Unerring. Inevitable. Bloody. Unless . . .

Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ For if they do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry? (Luke 23:28-31)

They wept for Him, the women.

They anguished for their beloved hope.

Bruised.

Spat on.

Back sliced by whips.

 

 

Soldiers shoved the cross

across His shoulders,

and pushed him
toward the road

toward the hill.

 

 

Mocked by government,

jeered by religionists,

cursed by crowds,

he staggered forward.

Five. Ten. Twenty yards.

Then fell.

 

 

“Get up, Jew!” A soldier snarled.

Jesus pushed himself

to his feet

and pushed

another yard. Twenty. A few more.

And fell.

 

 

They ran to him, the women,

and wiped his face with their shawls.

Tears dropped

from their cheeks. 

 

 

“My daughters,” he said.

“Don’t weep for me, but for yourselves

and for your children.

For if they do this when the tree is green,

what will they do when it is dry?”

 

 

What will they do when it is dry?

 

 

The answer,

the same answer,

replays again

and again

when governments,

religionists

and crowds lock Him

from their markets,

courts and communities;

 History paints a ruthless picture,

an unerring,

inevitable,

bloody picture,

of a land,

of a people,

without Jesus.

Communism.

Fascism.

Nazism.

Socialism.

All

rooted,

clothed,

and nourished,

in atheism.

 

 

Unerring.

Inevitable.

Bloody.

 

 

Unless we humble ourselves,

pray,

seek His face,

and turn from our wicked ways.*

 

 

*2 Chronicles 7:14