The Trial of Christ

Two Poems: "Ecce Homo" & "INRI"

Dear reader, 

Today I wanted to share two poems (Ecce Homo¹ and INRI²) I wrote a few years ago about the trial of Jesus Christ under Pontus Pilate, and the cry of the crowds to see Him crucified. This was the subject of yesterday’s post. Check that out here:

So You Are A King, Then?

I am by no means a poet, but sometimes I find the wording of the Scriptures bouncing around in my head and think it would look good laid out in a certain way on a page. I call them poems, but they are really just arrangements of the already poetic words of Scripture.

I am sure that if you were to throw up all the individual words enough times, they would eventually land in this orientation just like the Darwinian evolutionists assure us; so make of the meaning of each poem what you will. Also, if you like these, please let me know in the comments, and I will share more of them that I have written. Thank you.

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Ecce Homo

After Hippolytus of Rome³

The Faithful One was 
    betrayed by a friend with a kiss
The Judge of the earth was 
    judged by Pontus Pilate 
The Word of God 
    opened not His mouth
The King of Kings was 
    crowned with thorns in ridicule and jest
The Sustainer of all was 
    scourged by the whip 
        & suspended in ignoble crucifixion 

The Upholder of the universe was 
    held to a tree
The Lord and Messiah
    laid down His life of His own counsel 
The Framer of the heavens was 
    fastened with a hammer & nails to a cross
The Son of the Father cried
    Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani
The Giver of life 
    gave up His spirit as the guards 
        gambled for His garments

The One through whom all things were made was 
    made to carry His own cross
The One who knew no sin or deceit
    took the sin of all upon Himself 
The One who leads heaven’s myriads of myriads of angels & archangels was 
    led by His nation to the slaughter
The One who is the Resurrection & the Life 
    swallowed death
The One who is the Good Shepherd of the sheep
    laid down His life—
        for you

Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!” - John 19:5–6

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INRI

Not this Jordan prophet, but someone with sanity.
Not this Galilean drunk, but someone with dignity.
Not this washed heart, but washed hands.
Not a living Lazarus, but a dead one. 
Not an honest prayer, but a loud one, with alms and trumpets.
Not a pure life, but a pure cup, a gnat-free drink.
Not this Way, but only to say that we walk. 
Not this Sight, but only to say that we see.
Not this Righteousness, but our own.
Not this Light of day, but the darkness of night.
Not this Man, but Barabbas.
Not this Man, but Barabbas.
Not this Man, but Barabbas.
“They cried out again, ‘Not this man, but Barabbas!’” 

“Crucify him, Crucify him!”

Iesus 
Nazarenus
Rex 
Iudæorum

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1. Ecce Homo is Latin for “Behold, the Man!” It is the Latin translation of Pilate’s words in John 19:5. The scene has been widely depicted in Christian art, and many paintings have it as thier title.

2. INRI is an abbreviation for the Latin inscription that was placed on top of the cross. Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudæorum.

3. This poem is influenced by Hippolytus’ writings, from about 200 AD. See: Hippolytus on the Trinity. Edited by Daniel Robison, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2015.