Crucify Him! Away with Him!
Who is He to come in the Name
Of the Lord?

We strip His garments off
To shame the so-called King.
We shout, we sneer, we raise our fists—
But did we ever really know the One we condemned?
Who does He think He is?

I mean, wasn’t it a little strange,
This Savior of ours—
Silent before His accusers,
Carrying His own cross,
Climbing not a throne of gold,
But a hill of death?
What sort of savior is that?
He can’t even save Himself…

But not everything He does
Makes sense anyway.

Even so,
We mock Him who
   Told us to love others with impossible demands:
      Love my neighbor as much as I love myself,
      Hang out with people who aren’t like me,
      Pray for my enemies.
   Told us we should love a God who
      Let my loved one die,
      Lets bad things happen to good people,
      Doesn’t answer my prayers like I think He should.
   Told us to love ourselves even though
      We don’t always do or say the right thing,
      We can’t live up to His standards,
      We cling to our addictions more than Him.
   Spoke uncomfortable, inconvenient truths,
   Set captives free but couldn’t free Himself,
   Let our brokenness nail Him to the cross.

What a waste,
What a fool!
He claimed to be God, but
God doesn’t die.
It is finished…

David K. Carpenter
Copyright © April 18, 2025