The Centurion and the Crown of Thorns Read online

About the Book

  A fictional story about the Centurion who, at the foot of the cross, said, 'Truly this was the Son of God.'

  As people leave the scene of the crucifixion, the Centurion, known in this book as Marcus, stays a little longer. While he’s looking up at Jesus who is still nailed to the cross beams, a small earthquake happens. The crown of thorns falls off Jesus’ head and rolls to the feet of Marcus, where it stops.

  As Marcus bends down and touches the crown he senses a strong power coming from it. He immediately feels clean and new, and a great peace comes over him. He doesn’t understand it but he enjoys the feeling.

  He takes the crown home to share his story with his wife, who wants nothing to do with it. After all, she was one of the many who were in the courtyard yelling for Jesus to be crucified. On the other hand, his ten-year-old son is fascinated by what his father tells him, and is intrigued by the crown and wants to learn more.

  Marcus and his son Antony become believers, and Marcus searches out ten Bible prophecies that Jesus has fulfilled. He wants to teach his son many things about their new Messiah.

  The crown not only gives Marcus strength and peace, but it also has healing powers that bring him and his son Antony closer in their walk with the Lord.

  As the story unfolds, Marcus learns how each of the ten prophecies was fulfilled. And because of this, he is now ready to completely give his life to his new God, especially after he has an opportunity to meet with the risen Jesus face to face, who tells him it is time to give up the crown of thorns.

  The Centurion and the Crown of Thorns

  by

  Chuck Antone, Jr.

  © 2013 Chuck Antone, Jr.

  Direct Scripture quotations are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE® Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

  The paraphrased speeches by Jesus and John are the author’s own version of standard New Testament Scripture.

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner of this book.

  Hearten Publishing

  P.O. Box 4404

  Kailua-Kona, HI 96745

  United States of America

  [email protected]

  Table of contents

  About the Book

  Dedication

  About the Author

  Books by Chuck

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Chapter 56

  Chapter 57

  Epilogue

  One Year Later

  The Prayer

  Holy Land Photos

  Dedication

  To my wife, Doni, who encouraged me to write fiction and to let my mind be creative. I'm so glad you did as I love to make up stories……thanks!

  To my sister, Aileen Peppin, who prayed for my salvation and never gave up on me……thanks!

  To my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and my Abba Father who not only forgives my transgressions, but He remembers them no more……WOW!

  About the Author

  Chuck and Doni have been missionaries since 1981. They live on the Big Island of Hawaii.

  They have two children, four grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

  They have helped start churches in the Philippines, Hong Kong, So. Africa and also Taiwan where Chuck ministers four months each year.

  They have also done outreaches in Japan, Indonesia and in the mainland USA. They have smuggled Bibles into mainland China and have hiked up mountains in the Philippines while being watched by the New Peoples' Army, a Communist group that lives and hides in the mountain areas.

  Chuck was also arrested in a third world country and faced a year in prison for teaching a seminar on how to be a witness for Christ. After three weeks he was deported and sent back to his home in Hawaii.

  He says, 'Being a Christian is only boring when one makes it be boring.'

  Chuck is the Pastor of the Kona Coast Chaplaincy on the Big Island of Hawaii, and he along with Doni are the Directors of Go Spread His Word Ministries, Inc. founded in 1990.

 

  You can contact Chuck at:

  [email protected]

  or write

  P.O. Box 4404, Kailua-Kona, HI 96745

  Chuck's books can also be purchased through major Internet sellers.

  Books by Chuck Antone, Jr.

  Lord, Send Me

  The author’s feelings and emotions while facing a one year prison sentence in a third world country.

  Paperback only

  You’ve Got to be Kidding, Lord. You want me to tell WHO about You?

  Share the Gospel? Does the thought make you want to hide in bed with the blankets over your head? If it does, you’re not alone, but help is at hand. Here is what Chuck Antone, Jr. says in this exciting book written with great humor and much understanding:

  Are you ready to experience sharing Christ with the lost? Does one name keep popping into your mind? Has God been whispering in your ear? If so, be challenged, make that contact and see what God can do.

  Be encouraged by just being available. Just be the instrument, the tool. Let God do the work. He is much better at it than we are, for He has had a lot more experience in bringing someone to His Son, Jesus Christ. After all, He is God, the Mighty One, the Powerful One, the Creator, Our Savior, Our Father, the One and Only God.

  Paperback ISBN 978-1-9350-7934-7

  Also available as an e-Book in most formats

  You’ve Got to be Kidding, Lord

  (See previous book for details)

  This edition is in Chinese.

