Last words of Iscariot
Last words of Iscariot
Listen! For you must understand that
I did not know that it would have ended like this.
I did not know the evil that would have resulted from my kiss.
For it was such a simple kiss,
A kiss that I thought would have only spurred on the insurrection.
The revolution that our people for so long was waiting on,
The rebellion that I for so long was anticipating.
But there was none.
For they took you away,
Away from me and away from amongst us.
Oh God, what have I done?
I thought I was helping.
I thought that it was my duty to force the issue.
For it seemed as if only I understood who you were.
It seemed as if no one else knew
Nor comprehended the power that you wield.
I thought that only if I pushed you,
Endangered you, forced your hand,
That you would have had no other choice,
But to use your powers.
And oh yes, I saw the potential within your powers.
I was drunk with the possibilities of what our tribes
Could have done with you as our leader.
I saw how you could have led the revolt against
The Roman tyrants who had enslaved us.
I thought that with you at our side,
Whom would we fear?
For, I had witnessed how you walked upon the waters with ease
And what’s more, I had observed
How you quelled the rough seas with a mere whisper.
Truly, no longer would the ocean be a barrier to our conquests,
No longer would far away Rome be safe against our forces.
Even grim death would not have its sting against us,
For, you gave life to the dead and healed the infirmed.
You had the power to tell the cripple to rise up and walk.
Truly you were the Messiah, our Savior, and the Lion of Judea.
He who had been promised to come and lead us into battle.
Oh how many a night, I had dreamt about
Us marching upon Rome, to be victorious,
For I knew that we had God with us.
Yes, there was many a night that i envisioned the faces
Of the chief priests and Pharisees who doubted you
And how astonished they would be to know that they were
Wrong and that the Messiah, whom the prophets had foretold about
Was amongst us all along.
My Lord, I was ready to fight.
I was ready to be a part of your kingdom.
I was ready to serve and to take part in the riches
That would have come from our great victories.
So you must understand that I did not betray you
For the stinking pieces of silver,
But I only delivered you unto your destiny.
I only assisted you in completing your purpose,
And the pieces of silver,
Well, you can’t blame a man for wanting to make a profit;
For we all know money is the answer to all things.
Nonetheless, I would gladly give it all up,
All to know that you are safe.
I would gladly abandon my desires of prosperity
To know that I had nothing to do with your death,
To know that I am not the betrayer of the Christ.
But who would believe me?
Who would understand?
For I can hardly believe myself.
Oh you treacherous Romans!
Take ye back your dirty silver,
For its blood money and I do not want
To have anything to do with it.
Oh Lord, forgive me for what I have done
And what I am about to do.
And oh treacherous noose, welcome me,
For only you seem to understand and
Have the strength to support my burden.
And as I tighten this beautiful noose,
Let it be known, that I did love the Lord,
But I did not understand his purpose…until now.
Posted by
at
08:43:17
You are very talented.Your words sounds like a world renowned author.Keep writing,it’s your passion.
thanks Davon for your comments. thanks for the kudos too playboy…there are times I even impress myself…thus far,this is one of my better poems. I actually had to research this one. I am very proud of this piece.
i hope you decide to post more comments to the other topics…
cheers mate
CN
I love your work…This is a great poem. 5*****
Thank you very much Javelle.
Is this Javelle from Florida?
What you saying gurl!
I hope to post more poems on here soon.
CAN
i think your work help people to stand and take notice……the in your face comments are direct and to the point….i love your work…wishing you lots of wonderful mile stones…..pansy
Thank you very much Pansy for your kind comments. There are times when someone needs to step to the plate and instigate, through commentary self awareness and the need for change.
I hope to see more comments from you!
CN
It seems as if great minds thing a like. I was furnished this by a fellow poet, who wanted me to know that someone else out there thinks ‘wayward’ like me…lol Thanks Rheniska! Next time post it on the blog ya sef! But thanks anyways, I really enjoyed the read.
Poor Judas
By Rev. James Smith
His epitaph would read, “He found no place of repentance.” That’s about all the scripture tells us of this church leaders act of suicide.
Prophecies told of the one who would betray the Lord. They even specified how many pieces of silver would be used as the price of betrayal. Some would argue that it was Judas’s lot in life to be the betrayer. That he was probably dishonest since he was the one who held the money purse. We’ve all heard messages preached about the stinginess of Judas and the greed that was in his nature.
Have you ever wondered why Judas killed himself? Have you ever considered that possibly, he didn’t have to die? Judas’s kiss of betrayal was a terrible deed, but was it as bad as Peter’s confession that he did not know the Lord? This, after promising Jesus that he would never leave his side even though everyone else would?
