Bible in Poetry: Gospel of St. Matthew (Chapter 23)
Then Jesus told his disciples
And crowds, ‘As scribes and Pharisees all sit
In Moses’ chair, do all they tell;
Observe all things they tend to say,
But don’t follow their example,
For, they preach but do not practice.’
‘They place too heavy burdens on
Shoulders of people to carry
But will not help even a bit.’
‘They do things so that they are seen;
They widen their phylacteries,
And lengthen their tassels often;
They love honor at banquet-halls;
Be exalted in synagogues;
Be greeted in market-places;
Get salutation as ‘Rabbi’.’
‘As for you, don’t be called, ’ Rabbi’.
You are brothers with one Teacher.
You have one father in heaven;
Call no one as father on earth;
You’ve one Master, the ‘Messiah’.
Do not be called ‘master’ on earth;
The greatest must be your servant;
Whoev’r exalts shall be humbled;
He who humbles is exalted.’
‘Then woe to you scribes, Pharisees;
You are all hypocrites who lock
The gates of heaven to mankind;
Neither do you enter yourselves,
Nor allow others to enter.’
‘Then woe to you o hypocrites,
You cross the seas and traverse lands
For sake of making one convert
And when that happens, you make him
A Gehenna’s child, twice as you.’
‘O woe to you blind guides who say,
‘To swear by temple is just naught;
But swearing by its gold is not.
Which is greater, gold or temple
That gives the gold its sanctity? ’
‘To swear by altar, it means naught;
To swear by altar-gifts is not.
Which is greater, gift or altar
That sanctifies the gift offered? ’
Blind ones, one who swears by altar,
Swears by it and things upon it;
Who swears by temple, swears by it
And swears by Him who dwells in it;
Who swears by heaven swears by throne
Of God who seated on it.’
‘O woe to you scribes, Pharisees!
You hypocrites who pay the tithes
Of mint and dill and cummin-seeds
But ignored what is important
In law and judgment and mercy
Yet, these you ought to have done then
Without neglecting the others!
You blind guides who strain out the gnat
And swallow the camel wholesome! ’
‘Woe to you scribes and Pharisees
You are like white-washed tombs to see,
Appearing beautiful outside,
With dead men’s bones and filth inside.’
Externally, you seem righteous,
Internally, you are filled with
Hypocrisy and evil-deeds! ’
‘O woe to you, scribes, Pharisees,
You build the tombs of prophets and,
Adorn memorials of righteous;
And you say that if we had lived
In our ancestor’s days, we wouldn’t
Have joined to shed the prophets’ blood! ’
Thus, you agree that you’re children
Of the murderers of prophets
Get what your ancestors measured;
You serpents, you brood of vipers,
How can you ever escape from
The judgment of Gehenna then? ’
Therefore, I send to you wise-men,
Prophets and scribes and yet, you kill
Some and crucify some of them;
Some are scourged in your synagogues;
Some are pursued from town to town.’
‘Therefore shall come upon you all,
The blood of righteous, shed on earth
From Abel to Zechariah,
The son of Barachiah, you killed
Between sanctuary and altar! ’
Amen, I say, all things will come
Upon present generation.
Jerusalem, the murderer
Of prophets, who stones that are sent
How many times have I then yearned
To gather en masse your children
As hen brings young under wings
Yet, you were most unwilling still!
Behold, your house will turn lonely,
Abandoned and desolate soon;
I tell, you’ll not see me again
Until you say, ‘Blessed is He
Who comes in the name of the Lord! ’
Copyright by Dr John Celes 6-11-2007
poem by John Celes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Related quotes
Bible in Poetry: Gospel of St. Matthew (Chapter 16)
The Pharisees and Sadducees
To Jesus came, to test and asked,
‘Do show us a heavenly sign.’
He replied, ‘If evening sky’s red,
Tomorrow will be fair, you say.
If morning sky be red, today
Will be rather a stormy day.’
You know to judge the sky’s patterns,
Yet, cannot judge the signs of times.’
For a generation evil,
And unfaithful one, no sign will
Be given, except Jonah’s sign.
Then, He left them and went away..
On the other side of the sea,
They found that they had not brought bread.
And Jesus said, ‘Look out, beware
Of the leaven of Pharisees.’
His disciples thought, Jesus said
Because they had no bread with them.
Then Jesus said, ‘you faithless ones,
Why did you draw such conclusion? ’
‘Didn’t you remember the five loaves
That fed five thousand and more ones?
Didn’t you remember the seven,
That fed four thousand and more ones?
How many loaves remained also!
How is that you don’t comprehend?
The leaven of the bread had meant
The teachings of the Pharisees! ’
In Caesarea Philippi,
He asked, ‘what do people say I’m? ’
They said, ‘Some say, John, the Baptist,
Others, Jeremiah, prophets! ’
He then asked, ‘What do you say I’m? ’
Then Peter said, ‘You’re Messiah,
Son of the Living God, that’s One.’
And Jesus then said, ‘Blessed are you
O Simon Peter, Jonah’s son.
For, flesh and blood didn’t reveal this,
But my heavenly Father just.’
