the journey to that table had been long
each with a different starting point
everyone of us chosen, called
picked by him to be a disciple
strengths, weaknesses, blind spots
came as we were, all somewhat changed
yet still as we'd always been
why he picked me I do not know
the accountant, a money man
someone trusted to keep the books
you might say a wise choice
but he knew me too, the hidden me
the Romans labelled us as terrorists
me and my freedom-fighter friends
and we knew what we wanted of him
after all these centuries of *******
Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans
he was a leader, very much the real deal
the sort folk would follow to hell and back
may have wanted me, but did I want him
with him at our head we could not fail
turns out he had different plans
no matter the nudges, the promptings
he would not budge from his path
power given not taken, self-giving love
care for the poor, the broken, the outsider
challenging our leaders, their hypocrisies
he's served himself up for the inevitable
so here we are, at the tipping point
me with just one hand left to play
carry on as he's doing, stick to his plan
he'll be dead meat before the week's out
force the issue, if I re-focus his thinking
maybe, just maybe he'll take our side
and with him as our leader watch out
so we come to it, the critical moment
all together for that Passover meal
"one of you will betray me", he said
"one who dips his bread with me"
mind you we all did that, dip, betray him
deny, run, thirty silver pieces, all the same
but he knew, I could see it in his eyes
the dice rolled, events are now in play
soon the action begins, Gethsemane
will he be there, of course he will
he'd never do a runner, not him
but will he take the bait, rise to the hook
become the leader we know he could be
or have I condemned him, and me too
Wednesday of Holy Week
16th April 2025
following John 13.21-32