After the bloody feast of the Passover lamb—
Jesus of Galilee sacrificed on the cross (1)—
Those drunk with the smell of the blood of the lamb,
Those satisfied by the bloody feast,
When they returned to their ordinary lives
Friends—colleagues and followers of the Passover lamb—
Those who hid in a room locked by the anxiety of death,
Those who fell into a panic by the cruelty of the Jews,
When they lost the courage of being
Joseph of Arimathea
Who respected and followed Jesus in his deep heart
Even though he did not publicly confess for he also feared the Jews,
He came and asked Pilate for the body of Jesus.
With Pilate’s permission, he took away the sacrificed lamb.
Nicodemus
A man of the Pharisees and member of the Jewish ruling council, (2)
Nicodemus, who had earlier visited Jesus at night,
Who respected and followed Him yet hid it within his heart,
Brought funeral things for the sacrificed lamb.
Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus,
They could not lock away their feelings for Him.
They could not deny their consciences as human beings
Even though they had not confessed their deep hearts publicly.
In a world drunk with the smell of blood,
The dignity which they kept despite the fear,
The courage with which they followed the voice of humanity
are beautiful!
Rev. Yong Sub Sim
Poem based on John 19:38-40
(1) 1 Corinthians 5:7
(2) John 3:1-10
