by Dave Schultz
On the Cross
His passion began with a night of prayer,
asking His Father to strengthen His soul.
Knowing that this cup would make Him perfect,
He did not shrink back, but gave thanks and blessed.
Since God’s will would be done, He rose content,
and enjoined his friends to live as he’d taught.
He was seized in secret, though he had taught
openly. He made no struggle, nor prayer
for release, but remained meek and content,
knowing that God would watch over His soul.
When they smote and cursed Him, he smiled and blessed,
as one whom God had called to be perfect.
Though Pilate had power to cause perfect
suffering and death, Jesus’ fearlessness taught
the world faithfulness: He thought it more blessed
to obey God than to save Himself. Prayer
was His escape. With every step, His soul
drew closer to God, and so was content.
On the cross, he could not have stayed content
without God. Pierced and gasping, in perfect
agony, God’s cool grace still soothed His soul.
In His last hours, with His last breath, he taught
one last sinner to repent. With one prayer
of faith, the man was forgiven and blessed.
His work finished, Christ prayed, and was blessed
with death. But not Christ only: to content
the law, blood was required. All gifts and prayer
could not redeem us. It took a perfect
God sending His only Son. The love Christ taught
He also showed, dying to save each soul.
God who saves sinners also spared the soul
of the Just! Christ died for us, but was blessed
with eternal life! Just as He had taught,
He rose again, that all might content
themselves in new life: a life made perfect
when, like Christ’s, it begins and ends in prayer.
Christ leads by example. He taught that prayer
is blessed, and to obey God is perfect:
to content God’s will, he spent His own soul.
