In the house of his friends

And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.
Zechariah 13:6

In the house of his friends, where he thought to be safe,

the Christ was betrayed and abandoned like waif.

Defenseless and meek, he was mocked by the crowd,

those who had sought him now jeered him aloud.

Forgive them, he said, as they skewered him tight

onto a cross for a day and a night.

And how is it I, when forsaken and teased,

manage to think that my God is displeased --

say to myself, in sick pride and belief,

that I am not worthy of my Father's relief.

What though all the streets I must pass through are grime;

I am loved, you are loved, we are loved, all the time!