Wakening the Lamb
The boy knew about blood.
A sign of sacrifice, it flowed
through every festival and feast.
His people saw the power
and the promise in those streams,
the blood of beasts.
But when, amid the yearly plans,
the old recurring rites,
did he learn he was the Lamb?
Maybe when his mother told him tales
of men who sprinkled drops
across the veil.
Or when he saw the stains beneath
the fingernails of busy priests
who patted his small head and said
“How much you’ve grown!”
Was it at the tender age of twelve
when at the temple he outshined the wise
and left his parents wide-eyed?
Or did something simply click one year
as he saw the scapegoat damned
and chased outside the camp?
How his young heart must have raced
when scribes unfolded the scrolls
and read those prophecies of old:
Isaiah’s poem, infused with blood.
Is that the one that made him think
“That’s me”?
Was that the word that wakened him
who takes away the world’s sin?
Beautiful poem Bryan! I love how reflective it is on Jesus’ self-understanding. The nature of his self-identity is an interesting issue, and I think you’ve hit something right on the head with this poem. I imagine that Jesus’ self-understanding developed from scripture rather than a simplistic: “oh he’s God, of course he knew.” I absolutely loved this stanza:
Or when he saw the stains beneath
the fingernails of busy priests
who patted his small head and said
“How much you’ve grown!”
What a frighteningly beautiful thought! Thanks for this poem.
Wow, you’ve done it again Bryan! You’ve put such insightful perspective in to powerful verse! Thanks for sharing.
This poem made me think of two books by the author Anne Rice: Christ the Lord–Out of Egypt and Christ the Lord–Road to Cana…While I would never advise them as definitive textbooks for a theology class, they are extremely interesting books that dare to imagine what it was like to be inside the mind of the the God-Man…Both books have given me so much more space in which to reflect on the humanity and divinity which are wedded in Christ. Specifically, the books do an excellent job of highlighting the humanity of Jesus while not compromising His divinity. I have always found the humanity of Jesus much harder to grasp, and therefore these books have proved an excellent tool in coming understand the very real and physical life that Jesus lived. The books serve as well written meditations on Jesus’ “self-understanding”…All that to say, they might be a good read for you (if you haven’t already read them!), and thanks for sharing the poem!
Thanks for those suggestions, Carolyn. I’d heard of those books, but didn’t know what they were about. Might be worth picking up! It’s fascinating to focus on the humanity of Jesus, but it’s also very difficult. In fact, this poem started as a full-blown article, but there was just too much to consider. The poem forced me to be concise =)