Poetry Friday III - John 11:33-37

The poem of my friend mentioned above is the poem for today, but it won't make any sense in isolation, so I'll share this one, also based on John 11:33-37. Hugh Palmer from All Soul's in London preached at our church last Sunday night on John 11, in which he emphasised all that is contained in that little verse "Jesus wept", and it is just my theme for this week:

Could not the one who opened blind men's eyes

Have kept this man from dying? Did he care

So little he delayed until he dared

Not linger further? Were there futile tries

To heal, quite swallowed by the mourning cries?

The healer must have loved him: he can't bear

This death with stoic unconcern, nor tear

From this man's tomb his weeping eyes.

The one whose primal home is heaven's bliss

Makes dust of Palestine his friend, and weeps

With those who weep. No studied distance, this:

He dons our flesh and into anguish leaps.

Removed from savage death, he could have kept

Aloof; but scripture signals, "Jesus wept".

Don Carson, Holy Sonnets of the Twentieth Century