Man dressed as a barefoot Jesus, with cross on his back, runs in New York Marathon

New York City Marathon runners had an odd companion running along their side Sunday as a barefoot man dressed as Jesus Christ jogged with a giant cross strapped on his back.

Twitter @Milnes123 Margaret Milnes

Shirtless with a crown of thorns, the man raced along with people snapping photos, tweeting and uploading pics to the Internet.

“I found Jesus at the NYC Marathon http://t.co/hd20wUBUG5” tweeted @Milnes123 Margaret Milnes

Runner 55-970 was registered as Makoto Takeuchi from Chiba, Japan.

ESPN reporter Michele Steele tweeted that he was running for a higher purpose, the Boston bombing victims.

“Marathon Jesus sign on back of cross said he was running for Boston marathon victims” @ESPNMichele Michele Steele

Whatever the man’s motivations, he was the topic of discussion across social media.

“I swear….Jesus was running in marathon. I saw it with my own 2 eyes. Unbelievable! Hysteria….;) http://t.co/O9I3vzaA4S ” – @LadyjusticeTine Truth/Justice

The man reportedly completed 10 miles of the marathon, all under eleven minutes…no shoes, carrying a cross.