Judged

Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people,

from the deceitful and unjust man

deliver me!

For you are the God in whom I take refuge; why have you rejected me?

Why do I go about mourning

because of the oppression of the enemy?

Send out your light and your truth;

let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling!

Then I will go to the altar of God,

to God my exceeding joy,

and I will praise you with the lyre,

O God, my God.

Why are you cast down, O my soul,

and why are you in turmoil within me?

Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. 

Psalms 43

Pilate went back into the palace. He summoned Jesus and asked, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
Jesus answered, “Do you say this on your own or have others spoken to you about me?” Pilate responded, “I’m not a Jew, am I? Your nation and its chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?”
Jesus replied, “My kingdom doesn’t originate from this world. If it did, my guards would fight so that I wouldn’t have been arrested by the Jewish leaders. My kingdom isn’t from here.”
“So you are a king?” Pilate said.
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. I was born and came into the world for this reason: to testify to the truth. Whoever accepts the truth listens to my voice.”

 “What is truth?” Pilate asked.

John 18:33-38

Adjudicator

Teach someone to fish,

And you empower them.

Give them a fish, 

And who they are,

What they become is yours.

We must eat to live,

To become, to grow.

But, at whose table will I feast?

Upon whose words will I dine

To uphold and define identity?

Your words are not mine

And yet so often I wear them,

Unspoken or said 

I taste and chew them,

Inside out and outside in,

Until full of shame, 

I become them.

The way I live,

The person I love,

The way I look,

You are so intolerant of…

And so you act and speak 

To feed my soul -

Such rancid food you serve!

All images in this installation are copyrighted by Matthew Nelson 2021