And so I say to you Peter,
‘Upon this rock, I’ll build my church..
The nether gates shall not prevail.
I’ll give the Kingdom’s keys to you.
Whatev’r you bind on earth shall be
Bound also in heaven likewise;
What you loosen on earth shall be
Loosened in heaven, similarly! ’
He ordered them not to reveal
That He was truly Messiah! ’
Then Jesus told his disciples
He must go to Jerusalem,
And suffer greatly from elders,
Chief priests and scribes, and be killed then,
And to become raised on third day!
Then Peter taking him aside
Said, ‘God forbid Lord, let nothing
Like that ever happen to you! ’
But Jesus said to Peter then,
‘Just get behind me, Satan, you,
You’re an obstacle to me too!
You are not thinking as God does.
You think as human beings do.’
Then Jesus said, ‘Whoever wants
To follow me must deny things
Take up his cross and come after.
For, he who saves his life shall lose,
Who loses life for my sake, lives! ’
‘What profits one to gain the world
But just forfeit his life on earth?
What can one’s life be exchanged for? ’
‘Amen I say, some of you here,
Will not taste death, until you see
The Son of Man come in glory,
By angels flanked one day, surely! ’
(6-3-2007)
poem by John Celes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Bible in Poetry: Gospel of St. Matthew (Chapter 15)
The Pharisees and scribes who came
From Jerusalem asked Jesus,
‘Your disciples break traditions
Of elders like washing their hands
Each time, before eating a meal? ’
But Jesus answered them and asked,
‘Why do you break God’s commandment
For tradition’s sake? For God said,
‘Honor your Father and Mother.
Whoev’r curses parents, shall die.’
‘You nullify the word of God;
So, Isaiah did prophesy
About you well, you hypocrites:
‘They honor me by their lips just
Their hearts are far away from me.’
‘They worship me with vanity
And teach as doctrines, mere precepts.’
He called the crowd and said to them,
‘Hear well and understand this thing:
What enters mouth does not defile
What mouth utters, only defiles.’
His disciples then said to Him,
‘The Pharisees were offended
When they had heard of what you said.’
Then, He said, ‘Each plant, that has not
Been planted by my Father then,
Will be uprooted definitely.’
Leave them alone, they are blind guides;
If one blind leads another then,
Both may happen to fall in pit.’
Then Peter asked Jesus, ‘O Lord,
Explain this parable to us.’
‘You stay without understanding!
All which enters the mouth enters
The stomach and is expelled then.
The things that come out of your mouth,
Come from your heart and they defile.
For, from your hearts come evil thoughts-
False witness, theft, adultery,
Unchastity, theft, blasphemy.
These are the things that one defile;
To eat with unwashed hands does not.’
Then Jesus went to Tyre, Sidon.
A Canaanite woman came there
And said, ‘O Lord, Son of David,
A demon has seized my daughter.
Have pity on her and on me.’
But He didn’t say a word to her.
His disciples said, ‘Send her out
For, she is troubling our Master.’
Then Jesus said, ‘I was just sent
For sheep of house of Israel lost.
The woman came again and said, ‘
Help me, O Lord, show some pity.’
When Jesus said, ‘It is not right
To throw children’s food o’er to dogs! ’
She said, ‘Lord, ev’n dogs can feed on
Scraps of food that from master’s table fall! ’
Then Jesus said, ‘You have great faith,
Let it happen as per your wish.’
Her daughter got healed at that hour.
Jesus then climbed the mountain-side
But even there, great crowds did come.
They placed the lame, blind, deformed, mute,
And many others at His feet.
Then Jesus cured each one of them.
The crowds were simply much amazed,
By miracles that Jesus did.
They glorified Israel’s Lord, God! ’
Then Jesus called His disciples
And said, ‘My heart pities the crowd.
They’ve been with us for three days now.
They had nothing to eat till date;
I don’t want them to leave hungry,
For, they could collapse on the way.’
His disciples asked, ‘Whence can we
Get enough bread for such large crowds,
In such a lonely place like this? ’
Then Jesus asked His disciples,
‘How many loaves do you’ve with you?
‘Seven, and a few fish, ’ they said.
He asked the crowd to be seated.
He took the bread and fish, gave thanks,
He broke and gave it to each one.
They ate and were much satisfied;
Remainder filled baskets seven.
Four thousand men had eaten well,
Not counting children and women.
And when He had dismissed the crowds,
By boat, He went to Magadan.
(6-3-2007)
poem by John Celes
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Bible in Poetry: Gospel of St. John (Chapter 8)
To Mount of Olives, Jesus went;
He came to Temple in the morn;
The people flocked to Him at once;
He sat and taught them many things.
The scribes then brought a woman caught
In adultery, and made her stand;
They said to Jesus, ‘O teacher,
This woman is an adulteress,
And got caught in the very act.
As Moses commands us to stone
Such women, so, what do you say? ’
They wanted to test Jesus thus;
So they could charge him in some way;
But Jesus wrote something on ground.
They persisted in asking Him,
So, Jesus said, ‘let one of you
Without a sin, then throw first stone.’
