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A dark, still young, very intelligent face,

a soul-mirror gaze of deep understanding, unjudging.

That face, in extremis, would have clenched its teeth

in a grimace not shown in even the great crucifixions.

Not even the greatest artists, poet Denise Levertov suggests in these lines from her recent poem “Salvator Mundi: Via Crucis,” have succeeded in expressing the anguish of Jesus’ last moments.

But just what did Jesus suffer?

The Gospels themselves give differing accounts: Matthew and Mark record that before his death Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34). But the Gospel of John records simply, “When Jesus had received the wine, he said, ‘It is finished.’ Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit” (John 19:30). In the former stories Jesus feels abandoned; in the latter, he accepts his fate.