If I Had Known Him

Now, I know that I wrote this one when I was about fifteen!

If I had lived another day,

when Jesus walked the streets,

if I had heard He was passing by,

would I have want our paths to meet?

If I had heard His words of love,

and seen Him heal the lame;

if I had watched Him at His work,

would I still revere His name?

If I had heard the claims

that Jesus was a king,

if I had been an honest Jew,

would that have meant a thing?

If I had stood there at the trial,

when He was there, unafraid;

if I had heard His calm defense,

would I be sorry He was betrayed?

If I had been at the crucifixion

and understood His words when

He forgave the men who hung Him there,

what would my feelings have been?

If I had been told excitedly

that Jesus lived again!

If I had heard their joyous shouts,

would I have believed them then?

I long to have known Jesus the man,

to have walked beside Him for a day,

not be born long after--and, yet,

perhaps--it's better this way.