Again, He bent and wrote on ground;
Each one of them then left in turns;
The woman stood near Him alone;
Then Jesus asked her, ‘Where are they?
Has no one condemned you as yet? ’
The woman replied, ‘No one, sir! ’
Then Jesus said, ‘Neither do I;
So, go; from now on, do not sin.’
Then Jesus spoke to them again,
‘I am the one light of the world!
Who follows me won’t have darkness;
But will walk in the light of life.’
The Pharisees then said to him,
‘You testify on your behalf;
Your words remain unverified.’
Then Jesus answered and told them,
‘What I speak can be verified,
Because I know from where I come;
I also know to where I go;
But, you know nothing about both!
You judge by looks but I don’t judge!
But if I should, it is valid,
Because I am not all alone;
My Father is with me, who sent; .
But even in your law ’tis writ,
‘Two men’s words can be verified;
I testify on my own stead;
So, does my father who sent me.’
They asked Him, ‘Where is your Father? ’
Then Jesus replied as follows:
‘You neither know me, nor father;
If you knew me, you’ll know Him too.’
He spoke these words in temple ground;
Yet, none did arrest him thus far!
Then He said, ‘I’m going away,
And you will try to look for me;
But you will die in your own sin.
To where I go, you cannot come.’
The Jews asked one another then,
‘Is He going to kill himself?
What did He mean by saying thus:
‘You cannot come to where I go! ’
Then Jesus continued to speak,
‘You belong to what is below;
I belong to what is above;
You belong to this very world;
I don’t belong to mother earth.
If you don’t believe that I AM,
You will then die in your own sins! ’
They asked Him, ‘So, Then, who are you? ’
Then Jesus said, ‘What did I say
From the very beginning then?
I condemn you for things you say,
Because the one who sent is true,
I tell the world what He told me.
They did not know of who He spoke;
He spoke to them of His Father.
‘The one who sent me is with me;
He has not left me all alone;
I always do what pleases Him.’
Many came to believe Jesus.
Jesus said to Jews, who believed,
‘If you remain in words of mine,
You truly will be disciples.
And you will know the truth also;
The truth will set you surely free!
They told him, ‘We’re from Abraham; .
We weren’t enslaved to anyone; .
Why should we then be set afree?
Then Jesus answered all of them,
‘Amen, amen, I say to you.
All sinners are enslaved by sin.
A slave remains not forever;
A son remains in house always!
If son frees you, you’ll truly be! ’
‘I know you come from Abraham
And yet, you try to kill me soon;
My words find no place within you;
I tell you what I’ve heard and seen
My father do in heaven then,
So you may do a similar thing.’
They said, ‘Our father’s Abraham!
Then Jesus told, ‘If Abraham,
His children ought to do his works.
But now, you try to murder me,
A man who heard the truth from God?
Then do you do your father’s works? ’
They said, ‘We aren’t illegitimate!
We have one father, who is God!
Jesus said, ‘If God’s your father,
You would then love me and not kill,
For, I’ve been sent by God to you!
Why don’t you understand my words?
Is it you cannot bear to hear? ’
‘Your father is the devil then;
You carry out his desires;
He was a killer from the start
And loves to hide the truth by lies;
He has no truth in him at all.’
‘He is the father of all lies;
He is a liar by nature;
I speak the truth, you don’t believe;
Can anyone charge me with sin?
So, believe me, I speak but truth;
Whoev’r belongs to God, hears Him.’
The Jews answered and said to him,
‘Are we not right in saying that
You’re a possessed Samaritan?
Then Jesus said, ‘I’m not possessed;
I honor my loving Father;
I do not seek my own glory;
Amen, amen, I say to you:
Who keeps my words, will not meet death’
The Jews said, ‘you’re surely possessed;
Abraham died like all prophets;
Yet, you say we will not taste death?
Are you greater than Abraham?
Are you greater than all prophets?
Who do you think, you want to be? ’
Then Jesus told, ‘My glory’s worth
Nothing if I self-glorify;
But glorifies me, my Father,
Of whom you say, ‘He is our God! ’
You do not know Him; I know Him;
If I say otherwise, ’tis lies.
I know Him well and keep His word;
Abraham rejoiced to see me;
He saw my day and was so glad.’
The Jews then said, ‘You aren’t fifty
And you have seen old Abraham?
Then Jesus said to them, “Amen,
Amen, I say to you; before
Abraham came to be, I AM! ”
They picked up stones to throw at Him;
But Jesus out of temple slid.
Copyright by Dr John Celes 5-23-2007
poem by John Celes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Bible in Poetry: Gospel of St. Mark (Chapter 10)
Across the Jordan, Jesus made His way
Into the place called Judea wherein,
Crowds gathered and by custom, He taught them.
The Pharisees awaited to test him
And asked, “By law, can husband divorce wife? ”
But Jesus asked, “What Moses did command? ”
They said, “To dismiss her by divorce-bill.”
