The Colosseum

The Colloseum

The thunder echoed down the tunnel. The crowd was in a frenzy, and they were only the opening act.

Eclectus laid his hand against the cold, stone wall and felt the vibrations. He was only fifteen, but he knew the feeling of the crowd. The adrenaline, the hysteria, the thirst for blood. When he was eight, his older brother had snuck him to an underground gladiator fight. The violence was thrilling, watching slaves fight to the death with blunt weapons and their bare hands. He, like all the other spectators, became thirsty for blood.

But this was different. It wasn't just a small group of onlookers, naïve kids sneaking away from their parents. There had to be at least 50,000 Romans out there. And this time, Eclectus wasn't in the audience.

"Attention! Everybody rise!"

At the centurion's command, Eclectus and the line of prisoners stumbled to their feet, gripping the wall for support. The heavy chains and shackles made any kind of movement extremely difficult and painful.

"You know what's going to happen. If you resist, it'll just be worse. But, if you deny this Jesus of Nazareth and pledge allegiance to the great state of Rome, you will be free to go. Who here is wise enough to deny this man? Remember, we killed him, too."

"No you didn't!" exclaimed a woman standing in front of Eclectus. "He's not dead! He-"

In one fluid motion, the large centurion stepped forward and landed a fist in the woman's face. She slumped into the wall and Eclectus grabbed her to keep her from falling.

"If you're going to stand up to us, do it out there!" barked the centurion. "The crowd loves it, because you die either way."

He stepped back and surveyed the prisoners.

"Now, is anyone willing to deny your false god and go free?"

The small group of Christians stood silently, listening to the deafening roar of the crowd. A few shifted around in their chains, unable to do anything but imagine what was about to happen.

Suddenly, a small man up front broke into tears.

"I deny it... I deny it, I deny it!" he exclaimed between sobs. "Don't send me out there! Please! I'll do whatever you ask!"

"Smart man!" grinned the centurion. He made a gesture, and two soldiers stepped forward to unchain him. "Make sure this man gets well-fed, and give him some of our finest wine!

"And as for the rest, you get one last chance. Who else wants to go free?"

Eclectus watched the soldiers lead the free man down the tunnel, away from the stage, the crowd, the impending doom. That could be him. All he had to do was deny the faith.
With only three words, he could free himself from these chains. He could get food. He could go home to his family. He could save his own life, escape this cruel death, and live many more years, going on to achieve his dream of becoming a wealthy merchant, traveling and experiencing all that the world has to offer...

Just three words.

In a split second, the familiar arguments flooded back to his mind:

He'd heard the stories of the other Christians, and their bravery in the face of persecution. Their faith encouraged him.

But pagan Roman soldiers had shown bravery, too, sacrificing themselves in wars around the world to create their global empire.

Several years back, the moment he first believed, he'd seen a preacher heal a lame man. They called the preacher Simon Peter, and the rumor was that he'd been with Jesus.

But he wasn't the only one to perform miracles. Eclectus had seen several sorcerers do the same. And they claimed authority from all sorts of gods.

However, if the God of the Jews was real, and Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God, then Eclectus was forgiven and destined for a glorious afterlife.

But if the Roman gods of his parents and brothers were real, then he was surely destined to the Underworld for rejecting the gods...

Despite his uncertainty, however, he felt something strange. It was as though there was something deep inside him that kept saying "this is right!" Eclectus couldn't deny it. It had to be true. He knew it was. And he wasn't backing down.

With this decision came an overwhelming peace. He was about to be slaughtered, but that wasn't a problem. He had nothing to fear. He had faith.

"Okay, I guess not," said the centurion. "Let's get moving! They're all waiting."

As the Roman soldiers pushed the Christians forward with their spears, Eclectus suddenly felt compassion for them. They didn't know what they were doing. They didn't have the love, purpose, and peace that he felt. They were still trapped in the chase of worldly pleasure.

The crowd roared when the Christians emerged, like sheep among wolves. Across the pit, the lion was waiting, also in chains. Eclectus shielded his eyes from the beating sun and looked around at the spectators. He saw the hate and the fury. They thought he was the downfall of their precious empire. Once again, Eclectus found himself sympathetic. If only they knew...

"Good luck!" yelled the centurion, backing away.

Once the soldiers were safely out of the arena, the lion was released. It walked forward, slowly at first, and stalked up towards Eclectus.

He and the adults naturally formed a circle around the young children, crying for their parents who were nowhere to be found. A man behind Eclectus was muttering a prayer in Latin, and someone else was chanting Hebrew. As he whispered his own prayer, Eclectus grasped the hands of his brothers and sisters. They were strangers from all across the Roman empire, but they were bonded in the family of Christ. He looked to the woman beside him. Her nose was still bleeding from the centurion's punch.

He squeezed her trembling hand.

"See you on the other side."

She smiled and nodded.

Eclectus looked forward.

The lion pounced.