Act One

The Crucifixion of the Christ

On tremblings legs, He dragged the cross
To the hill where He would die.
He knew He'd been abandoned,
Was not surprised He'd been denied.
He was kicked, and He was beaten,
With murderous intent;
He was humiliated just for sport,
As the crowd cheered for His torment.
Slowly, He moved up the hill
In response to the lash's painful urge.
His cries and moans became the music
For this unholy funeral dirge.
The son of God could not be recognized,
Beneath bloodied face and swollen eyes.
As He was crucified with criminals,
Three crosses silhouetted in the sky.
His disciples looked on in confusion,
Wondering why He wouldn't fight.
They knew, with very little effort,
He could destroy them all outright.
They thought He'd come to wage Holy war,
They believed He was the One.
But when He cried out, "It is finished."
Their dreams of liberation were undone.
They laid His tortured body down
In a borrowed tomb as cold as ice.
With teary eyes and heavy hearts,
They gazed upon the fallen Christ.
It seemed wrong to leave His body,
His flesh bloodied, bruised, and torn,
But it was Sabbath preparation day,
So they had no time to mourn.
They agreed to come back
When Sabbath was complete.
Then they said a prayer for protection,
And wrapped His body in a sheet.
Despite their grief, they were forced
To leave their Rabbis' body all alone.
And as they went to their Sabbath duties,
They secured the Lord's tombstone.
© Linda Troxel

Act Two

He is Risen

In the morning, when she returned,
Mary found the tomb with an open door.
Inside, she found an angel waiting,
And there were grave clothes on the floor.
The angel said, "He's not here.
You should search for Him among the living.
For, just as He told you it would happen,
Today the Son of God is risen."
When the risen Christ appeared to her,
Mary's heart swelled with love and fear.
For either, she'd gone mad with grief,
Or her dead Rabbi was standing there.
When Jesus saw that she was frightened,
He said, "Touch me, see I'm just a man."
Then He said, "Tell the men to go to Galilee,
I'll meet them there as planned."
His resurrection brought a new covenant
Changing our salvation from law to grace.
No more must we earn redemption,
And the sting of death has been erased.
With all sin redeemed, it was finished.
So Christ ascended to the Father.
He went to prepare a place for us
Where we will drink His living water.
We know not when God will call us;
Could be a hundred years or tomorrow,
But when He does, we will go home
To live eternally without sorrow.
Linda Troxell © 04/21/2019

© Linda Troxell