Then Jesus said, “Because of your hard hearts,
Did Moses write you such a commandment? ”
God made them male, female at creation;
A man shall leave his parents, join his wife;
No longer are they two but single flesh;
What God has joined, no one can separate.
His disciples then questioned once again.
He said, “He who divorces wife, commits
Adultery by marrying another.
By divorcing husband, the wife commits
Adultery by marrying another.
And people brought children to Him to bless.
His disciples rebuked them by habit.
So, Jesus said, “Let children come to me.
Prevent them not for, Heaven will be theirs.
Unless child-like, you cannot enter it.
He embraced them and blessed each one of them.
As He was setting out on a journey,
A man came running, knelt to him and asked,
“Good Teacher, tell me what I ought to do
On earth, to inherit eternal life? ”
And Jesus answered, “Why address me ‘good’?
No one is good except Almighty God!
You know the commandments, you ought to keep?
He said, “I’ve observed them all since my youth.”
Then Jesus said, “You lack in just one thing.
Go sell all that you have and give the poor.
You’ll have treasure in Heav’n; then, follow me.”
At this, the man turned sad and went away,
As he possessed a lot of wealth with him!
So, Jesus turned to disciples and said,
“’Tis hard for wealthy ones to reach heaven! ”
A camel passes through a needle’s eye
With ease but not one rich can, heaven’s gates!
His disciples asked, “Then who can be saved? ”
“For human beings, ’tis impossible.
All things are possible for God, ” He said.
Then Peter told, “We gave up everything.”
Jesus replied, “One who gives up all things
For sake of Gospel’s and for me receives
A hundred times more in this present age,
And persecutions and eternal life!
Many first shall become last, the last, first!
Then Jesus started to Jerusalem;
He went ahead of them; they were amazed;
And those who followed seemed to be afraid;
To twelve disciples, Jesus spoke again,
“Behold, we go to Jerusalem town;
They’ll hand over the Son of Man
To scribes, chief priests who’ll condemn Him to death;
And hand Him over to Gentiles:
They’ll mock at Him; and spit on Him; scourge Him;
Put Him to death; after three days, He’ll rise!
Then James and John came up to Him and asked,
“Will You do teacher, what we ask of You? ”
So, Jesus asked, “What do you want from me? ”
They said, “Grant that in glory, we may sit with You,
One at your right, the other at your left.”
But Jesus told, “You know not what you ask;
Can you drink from the cup that I drink from,
Or be baptized the way I am baptized?
They answered Jesus, “yes, we can.”
Said Jesus, “Yes, the cup I drink, you’ll drink;
The baptism I get, you will also.
But to sit at my right or left isn’t mine
To give, but is for those for whom it’s been prepared.”
The other ten got angry at the two.
Then Jesus called and said to them, “You know
Those rulers over Gentiles recognized,
Lord it ov’r them and make their power felt.
However, it shall not be so ’mongst you.
Whoev’r wants greatness will be your servant;
Whoev’r then wants to be first will be slave of all;
The Son of Man did not come to be served;
He came to serve and give His life for all.
While leaving Jericho, a blind beggar
By road-side, Bartimaeus, then cried out,
“O Jesus, Son of David, pity me.”
Rebuking, many tried to silence him.
He kept on calling loudly all the more:
“O Son of David, have pity on me.”
So, Jesus stopped and told that he be brought.
They told the man, “Get up, He’s calling you.”
He threw aside his cloak, sprang up and came.
When Jesus asked, “what do you want of me? ”
The blind man told, “O Master, I want sight! ”
So Jesus said, “Your faith has saved you, Go! ”
Immediately, he saw and followed Him.
Copyright by Dr John Celes 5-19-2007
poem by John Celes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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A brood of vipers
While working as a senior accountant
at the head office of a major worldwide religion:
I have seen colleagues
running to tell tales
which were fibs, slandering others
to get their own way,
using the name of God
in prayer and twisting
His arm,
to get their own way
as if their words are His,
(smiling in friendship
while stabbing the knife
in the back) ,
meddling with salaries and pensions
to defraud and decrease
stipulated payments
(trying to stop this on my own) ,
I have seen a married girl
sitting on the lap
of her boss
to get a promotion,
I have heard the president
of a conference
talking about people
behind their backs
after happily receiving
donations for the church
and saw the anger in his eyes
when I admonished him
and those that talked along,
I have been told by a minister
in high office in the church
about my personal circumstances
that God pours His rain
over the unjust as well,
I have seen people
walking over others
in the Christian way
and still they had the audacity
to want to pray with me
and put their arms
around my shoulders
and thought that they were holy
and have the truth.
[Reference: “In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. 'Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, `If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your forefathers! 'You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? ” Matthew 23: 28-33]
poem by Gert Strydom
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Heaven and Hell
the gambling house
god is outside
counting
who would win his abode
he knows too
who will win and lose
the roulette, the bucclarrete, the black jacks
let them in to find their hell and heaven anyway
if that is what they want
the church
god is inside
quietly
among his flock
sitting right inside them
he knows too who will win his abode
the real apostles from the judases
the hypocrites
scribes and pharisees
let them in anywhere to find their heaven and hell
everything is a gamble
including heaven and hell
and god
the master of the game
poem by John Tiong Chunghoo
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Bible in Poetry: Gospel of St. Matthew (Chapter 12)
It was the Sabbath day, when Jesus walked,
Through a field of grain with His disciples,
Who being hungry, picked some heads of grain,
And ate them while the Pharisees had watched.
