Courage, Jesus, Courage! Poem by Denis Martindale

When Christ prayed in Gethsemane,
His cup to be removed,
He still prayed with humility,
In hope that God approved...
Yet God saw Christ's disciples,
For whom their Lord must die,
With Christ's Scriptures in the Bibles
On which we all rely...

How could He then release His Son
From suffering and death?
How could He stop what must be done
To halt Christ's final breath?
God sent an angel, one alone,
To strengthen Christ again,
That He, by grace, could thus be known
As Christ, the Light of Men...

And thus, the Saviour's tears were wept,
Unseen by friend or foe,
Until He woke the ones who slept,
Fatigued and slow to go...
But then marched Judas, kissed the Lord,
Betrayed Him in that hour,
Despite the folly of reward
That brought no peace or power...

Thus Jesus judged by mortal souls,
Faced persecution's claws,
Submitting to its cruel controls,
Its twisted thoughts and flaws...
To feel the lash repeatedly
Upon His fragile frame,
Delivered then to Calvary
To bear our sinful shame...

The hours passed and darkness fell,
Men cowered in their fear,
As if the whole world went to Hell
With God's wrath oh so near...
Then death for Jesus came at last,
With victory assured,
While those who loved Him looked aghast
As blood from Him outpoured...

His lifeless body taken down,
His eyes closed in respect,
Then they removed the thorny crown,
The symbol of neglect...
Laid in a tomb as prophesied,
Awaiting Sunday's dawn,
God's precious promise, if Christ died,
Salvation would be born...

Fear not, believers, in the know,
God's promises come true,
Though into Earth each man must go,
God's grace is ever new...
The dead shall rise again one day,
The Rapture makes this known,
Then living saints are snatched away,
No more to stand alone...

That's why disciples preach God's grace,
Forgiveness here and now,
If we but look upon Christ's face,
The crown upon His brow...
His battered back, His hands, His feet,
His bloodstained lips and eyes,
We know God's pardon stands complete
If we would just be wise...


Denis Martindale, copyright, May 2013.