At the foot of the cross, he stood
What he had witnessed made him cry
An innocent man hung on a cross
Falsely accused and condemned to die
Why Jesus hung there? He wasn’t sure
But there Joseph of Arimathea had to be
This man of love, hope, and peace
Was the Messiah he surely had to see
He first saw Him by the seashore
Jesus was teaching from a boat offshore
He spoke words with such authority
Intrigued, he wanted to hear much more
He watched the Master heal the sick
In awe, watched Jesus raise the dead
He was seated among the five thousand
When the Master multiplied fish and bread
Wherever Jesus went, he always followed
Watched Him constantly being thronged
Being a wealthy and respected man
Determined in the background he belonged
From the shadows, he watched the arrest
During the scourging, he covered his eyes
He followed the cross up to Golgotha hill
Watched a soldier hammer, heard His cries
Now he beheld Christ’s broken body
And wondered how he could honor Him
It was something not to be taken lightly
Something not to be done on a whim
He knew that he had to do something
For Christ’s body, he put in a request
Received word that his petition was granted
Knew that the Messiah deserved the best
He helped to gently lower Christ’s body
With dignity and honor carried Him away
In his own tomb, Jesus would be buried
Only to rise again on resurrection day
Friday, June 17, 2022