They then remarked to Jesus about them.
On Sabbath day, his disciples had done
An act, unlawful, according to them.
Then Jesus asked them, ‘Haven’t you read
How David and his friends had fed,
When hungry they became one day,
And ate the offered bread that lay,
Inside the House of God which he
Ought not to eat but ones priestly! ’
‘Have you not read the Sabbath Law?
That priests that serve in temples are
Violating, though innocent? ’
‘There’s something more than temple here.
If you had known what was meant by
‘Not sacrifice, I desire mercy,
You would not condemn such things done.
The Son of Man’s, Lord of Sabbath! ’
Then, Jesus went into the synagogue.
There was a man with withered hand;
Is it right curing on Sabbath?
They asked to accuse Him therefore.
Then Jesus asked, ‘If your sheep fell
On Sabbath day, into a pit,
Would you not lift it out at once? ’
‘Is not man’s life more valuable?
’Tis lawful doing good on Sabbath day.’
He told the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’
The man did so and was restored.
The Pharisees then decided
To wait and then, put Him to death.
As Jesus knew their evil plan,
He left that place to another.
And many followed Him with faith
And Jesus cured their illnesses.
He warned them not to publicize.
This was to fulfill what was said
By prophet Isaiah before:
‘Behold my servant I’ve chosen
My beloved, in whom I delight
I’ll place my Spirit upon Him;
He’ll bestow justice to Gentiles.’
‘He’ll not contend or cry out and
His voice will not echo in streets;
A bruised reed, He will not break;
A burning wick, He’ll not put out,
Until He turns victorious,
And in His name, Gentiles will hope.’
They brought to Him, a demoniac,
Who was blind too and also mute.
He cured the person immediately;
He started speaking and could see.
The crowd was astounded and asked,
‘Could this be perhaps, David’s Son? ’
But Pharisees remarked, ‘This man
Drives out the demons by the pow’r
Of Beelzebul, prince of demons! ’
As Jesus knew what they had thought,
He said to them, ‘A kingdom that’s
Divided will be laid to waste;
A house divided cannot stand;
If Satan can drive out one more,
How can his kingdom ever stand?
And if I drive the demons out
Through Beelzebul, by whom do you?
I drive out demons with God’s help,
The Holy Spirit assists me!
God’s kingdom shall be upon you.’
‘How can one steal a strong man’s house unless,
He ties the man up before he plunders?
Whoev’r is not with me is against me;
Whoev’r that does not gather, then scatters.
Every sin will be forgiven people,
But sin against the spirit will not be.
Whoever speaks against the Son of Man
Will also be forgiven without fuss;
Who speaks against the Holy Spirit won’t
Be forgiven now or in age to come.’
‘The tree is known by fruits, it shall put forth;
Either the tree is good and so is fruit
Or rotten tree producing just bad fruits.’
‘You brood of vipers, how can you talk good
Things when your heart is filled with evil-hood?
For, speaks the mouth from fullness of the heart.’
‘The good from good person comes from like store.
An evil person delivers evil;
On Judgment Day, each one renders account
For every careless word, he spoke in life;
By your words, you’ll be acquitted, condemned.’
Some of the scribes and Pharisees then said,
‘Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.’
Then Jesus told, ‘A sign, an unfaithful
And evil generation seeks but then,
They will be given none except the one:
The sign of Jonah, prophet that all know;
Just as how Jonah stayed in fish’s belly,
For three days and three nights, so will the Son
Of man, be inside the heart of the earth.’
‘On Judgment day, Nineveh’s men will rise,
Because they heard Jonah and repented;
The queen of south will likewise then arise,
Because she heard King Solomon’s wisdom.’
‘When unclean spirit leaves a person, then
It roams through regions but cannot find rest,
And so returns to home that it had left;
It finds it empty, clean and in order;
It goes to bring back seven worse spirits,
And thus the person’s condition worsens;
Thus will this evil generation be.’
While speaking thus, his mother, brothers came,
And wished to speak to Him most urgently;
But Jesus asked, ‘Who’s my mother, brothers? ’
‘He showed His hand at His own disciples
And said, ‘Here are my brothers and mother!
Whoever does the will of my Father,
Is my mother, my sister and brother! ’
Copyright by Dr John Celes 6-1-2007
poem by John Celes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Bible in Poetry: Gospel of St. Mark (Chapter 11)
And when they neared Jerusalem,
Bethphage, Bethany (Mount Olives) ,
He sent disciples two and told,
“Go to the village, opposite you,
On entering it, you’ll find a colt,
Tethered, on which no one ev’r sat.
Untie and bring it here. If asked,
“Why do you do this? ” say, “The Master needs.
He’ll send it back soon afterwards.”
They found the colt as Jesus said.
They answered queries as He’d told.
