Arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane,
You could have called on heaven’s armies;
yet You allowed them to take You captive.

Falsely accused in a mockery of a trial,
You could have denied who You were;
yet You convicted Yourself.

Physically and emotionally abused,
You could have struck down your tormenters;
yet You remained silent and turned the other cheek.

On the way to the cross,
You could have thought only of Yourself;
yet You spoke with compassion to Jerusalem’s daughters.

Nailed to the cross and spit upon by the crowd,
You could have cursed Your enemies;
yet You prayed, “Father, forgive them.”

Taunted to “Come down from the cross!”
You could have done exactly that; yet
You chose to suffer and die
that I might have the choice to live in You.

Marlene Bagnull
Face-to-Face, Spring 1984