Robes   J.Orr

 

She grasped His robe as He squeezed past

Her dying, half-bled-to-death hand touched the hem

and His Kindness sealed the wound

that men had only deepened and danced on

with their formulas

and methods

They cast  lots for His robe

At the foot of the cross

Thought they were being original and fun

Little did they know that in eternity their ideas

Had been seen and mourned

And the choice was made to rescue them

with His own hearts blood

from the evil of their own plans

Which they did not wish to be freed of

Did it smear on them

as they picked it up

from the  ground?

The earth wisely absorbed it and was shaken to her 

core

Knowing what they did not

He held their robes while their dogma stoned a man 

dead

holding also the self assurance

that he was doing Gods will

and each bloody stone was a piece torn from the 

heart of God

Did he notice the glory

on the face of the dying man?

Did he hand them back their robes

and tell them they had done a good job?

Did they really believe this as they walked away

or were they disturbed

to see their own half-dead heart desires

alive and well in the eyes of this worshipping 

radiant soul?

Did they sleep in peace that night?

If there's anything I'm sure of

It's that I'm not sure

Not so sure

They cast lots over the next apostle

in the afterglow of Gods Glory

there in the upper room

They were so sure it would be

This guy that they liked

It all felt so good

If you would have told them Gods choice

You would have met with blank stares

Can't you just go along with things?

Do you have to be the problem person here?

Meanwhile, on the road to Damascus

God had His own choice of apostle

and the man who held the robes and killed saints

fell down and worshipped

and as his spirit came alive

His whole life of sure opinions died

because of the glory

Swallowed up in the Glory

Imagine the obedient heart in that man

Who went to Saul the murderer

And blessed Him in Jesus' name

I wonder if the apostles had already announced 

their elected man

The great product of their official vote

I wonder if He struggled with this on his way over

The way I struggle

When we decide things

the way we do

I can see by the fruit of the new testament

who God's choice was

The uneducated men that set fire to the world

When told they were not to preach Christ again

Replied

"We must obey God rather than men."

If it is possible for men to make mistakes

Then why do we proceed as if they never do?

Trying a thousand different torturous cures

but leaving the bleeding woman worse than she was

And if the bleeding woman is still bleeding

Will we admit that and repent?

Or will we pretend our band-aids are doing the 

trick?

Casting lots over robes and disciples

throwing stones in God's name

and in the end finding their own systems and 

agendas

Of which they were so impassioned and sure

Not quite as fruitful

as following a carpenter around

to do things that make no sense to you at all

except you're sure He told you

All of these things I am sure of

Make me so unsure of all the things I used to be so 

sure of!

That was what I was trying to say

I meant no disrespect

I don't know how to work these truths into a 

formula

The living flowing nature of these truths defy the 

sterile pretense of

religion

THis is all I know

That God's ways are different than mine

And I don't  understand them

And if I'm to walk as His helper

And not His opposer

I must lay aside the assurance of my opinions

and receive that fisherman or murderer as my next 

brother

Because he is JEsus at my door

I have faith in God's choices

But I don't trust in men's infallibility

to choose God's best for themselves

I don't know how to have faith in a system

That doesn't live or breath or have being

 I confess that I am a cripple

who has never walked

along these paths

I don't know how to build a house here

and settle down, feel secure with what we're doing

I'm wobbling without the crutches of religion

He just knocked out from under me

and feeling nervous about leaning on a new pair so 

soon

Maybe I need to keep walking and strengthening the 

weak knees

before I can enter into a contract

To do things that seem like more of the same new 

and improved ways

To fix that woman's worsening condition

Anything rather than crying out to Jesus for help

I don't always know my appropriate place in it all

But I think it might be

On my face

before the Lord

Praying to God

That our choices are wise

And we will receive whoever He sends us

However He desires them

Through any means He would choose

Orthodox or not

Donkey, whale, man, girl yelling smelling ugly cute

Ways I like,

ways I don't like

(Especially those!)

Amen

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