They brought the colt, their cloaks on it.
Some people spread their cloaks en way.
Some spread cut leafy-branches too.
Then Jesus sat and rode on it.
Some went ahead. Some followed Him,
And said, “Hosanna in Highest!
Blest is He who comes in God’s name.
And blessed be David’s kingdom!
Our father that’s to come yet; hosanna!
When Jesus reached Jerusalem,
’Twas late. He went to Bethany.
Next day, He felt very hungry;
He saw a leafy fig-tree far;
He went to look for figs on it:
It had just leaves; it wasn’t fig-time!
“May none eat fruits from you, ” He said.
His disciples didn’t hear these words.
In Jerusalem’s temple’s place,
He drove out those who bought and sold;
He pushed down tables of money-changers,
And pulled down seats of Dove-sellers;
He disallowed to carry things and said,
“Isn’t it writ: My house is just for prayer?
You have made it a den of thieves.”
When scribes, chief priests then heard of it,
They sought a way to put Him soon to death.
They feared Him yet, as crowds loved Him.
When evening came, they left the gates;
By dawn, the fig-tree had withered!
And Peter said, “Rabbi, that tree
You cursed has withered, entirely! ”
Jesus replied, “Have faith in God.”
“Amen, if one tells this mountain
Be lifted up, be thrown in sea,
Without a doubt, it shall be done.”
All that you ask in prayer, just believe.
Then, you’ll receive it and it shall be yours.
Before you pray, forgive others their faults;
Your Heav’nly Father will forgive your sins.
They came back to the Temple’s place,
The scribes, chief priests approached Him, asked,
“By whose authority, you do these things? ”
And Jesus smiled, “answer mine too:
“Was John’s baptism, by heaven or men? ”
They discussed ’mongst themselves and said,
“If say we, of heavenly origin,
He’ll ask, ‘Don’t you believe in him? ”
“And if we say of human origin! ”
They feared the crowd who knew John as prophet.
They said to Jesus, “We don’t know.”
“Neither shall I tell, ” said Jesus.
Copyright by Dr John Celes 5-20-2007
poem by John Celes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Bible in Poetry: Gospel of St. John (Chapter 9)
Jesus saw a man, blind since birth;
His disciples asked Him, ‘Rabbi,
By whose sins was the man born blind-
His own sins or that of parents’? ’
So, Jesus answered them, ‘Neither.
It is so that the works of God
Be manifested through the man.
The day is meant for all to work;
The night is for slumber and rest.’
‘While in this world, I am the light.’
Then Jesus spat on ground near-by
And mixed the clay with saliva;
He smeared the clay over man’s eyes
And said, ’ Go wash in Siloam Pool! ’
The man did so and got vision.
The beggar was able to see!
The neighbors saw and then remarked,
‘Isn’t this the beggar who was blind? ’
The beggar replied, ‘Yes, I am! ’
They asked, ‘How were your eyes opened? ’
The man described the whole story.
They asked him, ‘Where is Jesus now?
The beggar said, ‘I do not know.’
They brought the man to Pharisees;
Now Jesus did the miracle,
On Sabbath day and all knew that.
The Pharisees queried the man;
They said, ‘This man is not from God!
He does not keep the Sabbath-day.
How can a sinful man do signs?
They asked the beggar’s opinion;
He told them, ‘He is a prophet! ’
The Jews summoned his parents then
And enquired about their son;
His parents said, ‘He was born blind.’
But they didn’t know how he saw then.
They neither knew the healer’s name;
They told them to ask the beggar.
His parents were afraid of Jews;
If anyone believed Jesus,
And acknowledged Him, Messiah,
They were expelled from synagogue.
They called the beggar once again,
And asked him to give praise to God,
For, Jesus was a sinner great!
The man replied, ‘I do not know
If Jesus is a sinner great;
One thing was true that I was blind
And Jesus helped to make me see, ’
They asked him for more details then;
The beggar lost his cool and said,
‘Do you wish to be disciples? ’
They ridiculed the beggar-man
And said, ‘We are Moses’ disciples!
We don’t know where Jesus is from? ’
The man answered them quite bravely,
‘Isn’t it amazing that although,
You do not know who Jesus is,
Yet, He had made me to see then? ’
‘God does not listen to sinners;
If one’s devout, God listens then.
So far no one had given sight
To man who was blind, since his birth.’
‘If Jesus did not come from God,
He wouldn’t do miracles like this.’
They told the man, ‘You’re born in sin;
So, do not try to preach to us.
They drove the beggar-man away!
Then Jesus heard of incident;
He found the beggar-man and asked,
‘Do you believe in Son of Man? ’
He queried, ‘Who is he, tell me
So that, I may believe in Him.’
Then Jesus said, ‘You have seen Him;
The one speaking to you is He! ’
The man believed and worshipped Him.
Then Jesus said, ‘I came in here,
Into this world for judgment just,
And make ones who couldn’t see, to see,
And those who see become so blind.’