Why does Peter get to live and Judas have to die? Why does Judas hang from a rope and Peter preach the message of Pentecost? Well, we know that one thing is for sure. While Peter is out hanging with the boys out on the boat, Judas is desperately seeking to find repentance, however, he finds none. Peter the proud braggart, as cocky as he was, was able to find that place in his heart where he could within himself say, “I’m sorry Lord!”
No place of repentance is a terrible place to be. You can be sitting in church with people worshipping God all around you and you can be in a place of no repentance. You can be on a platform on a Sunday night and be in no place of repentance.
Leadership within the church especially finds it hard to find that place of repentance at times for several reasons. Sometimes, they feel that they are above everyone else. This thinking brings the leader to a place where he thinks it is not necessary for him to be humble and ask for help or forgiveness. Leaders also feel that there is no one they can confide in. How horrible it is to be the counselor to many, but have no one to help them find a place of repentance.
No place of repentance can kill you. It can rob you of your true potential. It can steal from you your peace of mind. It will dominate your thinking until you find yourself outside of the kingdom wondering, “How did I end up on the outside looking in?”
Several years ago a man of God who I revered greatly was found to be living in sin. While some preachers were condemning and judging him for his sin, one old saintly lady said to me, “well at least now he can be saved.” How profound! How amazing!
His sin is no longer hid. He has been exposed. His friends and family are in shock and will forever feel betrayed by him, but at least he can now be saved. While he is hiding his sin he can find “no place of forgiveness”. But now, he can pray at the altar with everyone else. He may not be in the pulpit on Sunday night, but you may get to see him in Heaven someday.
Why no place of repentance for Judas? Was there no saint there to pray for him? Was there no friend to say, God will forgive you? Where was the church with her message of forgiveness? Where was the church member who could remind Judas of the price Jesus paid on the cross for his sin?
Judas attends many of our churches. His sin may not be as great as the Judas of the bible, but there are people who feel that they have betrayed the Lord to the point that there is no way home for them. They believe that they knew too much to sin the way they did and as a result, there is no place of repentance for them.
Where is the church for Judas? Where is the message of grace for him? Someone has to say to Judas, “You too can be saved.”
I am convinced that Jesus loved Judas. I am convinced that He trusted him. I am certain that our Lord wanted Judas to someday stand inside Heaven’s gates. Why then do we find this man whom Jesus loved and trusted at the end of a robe? “He found no place of forgiveness.”
Someone must convince Judas that Jesus loves him. Somebody has to tell him that he does not have to die to prove his love for the Lord. Judas didn’t kill himself because he was crazy. He killed himself in an attempt to purchase forgiveness. He thought that if he paid the ultimate price for his own sin that the Lord would forgive him. His despair was caused by his knowledge that he had betrayed the one who loved him more than anyone had ever loved him before.
There are perhaps few people in this world you would die for. And fewer still the people you would commit suicide over should you offend them. Judas did not tie that knot in that rope because he was driven by the spirit of suicide, he tied that rope because he was so overcome by guilt that he no longer wanted to live.
Judas loved the Lord. Jesus was his closest friend. Jesus called him out above his fellows. Jesus saw something in Judas that Judas did not see in himself. When other people said Judas was a thief and a liar, Jesus trusted him with his money. When no one else would give Judas a job, Jesus made him the treasurer. Judas looked up to Jesus. He knew that no one in this world had ever given him the kind of trust and opportunities that Jesus did. You may never truly understand Judas’s state of mind the day he took his own life until your come to a place in your own life where you have greatly offended the one person in your life who really loved and believed in you.
Are you hearing me church leader? Are you finding yourself in this picture yet? Do you realize that there is room at the cross for even you? Do you know that your sin is not uncommon to the Lord and that the Cross of Calvary was for you too? A place of repentance if of absolute necessity if you are going to be saved. You cannot make it in your ministry, marriage or in this life if you have no place of repentance.
There is an altar for you too. Kneeling before the Lord is not just for the sinner or the people you preach to on Sundays. We all must find that place of repentance.
Incredible potential for the Kingdom of God was destroyed the day Judas died. Jesus chose Judas not because he was looking for someone to betray him someday. He chose him because he saw eternal potential in him. Who knows the cities that could have been won by his preaching. What books of the bible could have testified of his power with God and the anointing of his ministry? Eternity will never tell the whole story of Judas’s life all because he found no place of repentance.
It does not matter your position or affluence among men. There is a place of forgiveness for you. You may never need it, but if you do, you can find it if you will seek it.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”