Arrest

Disturbed from reverie and deepest sleep
His followers, alerted by the sound
Of Jesus’ voice, and of mixed voices near
Arose and stood, struck dumb and terrified
At sight so powerful, fearsome and armed
And at their head, the instrument of that
Foul serpent who had hissed a loathsome word
Into his ear whereby the Lamb of God
Would suffer for the sins of humankind.
The word, ‘betrayal’ yet would turn its hand
Against the serpent who, blinded by pride
And envy, jealousy and seething hate
Sought for his own avenging hardened heart
The rightful place of Jesus at Yahweh’s
Right hand, so blinded by delusional
Visions of grandeur, majesty and state
Was wont to press his claim to win that crown
And stop at nothing, now did Judas come
Close to the Lamb of God with sour intent
Under the guise of tender kiss so sweet
To give away the gentle Lamb of God
Into the hands of sinners who would bind
And take him from His followers unto
The Sanhedrin to face a mockery
Of trial to rid themselves who they thought of
As prophet false, like others gone before.
And Judas said to Him: “Greetings Rabbi”
And kissed the cheek of Jesus, Lamb of God
Yet from that touch there came the stench of one
Who with forked tongue seeks out a victim to
Entrap with poison or constrict to death
And finally devour its helpless prize.
“Judas, this is for you your darkest hour
The hour of shadows, why is it that you
Betray your Master with a sign that speaks
Of tenderness and love, why not an act
Of violence, as would befit your task
Of fruitless act of treachery for which
You seek a worthless recompense that will
Leave you bereft of Heavens riches, like
The serpent who has tricked you will be left
With nothing? You are blind to your own act
While those who remain faithful will receive
A crown of righteousness for evermore.”
Such rhetoric divine fell on deaf ears.
Despite his time as fellow of the Twelve
Who in the name of God bore witness to
Heaven’s bright kingdom, and wrought miracles
And demons driven from tormented souls,
And many other acts of God besides,
Judas, preferring treachery to gain
A paltry sum that glittered like the sun
But which had radiance not like that great star
As mean reward for act of betrayal,
Retreated back to let the soldiers come
And take the Lamb of God by force from thence
To trial before the Sanhedrin who, keen
To rid the land of what they believed was
A prophet false, yet son of Abraham
Like they, though their denial of the Lamb’s
True stature would ensure His sure demise.
In sheer defiance of this forceful act
And in defence of his beloved Lord
Peter, with sword unsheathed and fury went
Into the midst of those who seized the Lamb
And with his arm aloft brought down the blade
With force of vengeance in the false hope of
Procuring freedom for the Lamb of God
Upon Malchus, servant to the high priest
Who fell in agony, his ear sliced off
As blood gushed forth mixed with his wailing screams.
Such bloodletting gave vent to a rebuke
To Peter and his action cruelly wrought,
Blind ignorance driven by human thought
Flew in the face of Yahweh’s purposes.
Unnecessary human act driven
By mindless human emotion and thought
Which merely sought to interfere with what
Was by the prophets foretold long ago
Refusing to accept God’s purposes,
So that the Lamb of God was wont to say:
“Withdraw the blade of needless injury,
Replace it back to where no longer it
Can harm and brute malevolence display.
For what can be achieved by this foul act
Of violence against one who has not
Sought to injure your own being but who
In obedient service to his master has
Come forth with those who have been tasked to take
Me from your sight for purposes that seem
To human sight a treacherous assault
Upon my person, do not interfere
With things in which you have no knowledge of.
Replace the blade, your sword of rage and scorn
It has no place or purpose in this hour.
And those for whom it has the central place
In their lives, shall it be their death as well.
I know my Father who lives within me
And I in Him, as one are we enjoined
In fellowship and love and joy unbound
From Heaven came I from Heaven’s mighty throng
Midst blessed angels, servants of the King
Who look upon His face and do His will
In Heaven and on earth for whom there is
No boundary of time or spatial lines.
Wonder do they at Our eternal state
Of triune Godhead and supremacy
In all things whereof We are wont to say
And think and do for Our good purposes.
Do you not think, even in this dark hour
That in my need on earth my Father could
At my request send myriads and myriads
Of legions of those blessed angels to
My rescue come and take me back to Heaven
And free me from the wrath that is to come?
Fruitless and purposeless would such an act
Be for the benefit of humankind
For barren would the words be spoken by
The prophets who, inspired by whispers from
The shores of Paradise and throne of gold.
Bereft of fulfilment and laid to waste
Would they be, if the path that lies before
Me now is not travelled to what has been
Prepared for me and for your salvation.
Go I must to the plains of agony
That lie in wait, my heart is sure despite
The cruelties that I alone must meet.”
And to the assembled throng He spoke these words:
“Why come you here, assembled as you are?
What thought you of my purpose in this place?
Am I a bandit, as in Jephthah’s time,
An outcast who took refuge in the hills
Of Tob, yet who rebellion did lead
Against the Ammonites but made a vow
Which rendered up the life of daughter fair,
A thoughtless human sacrifice honouring
That vow he made in hope of victory?
We have no weapons, neither do we need
Such means of violence, love is our aim.
Why arm yourselves then in a manner which
Suggests rebellious intention and means
By which to overthrow an enemy?
Did I not move among you day by day
Unarmed and of a poor man’s demeanour,
Who was wont to speak freely to those who
Had ears to hear and hearts to listen to
All that I said and taught, dispelling all
Those who sought to repudiate the truth
Of what was spoken through and by me of
My kingdom which is on another plain
Invisible to human eyes and minds
Yet in your midst is present and exists
For those who will by faith accept the same?
No move was made against my person then,
No seizure, no entrapment, no arrest.
Yet what was spoken long ago by those
Prophetic voices in obedience
To Yahweh God, must be once and for all
Fulfilled to Our great glory, even though
The consequence will be my mortal end.”
And in the midst of saying this, the Lamb
Of God restored the victim of the sword
Negating worthless human action which
Served only to hinder the path by which
He was to tread for human souls caught up
In Satan’s bonds of sinfulness and death.
Save for the turncoat Judas, all the Lamb’s
Disciples, who had heard and seen all things
Unfold before their minds incredulous
Dumbfounded and with fearful hearts took flight
Deserting Him who for their souls’ own sake
By Yahweh’s will now trod the painful path
Of trial, sentence, punishment and death.