We Watched

We watched man kill the Son of God. 
We, the Host of Heaven, with tears in our eyes
And our swords drawn,
Stood there and watched man kill the Son of God.

We would have attacked and destroyed them all,
At His voice command, we would have,
But He said, forgive them, and then He died.

We watched as men took Him from His cross,  
And laid Him in His tomb,  
And we watched over Him.

Then came that grand and glorious morning,
When the Son of God burst forth from the tomb,
And we the Host of Heaven rejoiced,
We who watched man kill the Son of God.

This poem is inspired by Matthew 26:52-54, where Jesus has been arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane and the disciples are drawing their swords to defend Him. Jesus tells them to stop and that He could pray that the Father would send 12 legions of angels to defend Him.    

This is a powerful statement. The Amplified Bible states that 12 legions would have been more than 80,000 angels. This would have been a force to completely destroy all mankind, except for the followers of Christ. One angel killed 70,000 between morning and evening in 2 Samuel 24:15-17 and another angel killed 185,000 in one night in 2 Kings 19:34-36.        

But, Jesus' love for man and His heart to do the will of the Father kept Him from calling for the angels. And it was not just at this point He could have called for help. Jesus could have called out at any point — when He was falsely convicted and when He was whipped 39 times and mocked by Roman Soldiers. Also, when He stood before the crowd yelling, "crucify him," as He carried His cross and when He was hanging on the cross. Even at the point of death, He could have called for the angels.       

The Love of Christ for each and every one of us compelled Jesus to follow the plan of salvation laid out before creation was created. Truly, all the angels, and for that matter, all the demons watched Jesus carry out the ultimate act of love for mankind.       

This is why we celebrate Easter. The price for sin has been paid, and all our sins are forgiven. We can all have a relationship with God, our loving Father, through His Son Jesus Christ, if we believe.

If you don’t believe, now is the perfect time to make the decision to believe. Just pray this simple prayer.

Dear, Lord Jesus, I am a sinner and have done many things wrong. I believe you died for my sins, and I ask you now to forgive me, and I receive your forgiveness. I ask you to be my Savior and Lord. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.  

If you prayed that prayer, please contact CBN's Prayer Center for some material to help you get started on your new life with Jesus. Also, begin to read the Bible and start with the Gospel of John. Pray every day and find a strong Bible-believing church to go to; and tell the pastor about your decision, and he will help you.

Copyright © Richard Spangler. Used by permission.