Some Pharisees who heard him said,
‘Surely we’re blind, are we not then? ’
Jesus told them, ‘If you were blind,
You wouldn’t have sins, but as you see,
Your sin remains and you are blind! ’
Copyright by Dr John Celes 5-23-2007
poem by John Celes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Bible in Poetry: Gospel of St. Mark (Chapter 7)
The Pharisees and scribes who came
Had gathered from Jerusalem;
His disciples were eating meals,
With hands unwashed which Jews didn’t do;
The Jews observed traditional things
Like purifying cups, (and beds) .
They questioned Jesus about this.
Then Jesus said, “You hypocrites,
You honor me with lips alone;
Your hearts are far away from me;
You worship me in vain therefore;
Because you teach human precepts,
You cling to human tradition;
But respect not God’s Commandments;
(Isaiah’s prophecy of you)
Honor thy father and mother;
Whoever curses parents dies!
You nullify the Word of God
In favor of your tradition;
You keep not Moses’ laws truly;
He called the crowd and said to them,
“Nothing from outside, one defiles;
All that from within, all defile! ”
At home, his disciples queried
About the parable, He told;
Are you sans understanding too?
Enters all food stomach, not heart!
From heart, come evil thoughts and acts-
Theft, murder, greed, adultery,
Arrogance, blasphemy, folly;
Licentiousness and envy;
Deceit, malice, unchastity:
All evils from the heart defile!
Then, Jesus went on to Tyre!
He went into a house and wished,
No one would know His whereabouts;
But soon, a woman came to him;
A Greek, her daughter was possessed;
She begged the demon be sent out..
Then Jesus told, “Let children eat first;
Their food should not be thrown to dogs”
She said, “Ev’n dogs eat children’s scraps! ”
He said, “For saying so, you go.
The demon left your daughter too.”
Her child was freed from demon then!
Then Jesus reached Decapolis.
A deaf-mute man was brought to him;
They begged to lay His hand on him;
He put His finger in his ears
And spitting, touched his tongue and said,
“Be opened! ” looking to heaven.
The man could hear and spoke so well!
Then Jesus told. ‘Don’t tell others.’
They said, “He does all things so well;
He makes the deaf hear and mute speak”.
poem by John Celes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Bible in Poetry: Gospel of St. Matthew (Chapter 9)
By boat, He crossed and came to His own town;
They brought a paralytic on a bed;
When Jesus saw their faith, He said to him,
‘Courage, your sins have been forgiven you.’
At this some scribes began to tell themselves,
‘This man blasphemes for He forgives man’s sins! ’
As Jesus knew what they were thinking then,
He asked, ‘Why do you harbor evil thoughts? ’
Say which is easier saying, ‘Your sins are
Forgiven or rise and walk, ’ Thus Jesus asked.
‘To prove the Son of Man has power on earth
To forgive sins, He told the sick person,
‘Arise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.’
The man rose immediately and went home.
Awe-struck, the crowd then glorified the Lord,
For giving such authority to man.
As Jesus passed, he saw a man Matthew,
Sitting at the customs’ post. He told him,
‘Follow me.’ He got up and followed Him.’
And at the table, in His house, there sat
Tax-collectors and sinners with Jesus.
The Pharisees then asked his disciples,
‘Why does your teacher eat with such people? ’
As Jesus heard, he said, ‘Those that are well
Don’t need a physician but sick ones do.’
‘Go learn the meaning of the words, ’ He said:
‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice;
I came to call sinners, and not righteous.’
Then the disciples of John asked Jesus,
‘Why do the Pharisees and we, fast much?
Why don’t your disciples fast anytime? ’
Then Jesus asked, ‘Can wedding guests mourn when
Their bridegroom stays along with them as long?
Those days will come when bridegroom has to leave,
And then the wedding guests will fast like you.’
‘No one will patch an old cloak with new cloth;
For, when the new cloth shrinks, the tear gets worse.
Neither they put new wine in old wine-skins;
For, both the skins burst and the wine spills out.
They fill new wine in only new wine-skins;
Both are preserved and destroyed is not one.’
Just then, an official came to Jesus,
Knelt down to Him and said, ‘My daughter’s dead! ’
But if you lay your hand on her, she’ll live.’
Jesus followed him with his disciples.
A woman menorrhagic for twelve years,
Behind him came and touched His cloak’s tassel;
She said to herself, ‘If I can but touch
The fringe of His garment, I shall be cured!
Then Jesus turned around and said to her,
‘Courage my daughter, your faith has saved you.’
And at that moment, that woman got cured.
When Jesus reached the official’s house, then
A crowd had gathered, causing commotion;
He said, ‘Just leave, the girl’s not dead but sleeps! ’
The people there ridiculed Him for this;
When Jesus took the girl by hand, she rose;
The news then spread throughout the land quite fast.
As Jesus passed, two blind men followed Him,
And cried, ‘O son of David, pity us.’
When Jesus asked them, ‘Do you believe me? ’
They replied, ‘Yes, .my Lord, in one loud voice.
Then Jesus touched their eyes in turns and said,
‘Let it be done according to your faith.’
They got their sight and Jesus warned sternly,
‘See that none come to know about your sight.’