  Paperback only ISBN 978-1-4818-2238-1

  You Can’t Be Serious, Lord. You want me to love WHO?

  This book is written to encourage you to love one another. Not always easy, but it’s a command from our Lord Jesus Christ. Has God ever told you or commanded you to love someone you find hard to love? Have you ever heard yourself say, "You can't be serious, Lord, you want me to love who?" And then when you give in and love that pe
rson, he or she can become your very good friend.

  This book will help you to understand God's special love that He has for each of us. By reviewing 1 Corinthians 13, the love chapter, and Galatians 5:22-23, the Fruit of the Spirit, we not only see His love, but the love we should have for one another.

  At the end of each chapter you will be challenged to do just that. So have your writing instrument and a notebook ready and be honest with yourself.

  Paperback ISBN: 978-1505514629

  Also available in most e-Book formats

  Paul’s Island

  Fiction. Volume 1. A Kit and Kat mystery. A mystery about eight university graduates who spend five days on the island. When one of them is murdered, the others help the Inspector solve the case. The two main characters are Christians with criminology degrees.

  Paperback ISBN 978-0-6154-7577-6

  Also available in most e-Book formats

  High Seas Murder

  Fiction. Volume 2. A Kit and Kat mystery. Kit and Kat have just set up their own private detective agency, and are ready to go on a Mediterranean cruise before they open up their doors for business. The cruise is meant to be a time of relaxation, but the onboard theft of a necklace worth over $3,000,000 needs their investigative skills. Soon it’s not just stolen jewelry that Kit and Kat are involved with, as theft turns to murder on the High Seas.

  Paperback ISBN 978-1-4681-2356-2

  Also available in most e-Book formats

  Barcelona Jones

  Murder on Broadway

  Fiction. Barcelona Jones is a Broadway star. Her new play, Murder on Broadway is a big hit with people waiting months to buy a ticket to see it.

  At one evening performance, at the end of the first act, real bullets are put into the prop gun killing one of the cast players. Were the bullets meant for him or one of the other players?

  Soon, another murder occurs, as well as two attempted murders: one of them on the star, Barcelona Jones herself.

  Barcelona hires a private detective to investigate the crimes, and he completely falls in love with her on their first meeting.

  Will her feelings for Sam, the detective, be the same? And who is the murderer? Could it possibly be Barcelona’s friend and stage actress, Brenda Summers? That’s up to you, the reader, to find out.

  Paperback ISBN 13: 978-1-4949-6945-5

  Also available in most e-Book formats

  The Centurion and the Crown of Thorns

  A fictional story about the Centurion who, at the foot of the cross, said, "Truly this was the Son of God."

  As people leave the scene of the crucifixion, the Centurion, known in this book as Marcus, stays a little longer. While he’s looking up at Jesus who is still nailed to the cross beams, a small earthquake happens. The crown of thorns falls off Jesus’ head and rolls to the feet of Marcus, where it stops.

  As Marcus bends down and touches the crown he senses a strong power coming from it. He immediately feels clean and new, and a great peace comes over him. He doesn’t understand it but he enjoys the feeling.

  He takes the crown home to share his story with his wife, who wants nothing to do with it. After all, she was one of the many who were in the courtyard yelling for Jesus to be crucified. On the other hand, his ten-year-old son is fascinated by what his father tells him, and is intrigued by the crown and wants to learn more.

  Marcus and his son Antony become believers, and Marcus searches out ten Bible prophecies that Jesus has fulfilled. He wants to teach his son many things about their new Messiah.

  The crown not only gives Marcus strength and peace, but it also has healing powers that bring him and his son Antony closer in their walk with the Lord.

  As the story unfolds, Marcus learns how each of the ten prophecies was fulfilled. And because of this, he is now ready to completely give his life to his new God, especially after he has an opportunity to meet with the risen Jesus face to face, who tells him it is time to give up the crown of thorns.

  Paperback ISBN 13: 978-1-4812-9390-7

  Also available in most e-Book formats

  Ava Montez -- Her Life and Death

  Fiction. Who killed Hollywood legend Ava Montez, once known as the most beautiful woman in the world? The murder has been unsolved for over forty years. But that’s about to change, when the New York Reader’s reporter, Rae Collins, is assigned to do a story on the life and death of Ava Montez.

  The murderer, who has felt safe all these years, is now threatened by Rae’s interviews with the four original suspects. And she’s already getting too close. The only way to prevent being caught and sent to prison for life is to murder again. And Rae is to be the murderer’s next victim!

  Paperback ISBN 978-0-6154-4522-9

  Also available in most e-Book formats

  Barsabbas

  Fictional love story between a man and a woman, and their love for Jesus, as He teaches them from the book of Mark.

