The magnificent praise-poem, "my father moved through dooms of love" by e.e. cummings captures perfectly my bittersweet sense of what is happening, particulalrly these lines:
newly as from unburied which
floats the first who,his april touch
drove sleeping selves to swarm their fates
woke dreamers to their ghostly roots
and should some why completely weep
my father's fingers brought her sleep:
vainly no smallest voice might cry
for he could feel the mountains grow.
I have thought this too. I pray that this is the beginning of the awakening of the US and the return to God. I fear for my country if it is only the beginning of a dark night of the culture of death.
Our God is an awesome God!!!!!!!
Matthew 26
59: The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death.
60: But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward.
Matthew 27
11: ...Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” “Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied.
12: When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer.
13: Then Pilate asked him, “Don't you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?”
14: But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge–to the great amazement of the governor.
15: Now it was the governor's custom at the Feast to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd.
16: At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas.
17: So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?”
18: For he knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him.
19: While Pilate was sitting on the judge's seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don't have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.”
20: But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.
21: “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor. “Barabbas,” they answered.
22: “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify him!”
23: “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”
24: When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man's blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!”
25: All the people answered, “Let his blood be on us and on our children!”
26: Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.
Luke 22
66: At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them.
67: “If you are the Christ,[d]” they said, “tell us.” Jesus answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe me, 68and if I asked you, you would not answer.
69: But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.”
70: They all asked, “Are you then the Son of God?” He replied, “You are right in saying I am.”
71: Then they said, “Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips.”
Luke 23
1: Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate.
2: And they began to accuse him, saying, “We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Christ,[a] a king.”
3: So Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” “Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied.
4: Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.”
5: But they insisted, “He stirs up the people all over Judea[b]by his teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here.”
6: On hearing this, Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean.
7: When he learned that Jesus was under Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.
8: When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform some miracle.
9: He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer.
10: The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him.
11: Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate. 12: That day Herod and Pilate became friends–before this they had been enemies.
13: Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people,
14: and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him.
15: Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death.
16: Therefore, I will punish him and then release him.”
18: With one voice they cried out, “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!”
19: (Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.)
20: Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again.
21: But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
22: For the third time he spoke to them: “Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him.”
23: But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed.
24: So Pilate decided to grant their demand.
25: He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will.
Mark 14
55: The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find any.
56: Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree.
57: Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against him:
58: “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this manmade temple and in three days will build another, not made by man.’ ”
59: Yet even then their testimony did not agree.
Mark 15
1: Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, reached a decision. They bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.
2: “Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate. “Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied.
3: The chief priests accused him of many things.
4: So again Pilate asked him, “Aren't you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.”
5: But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.
6: Now it was the custom at the Feast to release a prisoner whom the people requested.
7: A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising.
8: The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.
9: “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate,
10: knowing it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him.
11: But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.
12: “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them.
13: “Crucify him!” they shouted.
14: “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”
15: Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.
John 18
12: Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him
13: and brought him first to Annas, who was the fatherinlaw of Caiaphas, the high priest that year.
14: Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it would be good if one man died for the people.
28: Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover.
29: So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?”
30: “If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.”
31: Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” “But we have no right to execute anyone,” the Jews objected.
32: This happened so that the words Jesus had spoken indicating the kind of death he was going to die would be fulfilled.
33: Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
34: “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”
35: “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”
36: Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
37: “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
38: “What is truth?” Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.
39: But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?”
40: They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in a rebellion.
John 19
1: Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged.
2: The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe
3: and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they struck him in the face.
4: Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.”
5: When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”
6: As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!” But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.”
7: The Jews insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.”
8: When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid,
9: and he went back inside the palace. “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer.
10: “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?”
11: Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”
12: From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.”
13: When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge's seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha).
14: It was the day of Preparation of Passover Week, about the sixth hour. “Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews.
15: ut they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!” “Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked. “We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered.
16: Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.