The Blame

Forced to die

A criminal’s death,

Though in all things

You were innocent.

Turned against and denied;

Beaten and betrayed,

By those who You loved;

Those who You made.

And who shares in their guilt?

Certainly not I!

I was not there

When You were sentenced to die.

It was not I

Who called out from the crowd;

It was not I

Who denied you aloud.

I did not drive

The nails in Your hands;

I did not help

In the Pharisee’s plans.

And yet, perhaps I

Share some of the blame,

Though I did not live

In the time that You came.

For it was I

Who sinned against You;

And it was I

Who tried to go without You.

It was indeed I

Who went my own way,

And it was I

Whose sins You did pay.

Yes, it was my sins

That You bore on the tree.

It was because of those sins

That You died for me.

And yet even though my sins

Led to Your death,

You still forgave me

In Your final breath.

And when You said

That it was done,

Those sins were wiped clean

The battle was won.

You died for us all,

For we all share in the blame,

But for those who trust You,

There is no shame.

And when the last trumpet sounds

And the world is made new

Those who accept Your forgiveness

Will have a home with You.

Simply because

You loved us so much

That you carried our sins

In Your death on the cross.

"For He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed."

-Isaiah 53:5