The Image / Joshua Alan Sturgill
Once, while the Lord traveled through the Judean wilderness with his disciples and the women who ministered to him, he came upon the ruins of an ancient temple. Among its broken pillars and walls, the disciples were alarmed to find the remains of a idol. Half man and half animal, the idol had fallen; pieces of it were scattered among the stones and weeds.
Jesus, seeing the broken image, took pity on it. He said to his disciples, “Do not fear where there is no fear, but gather together all the pieces with human features.”
Searching carefully, the disciples recovered a head, a right hand and a torso, and laid them on the ground before the Lord. Then stretching his hands over the broken figure, He said, “be whole and be free” and the pieces came together and the missing fragments appeared from the ground, and behold: lying in the midst of the ruins was the image of a man.
But when it did not rise, Mary knelt by its side and placed her hand over its heart and said, “Will you not stand and give thanks to the God of gods who restored you?” Then the image rose and knelt before Jesus.
“Go now into the mountains,” the Lord commanded. “Be shade for beasts and a nesting place for birds and a support for wild vines. Let no one worship you any longer; give yourself to earth and heaven and you will find peace.” And turning to his disciples, the Lord said, “For I tell you that this Gospel of the Kingdom is for all things — for what is living and what is dead and for what is being restored to life.”
All poetry and supplementary material: copyright 2024 by Joshua Alan Sturgill. All rights reserved.
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