Part IV: The Death

Golgatha
A destination no one could survive,
None ever returned alive
From the Place of a Skull.
Many watched doubting
Some deeply grieving
As Jesus hung between two thieves.

For a rare moment, the Jews and Romans agreed
On their final decree.
They announced crucifixion
Would be the final affliction.

He saved others but could not save Himself—
That’s what they yelled as He hung on the cross,
Making light of His pain and loss.

Yet the prophets foretold this path
That the Servant must face God’s wrath.
God intended to crush Him all along,
How could this be salvation’s song?

Why? Did this have to be?
The angels sang of peace on earth
Yet He’s treated with such little worth.
How can both sides agree?

Then I recall the beginning of the story,
And the ugliness of sin,
For the hunger of control and vainglory,
And the selfishness within.
This holy and horrible day took place
For man to once again know God’s embrace.

But are our faults really that bad?
There must have been another way,
By the goodness of our actions,
And the kindness we display,
Surely we make some headway.

I feel like these questions are fair.
Then I listen to His final prayers.
Abba, why have You forsaken Me?
Deserted and disowned
Jesus suffered alone.
No one came to His rescue
No one would intercede
And yet He agreed
To make this sacrifice—
No one else could suffice.

Even the men who walked with Him for years,
Could not escape their pride or fears.
Judas could not undo his crime
Peter could not retract his lines,
Their sin could not be removed with their tears.

Even if I followed the rules perfectly
And gave of my time and money endlessly,
Would that be enough to erase
All the wrongs in my case?

Can my works even compare with His perfection?
On the cross, He poured out His affection,
And I am still trying to prove
Why I can make myself approved.

Forgive them.They know not what they do.
He cared for these broken and unkind men,
He had the Kingdom in His view.
The Man of Sorrows approached His final hour,
And yet showed a restraint of His power.

No relief for His pain
No comfort for His aches.
The One who always existed
Was for the first time in history
Alone.
Rejected by the Father who loved Him,
Disowned by the One who sent Him.
The Faultless One became a curse
This climax could not be worse.

As the sun’s light failed
Darkness engulfed the land,
His love unveiled
What He had planned
All along,
To pay for our wrongs,
To take our place
And forever erase
The sin of the world —
This is the glory of His grace.

As the guard beheld this Man’s last breath
He saw the Son of God.
The Promised Deliverer
And foretold Sin-bearer
Hung His head in death.

The story unfolded as He planned long ago,
So the Scriptures could be fulfilled just so.

When I behold the Man,
And every detail He planned,
Do I truly see
The One who died for me?

Video by Saylorville Church: The Death