Jesus Wept



When the Earth
Was an infant babe
Seven days removed
From the hand of God,
Jesus wept
For joy at its beauty
And the miracles involved
In its birth.

As Adam and Eve
Departed the Garden,
Having discovered sin
And the consequence of mortality,
Jesus wept
To mourn their loss of innocence
And the inevitability of death.

When the rainbow appeared
In a sun-soaked sky,
After Noah emerged from the ark
To replenish a newly cleansed world,
Jesus wept
From gratitude for the miracle
Of an Earth reborn.

On the day that Moses
Stood at the summit
Of the mountain
And look far and wide
Upon the new land,
Jesus wept
For those who found a home
After decades in the wilderness.

Generations went by,
And a child was born.
He grew up to become a man
Without shame of his origins
Or fear of his destiny;
And as he walked the Earth
In full knowledge of its fate,
Jesus wept
For those without hope
In a world filled with darkness.

The masses were gathered
At the top of a hill
Where three trees stood,
Bearing three figures
Condemned for offenses
Real and imagined;
As one of them endured
The taunts of hate,
Feeling lonely and isolated
From family and friends,
But also from God,
Jesus wept
For the victory to come
That no one believed in.

The cycle of life
Continues, to fulfill the promise
Sealed by the rainbow;
And each day
The sun brings a gift
That, if embraced,
Gives hope for a new life;
Whenever you feel the rain,
Rejoice, and know that
Jesus wept
In welcoming home another soul.

© 2004 by Robert E. Blackwell