Passion of Christ
The world had gone crazy
Nature echoed the aching agony they felt
The storm matched the cry of their hearts
Blackened skies tearing winds
Growling thunder piercing strikes
Turbulent winds ripped at clothing
And drove sand to sting the skin
The Earth lurched at the shock of it all
Soldiers had duties to perform
A base job separating warm dead flesh from metal spikes driven deep into the timbers of a cross
The women waited below watching every move
They had stood a little way off keeping vigil through the whole chilling ordeal
Dried blood caked around the wounds made the job difficult
What little light remained was fading fast
Finally they lowered Him to Loving hands below
The men reached for the body and the women drew near
Together they wrapped Him in grave-clothes and delivered Him to the tomb
Another army worked fast too
Amazing this prize delivered to them
They bound and gagged Him
Tied Him hand and foot
To make sure they doubled up with hefty chains secured with sturdy locks
Didn’t want this one to get away
It all seemed unnecessary
The man stood exhausted, defeated
He did not move but remained, head bowed
Mute, a shadow of His Former Self
It did not stop the prisoners,
They saw it as a cause for celebration
Roughly, some jumped upon His shoulders,
Others struck Him behind His knees
Pushing him to the filthy floor
They fought amongst themselves eager to be next to spit on Him
Fingering the open wounds,
Pressing splinters harder into the shadow of His flesh
So they taunted Him,
Repeating lies and accusations
Returning to the mockery that had filled His ears as He journeyed to the End
A jab, a punch, a kick here and there
Each jibe increased their jubilation
Howls and squeals of demented gloating echoed far into the darkest recesses of the hell in which they stood
No light shone here, no compassion found
No soft voices or forgiveness
Degradation streamed down the walls,
It caked the floor and piled in every corner
Once shackled and completely bound,
They led him further into the Darkness
Past chambers of the lost they paraded Him
To the furthest reaches of Hopelessness
There behind thick dense doors,
They chained Him down, burdened with the World’s Sin
Layer upon layer pinning down this meek Companion of God
Satan roared with the Boast
Him I have ensnared
The World did not hear God’s voice
They did not recognised Messiah
That Hope is dashed now, Shattered, Gone forever
When the last key was turned
The crowd of Dark angels sloped away into dismal shadows
Despair dripped all around
This a world without Light
This a world without God
But then
Something stirred in the darkness,
Something trickled through the cracks
Soft at first, a mere ripple
That grew to a deep throaty gurgled like a stream of living water
It flowed into every dark and dismal ear… Laughter
The Laugh of Victory
The Evil one stopped in his mean tracks
Dread replaced his spiteful joy
He knew that sound, he’d heard it from the beginning of time
This laugh grew in Power and Strength
Each Peal shook those slimy Halls of the Dead
Calling down the Righteousness of God
His Pure Radiance shone
Light flooded the Halls
Banishing darkness
Chains shattered
Walls began to crumple
Heavy doors splintered as Christ the Son of God stepped from the dungeon
He took it all
He walked free
Terror melts in his warmth
Lifting a finger He writes upon the wall
‘Jesus Christ can be found even here
The Way, The Truth and the Life’
The purity of His touch transforms
Never again can any soul be imprisoned beyond His Reach
Satan continues to sell the lie that some are beyond Redemption
Do not believe such falsehood
Christ is Victorious over Death and the Depths of Despair
The Passion of Christ stands as our claim to the Simple Truth
God Loves, Here, Now…
Words and Pictures © Denise Stanford 2010
My interpretation of events following the Crucifixion and prior to the Resurrection
Gospel according to Matthew Chapter 27
Whilst this piece may be a flight of imagination, the final message is Truth.
Within the Vine 