THE CROSS UPON THE HILLTOP

A cross upon a hilltop,
A death of pain and shame,
The work on earth is finished,
This was why He came.

It started in Gethsemane,
This pain the Savior stood,
There, praying to the Father,
He sweated drops of blood.

Then in the halls of Pilate,
Were the accusations made,
He was alone and unwanted,
None of His friends had stayed

No one except His enemies
Standing on every side,
Except the Apostle, Peter,
And he, the Lord, denied.

Why should Jesus be standing thus,
Rejected and alone?
Thus ‘twill be, the Savior said,
When my time is come.

A crown of thorns, they gave Him,
And beat upon His brow,
And mockingly, before Him,
The people all, did bow.

Why should Jesus stand thus,
And answer not a word,
When lies and accusations,
In the mob are heard?

Why should they lead the Savior out,
And up Golgotha’s slope?
It all was done for you and me,
That we might have a hope.

There, upon the hilltop,
Between two thieves He stood,
Upon the cruel, Roman cross,
He was now to shed His blood!

He meekly lays upon the cross,
They pierce those precious hands,
Then His feet, the nails go through,
His blood now stains the sand.

Now, lifting Him upon the cross,
They drop it with a thud,
And there, ‘tween earth and heaven,
The Savior sheds His blood.

The agony, the suffering,
Our blessed Master bore,
Should make us want to work for Him,
And love Him more and more.

Upon that cross, the Master gave,
A Lesson for me and you,
"Forgive them, Father," Jesus said,
"They know not what they do".

They mock Him while He hangs there,
They slap His blessed face;
They take His garments from Him.
He hangs there in disgrace.

His back is beaten, His flesh is torn,
There’s anguish on His face.
His bones are bare and stare at Him,
His joints are out of place.

"My God, why hast Thou forsaken me"?
The blessed Jesus cries,
And there, upon Golgotha,
The lonely Savior dies.

A barren, windswept hilltop;
A bloodstained Roman cross;
The Lamb of God, a Sacrifice
For a world that’s dark and lost.

How can one reject Him
Who suffered on that tree;
And bled and died that cruel death,
That we might all be free?
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