  Paperback ISBN 978-1-6157-9058-6

  Paperbacks books and e-Books (where done) are available from most online retailers.

  For paperback order form and information on books and CDs:

  P.O. Box 4404

  Kailua-Kona, HI 96745

  United States of America

  From the Author

  Aloha Dear Reader,

  As always, my books are written for the whole family, from mom and dad to the teenager who enjoys reading.

  The story in this book is based on events following the crucifixion of Jesus the Messiah. The life, death and resurrection of Jesus are related in detail in the Gospels, but little is told in these Gospels or in the first chapter of Acts of the events between His resurrection from the dead and His ascension to Heaven forty days later.

  We do know that Jesus taught His disciples at this time, and the talks Jesus and John give in this book are based on parts of the four Gospels and the first letter of the disciple John in the New Testament.

  The Gospels tell us nothing about the centurion who spoke his famous words at the cross to say that Jesus was the Son of God, nor do they tell us what happened to Jairus and his family after Jesus had raised his unnamed daughter from the dead. But when we read in John 9:22 about the trouble that ordinary members of the synagogue faced from the Pharisees when they became involved with Jesus, we can imagine that Jairus, as a synagogue ruler in Galilee, would have found it hard to remain in his village and be a follower too. So for the purposes of this story, I have 'moved' Jairus and his family to be near Jerusalem.

  There is a tradition that although John was living in Capernaum when Jesus called him, he had a house in or near Jerusalem. I have made use of this tradition, with John bringing his brother James and his parents, Zebedee and Salome, there with him. So this book is of necessity a blend of Biblical fact and my own creative writing. It has always been my intention to keep closely to the accounts recorded in the Gospels, with their wonderful message of love, forgiveness and salvation.

  Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 tells us that over 500 people saw Jesus after He had risen from the dead, so although the meeting with Jesus in this book is imaginary, meetings like this could well have been taking place.

  Many thanks; I would love to hear from you.

  Mahalo,

  Chuck

  [email protected]

  or

  P.O. Box 4404

  Kailua-Kona, HI 96745

  Chapter 1

  'I believe this man was innocent and that He is the Son of God.'

  The words came out of the mouth of the Roman centurion before he realized what he had said. Many of the men under his authority looked at him, wondering why he would say such a thing.

  But when he felt the earth shake and saw the things happening around him, he began to praise God.

  His best friend Ametrius, another centurion, hurried over to him immediately. 'Marcus my friend, watch your tongue. Be careful what you say around your men. You are a centurion, a leader of men. You are respected and next in line for a promotion
in Caesar’s army. Don’t become one of them.'

  As Ametrius said this, he pointed to the followers standing near the foot of the cross of a man they called Jesus, the Messiah. These followers claimed Jesus was the Son of God, the coming Christ that their Scriptures had foretold many centuries ago.

  Marcus was unsure why he had blurted out those words. They just seemed to spill out. Maybe it was because of all the excitement that had taken place that day. The crowds were much larger than usual. He had officiated in many executions. Whenever they had one, people came to watch. But today’s executions were different. Hundreds came out, if not thousands.

  As Marcus looked over the hillside he could see many people standing and watching, for there was no room for them in the area of the cross. He had heard of this man hanging in the center, and heard of His followers. But he was amazed at how many followers there were.

  This day, three men were being crucified. He could tell that many of the spectators were followers of this man called Jesus, by the way they were reacting to the brutality of the crucifixion. Those who were not His friends were shouting out unkind words, with hatred in their voices. No, these were not the followers of this so-called Christ. His followers, he could tell, had sorrowful faces with tears running freely as they cried out His name, waiting for a miracle to take place.

  Marcus experienced hidden emotions. He also wanted to join in the shouting with the followers, but he held back, for it would not be right for a centurion to join with them. He was becoming more and more confused about the execution, for the death of this man was coming to what he thought was the end of a good man’s life.

  He had heard shouts from the rulers. 'He saved others; let Him save Himself -- if this is the Christ of God, His chosen one.'

  Marcus was aware of some of his men mocking the man on the cross, even offering Him sour wine, laughing and saying, 'If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!'

  The crucifixion had taken place at nine that morning, with three men being nailed to their crosses. By noon, Marcus had become aware of heavy black clouds rolling up, and the day quickly turned to the darkness of night.

  Now, at three o’clock, as the clouds began to lift, the ground shook. An earthquake rocked buildings in the nearby city of Jerusalem. Fires broke out in some of the damaged houses and smoke rose into the black sky.