You've been in the desert for weeks, now. You're thirsty, dusty, and spent. You've wrangled with some wild animals along the way. You've discovered some things about yourself you really didn't want to know in the first place.
Finally, there it is. Over the crest of one of the countless desert dunes, you see the city approaching. Jerusalem. At last: a place to get a square meal, a hot bath, and a good night's sleep.
But the horizon isn't quite what you remember, and not at all what you expect. There have apparently been some changes since you were last here. There on the outskirts of town, you recognize the slow and steady work of construction. Some ropes, some wood and scaffolding. You wonder--What in the world is going on? In an instant, your stomach sinks like a stone; you recognize what it is that the workers are erecting. A structure for torture and death.
It's a cross...
