Words

On that day, You stood alone, exposed before the world,

Pure and spotless, holy, Righteous One,

Accused by Jewish mob and sentenced by a Gentile judge,

God on trial by His creation.

Words of accusation, words of ignorance,

Words of hatred from the pit of hell,

Flung with venom, stung with poison, targeting the Lamb,

The precious, perfect Lamb of Israel.

“Father, forgive them,

For they know not what they do.”

They were wise in their own eyes,

but they didn’t recognize

The Truth was judging them by their own lies.

God’s chosen people, led from Egypt to the Promised Land,

Fed and nurtured by the Lord’s own hand,

Stood before the governor, crying out for blood.

“We have no king but Caesar” was their word.

No king but Caesar? How the Father’s heart received the knife.

“I called you out to be My own, the apple of My eye,

Yet you prefer the rod of your oppressor to My Son.

Jerusalem, you’ve missed your visitation!”

“Father, forgive them,

For they know not what they do.”

They were wise in their own eyes,

But they didn’t recognize

The Truth was judging them by their own lies.

Pilate, man of power under Rome’s authority,

Saw the Truth before him, face to face.

Cowardly, he washed his hands of culpability.

Rome’s justice wasn’t equal to this case.

“I have authority to crucify or set you free”

Were Gentile words that begged the guilty plea,

For after he had proven Jesus’ perfect innocence,

He turned his back and sent Truth to the tree.

“Father, forgive them,

For they know not what they do.”

They were wise in their own eyes,

But they didn’t recognize

The Truth was judging them by their own lies.

The Word spoke very little to the Jew and judge that day.

He knew their hearts – they lusted after lies –

So He spoke the words He knew would take Him straight to Calvary.

“I AM,” He said. The mob cried, “Crucify!”

“I AM,” He said. They lifted Him and nailed Him to the cross.

“I AM” resounded in the heavenlies,

And His bloodied everlasting arms reached out through time and space,

Jew and Gentile wrapped in His embrace.

Father, forgive us,

For we know not what we do.

We are wise in our own eyes,

But we don’t recognize

The Truth is judging us by our own lies.

You hold us accountable for every word we speak.

Father, may our tongues be sanctified.

We’re made in Your own image, and You speak creatively.

Help us, Lord, to speak the Word of Life.

Our words reveal the inmost meditations of our hearts,

Where You desire Truth to reign in power.

Make our hearts Your resting place, and speak through us we pray,

Embracing Jew and Gentile in this hour.

Teach us Your ways,

And we’ll walk in Your truth,

For You alone are wise.

Lord, help us realize

Perfection of the Truth in our own lives.

This song was written by Leslie Precht, a member of River West Christian Church in Edmonton. It was partly inspired by the article “Silence” by Andrew Fehr, published in the March 30, 2001 MB Herald, and partly by a Good Friday service in the Anglican cathedral in downtown Edmonton.