The poem, ‘The Crucifixion,’ is published as part of a poems compilation known as ‘God’s Trombones.’ written by James Weldon Johnson, of African-American origin, and is part of one of the two sets of notable works. The sequence of the poem is the sixth in his book, which follows the two ‘Let My People Go’ and ‘The Judgment Day.’ The heartfelt narration of Jesus’s crucifixion story is widely popular and narrated in sermon form, with the preacher discussing the contexts of events in a poetic fashion.
The beginning stanzas of the poem highlight the story with three disciplines and Jesus sitting together (Weldon, lines 1-8) in the ‘Garden of Gethsemane.’ The particular instruction from Jesus at the time was to stay with ‘Him’ during times of sorrow. In the third stanza of the poem, Jesus’ prayers mention that God’s Will is defined by the torture or pain he is going to go through (Weldon, lines 17-24). The disciples fell asleep during the prayers of Jesus, and stanza four begins with the betrayal of Jesus (Judas), leading the discussion towards the group of people who want to crucify Jesus (Weldon, lines 25-32). Jesus, at the time, is praying in the garden and explains the way Jesus’s identity is being betrayed by Judas with a kiss. In the following stanza, Jesus is standing in front of the Roman Governor Pilate, and the crowd stands emotionally, not on the side of Jesus, and this is reflective of their ignorance (Weldon, lines 29-31). The poem ends with a detailed description in the form of story-telling and ends with an expression about the personal feeling of trembling of the preacher and the way Jesus died, that is, ‘Sinners like you and me’ (Weldon, lines 38-40).
Works Cited
Johnson, James Weldon, et al. God’s trombones. Folkways Records, 1965.
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