Behold the Man
We naively assume
when Jesus said Follow Me
that he wanted followers.
But what if he mainly
coveted company down
the black river of suffering?
What if not long after
dropping their nets,
the select detected cracks
in the man within the god?
What if he begged them to
watch and pray because
he shivered to dream alone
the wretched night?
No, it is not good
for man to be forsaken.
Checking Jesus’ mental pockets
would have revealed
a rabble of black butterflies.
He knew the cup would never pass.
He had tasted it long before,
mingled with his mother’s milk.
This breaks my heart.
Thanks for reading, Melinda.
It’s true. A group of local actors here in Minneapolis put together a passion play a few years ago called “Kingdom Undone.” It really centers on Judas and his profound misunderstanding of his good friend. But the humanity of Jesus, the Jesus who loves his friends and plays tricks on them for the sheer joy of it and then collapses in tears the next minute because he so deeply feels alone…. It is crushing, in the best way.
Hi, Kelly. Yes, I believe its true too.
Beautiful, thoughtful. Thank you. I often wonder what came with that mother’s milk, how much he knew or intuited all along the way. Questions without answers, but I do love it when you wrestle with them in poetic form.
Questions without answers…we live the questions. Thanks, Diana.
Beautiful and heartfelt…although he came to heal the brokenhearted, to imagine that he arrived with a heart already broken touched me to the core. Thank you.
You are welcome, Susan. And thank you for your comment.
Wonderful. So many people think Jesus was never afraid of the pain and brokenness. Glad to see someone addressing this in such an engaging way.
Thank you, Christine.
Amazing words, Jon. His suffering, His loneliness, His fears had to be as real as mine or He could never succor me as He does. Thank you!