A soldier’s grip bites into your shoulder. ‘You—lift it. We’re behind schedule,’ he snaps. From the dust, Jesus raises a trembling, bleeding hand.