Write His Answer

Choices

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

Falsely accused in a mockery of a trial,
   You could have denied who You were;
      instead You chose to convict Yourself.

 Physically and emotionally abused,
   You could have struck down Your tormenters;
      but You chose to remain silent and endure the pain.

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

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

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

                                                            ~ Marlene Bagnull
                                                    First published in Face-to-Face
                                                                                                    Spring 1984