Wednesday, March 23, 2016

My Thoughts of Calvary

When I think of Golgotha’s Hill I think of Christ’s Pain.
The fear that the Disciples had, “Will we see Jesus again?”
When I think of the cross I think of the hammer and nails.
The pounding into the flesh, into the feet and hands it impales.

I feel for Christ’s followers, wanting Jesus to come down,
To call His angels, to reap vengeance, “Please climb down!”
Thoughts of calling upon His angels to reap vengeance, chaos.
This was their Redeemer, and this was His end, the cruel cross!

I think of those hardened soldiers, drinking, mocking Jesus,
“If you are the Son of God come down, jeering, so grievous!
I am angry at the soldiers who cast lots over Jesus’ garments.
Torn, bloodied, raiment's that spoke of beatings, stench of sweat
I picture those garments, soaked from sweat, such a cold mind-set!

To roll dice while someone up above suffers, breathing laboured.
That memory stays with me, He was chosen, but not favoured.
He suffered alone, yet said nothing, the stretching to gain air.
So great a cost, I shudder at that final indignity, it was so unfair.

That final indignity,“It is finished”, yet for us He willingly died!
Such a small sentence said it all, for all heard, His voice cried
And though dead they still plunged that sword into His side
The blood and water that seeped out, showed a broken heart.
Through the ages, for the “unknown us”, His love He did impart.

Imagine his mother and followers, weeping, taking His body down.
Weary and depressed, they removed that mocking painful crown.
Too tired to prepare the body properly they wrapped up His body,
The final preparations waited, for this was the Jewish Sabbath.
Their hearts and eyes were closed to this man from Nazareth!

How helpless they felt when that stone was rolled into place!
No-one could move it, for the laying out, they could not efface
The Roman seal, so scared of the prophesy, on threat of death
Guards stood by all night, but someone slept or did not stay,
Early the next morning the women came, the stone rolled away! 
                                            
John 19::35 ~ “The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: Not one of his bones will be broken, and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”


Luke 23: 44 49 ~ “It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining, . And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” When he had said this, he breathed his last. The centurion seeing what had happened, praised God and said, Surely this was a righteous man. When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.”  

SEE: Zechariah  2:10~  

I was There in Gethsemane

Very early that first morning, while Jerusalem was still asleep,
We went to the garden to prepare Christ’s body, unable to sleep.
It was needful for us to prepare Christ’s body, this was our plan.
To lovingly clean His wounds, repair the ravages of cruel man.
We worried about that big stone, how would we roll it away.
To our surprise, the guards were gone, could they have run away?
Such fear we had, would we be judged, there was no possible way
It would take a mighty garrison of men to roll that stone away!
Fearfully we crept to the tomb, peered in, the body was not there!
Thoughts pervaded our minds, who had taken Jesus’ body away!
The body cloths lay folded, as if Jesus had just left that very day!
Two men in white garments, amazed, we knelt and began to pray.
They asked why we stood there, seeking the living among the dead.
They gave us this challenge, to go and tell His disciples instead.

We ran into the garden, excited, hopeful, so eager to tell the others.
Out of breath, we were scarcely able to tell the disbelieving men.
“Jesus has risen, His body is gone, the third day, just like He said!
He told us, yet such unbelief we had, He has risen from the dead!”
So many did not believe us, but Peter “Straightway ran to the tomb”.
He saw the linen strips, no body there, yet he was full of gloom.
He feared the uproar, the blame that would be heaped upon us.
Once the soldiers came back, surely they would create a fuss!
Peter saw and yet wondered, what would the others begin to say?
Would they think that we women could roll that stone away?
We hoped the soldiers would relent and help us move the stone
We knew it was our job to prepare Jesus’ body, do it on our own!
Oh how we wanted to tell everyone, and have them too believe,
That Jesus had risen from the dead, we had to tell, they to receive!

THE BODY WAS NOT THERE, HE HAD RISEN FROM THE DEAD!
JUST AS HE HAD PROMISED, JUST LIKE HE HAD ALWAYS SAID.
ALIVE, WE QUICKLY TOLD THE OTHERS, HE PAID THE PRICE!
HE BORE OUR SINS ON THAT TREE, THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE!
AMEN !

Luke 24:45 ~ “Then He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations beginning at Jerusalem, You are witnesses of these things.”