But they went out and spread word of Jesus.
By then, a mute demoniac was brought;
And when the demon was sent out, he spoke.
The crowd was astonished when this happened.
They said, ‘Nothing like this has Israel seen.’
But Pharisees then said, ‘Prince of demons
Is able to drive out other demons.’
Then Jesus went to towns and villages,
And taught in synagogues in all temples,
Proclaiming Gospel of the kingdom and
Curing diseases and illnesses all.
His heart was filled with pity seeing crowds,
Who looked abandoned and troubled in life,
And wandered akin sheep without shepherd.
He said, ‘The harvest is so abundant;
But laborers are few in number found;
So, ask the Master for more harvesters!
Copyright by Dr John Celes 5-30-2007
poem by John Celes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Bible in Poetry: Gospel of St. Matthew (Chapter 21)
At Bethphage on Mount of Olives,
Then, Jesus sent two disciples,
Into the village opposite,
To find a tethered ass and colt,
And bring them to Him, for His use.
If anyone should ask them then,
Reply, ‘Master has need for them.
He will return them soon after.’
This happened so that what was told
Through prophet might be fulfilled thus:
‘Say to daughter Zion, behold,
Your king comes meek, upon an ass,
And on a colt, beast of burden.’
His disciples did as He told.
They brought the ass and colt and laid,
Their cloaks upon them and He rode.
The large crowd spread their cloaks en route,
While others strew cut branches green,
En way to town Jerusalem.
They walked ahead of Him saying,
‘The Son of David, Hosanna,
Blessed‘s He who comes in the Lord’s name;
Hosanna in the Highest.’
On entering Jerusalem,
The whole city began to ask,
‘Who is this who shakes the town? ’
The crowds replied, ‘Prophet Jesus,
From Nazareth in Galilee! ’
Jesus went into the temple,
And drove out those who bought and sold;
He overturned their tables, seats,
Of money-changers, dove-sellers.
He said unto them, ’ ’tis written,
My house shall be for just prayer;
You shall not make it den of thieves! ’
He cured the blind and lame who came,
To Him, to the temple area.
On seeing Jesus do wonders,
And hearing children cry aloud,
‘Hosanna, Son of David king! ’
The scribes and chief priests turned angry!
They asked, ‘Do you hear what they say? ’
And Jesus said, ‘Yes, haven’t you read:
‘Out of the mouths of infants, kids,
You have brought forth praise unto God! ’
Then Jesus went to Bethany,
And there, He spent the night that day!
And being hungry, when dawn came,
He saw a fig-tree by the road;
But when He went over to it,
He found just leaves and not a fruit!
The angered Lord, then cursed the tree,
‘May you never fruit forth again! ’
The tree withered immediately.
This astonished His disciples;
They asked him what He had just done?
Then Jesus said, ‘Amen to you,
If you have faith and don’t waver,
You can do things similarly;
And if you tell the mountain, ‘Be
Lifted and thrown into the sea,
It shall be done too, instantly! ’
‘Whatev’r you pray along with faith,
You will receive, ‘the Lord, saith.
When He approached the temple place,
The chief priests, elders asked Him then,
‘By what authority, you do?
And who gave you authority? ’
Then Jesus told them, ‘I’ll ask you
One question and if you answer,
I will tell you what you ask of me.’
‘Tell where was John’s baptism from,
Was it of earth or from heaven? ’
They discussed ’mongst themselves and said,
‘If we reply, from heaven, then
He’ll ask, ‘why don’t you believe him? ’
‘If of human origin, then,
We fear the crowd for they regard
The Baptist John as a prophet! ’
So, they told Jesus, ‘We don’t know! ’
He replied, ‘Neither shall I tell,
Who empowers me to do these things.’
Then Jesus asked their opinion:
A man with two sons, said to first,
‘Go, work in the vineyard today! ’
He said, ‘I can’t, ’ but changed his mind
And went to work as father told.
The man then came to his other
Son, gave a similar order;
He said, ‘Yes, I’ll.’ But never went.
‘Which son obeyed his father’s words? ’
They answered in reply, ‘The first! ’
Then Jesus said, ‘Amen, I say,
Tax-collectors and prostitutes
Are entering Heaven ‘foe you! ’
When John had come and preached to you,
The righteous way, you didn’t believe;
Tax-collectors, prostitutes did.
Yet, even after seeing it,
You did not change for the better.
He told another parable:
A vineyard owner raised a hedge
Around it, dug a wine-press too
And erected a watch-tower;
He leased it to some tenants then
And went off on a journey far.
When vintage time drew near, he sent
His servants to obtain produce;
The tenants seized the servants all:
They beat one man and stoned the next;
They killed one servant from the group;
The owner sent then more servants;
They treated them in similar ways;
He sent his son finally then
Thinking, ‘They will respect my son! ’
On seeing son of landowner,
The tenants told one another
‘This is the heir to the vineyard;
Let’s kill him and acquire the land.’
They killed the boy and threw him out.’
‘How will the owner deal tenants? ’
They answered him, ‘he’ll put to death
The wretched tenants; lease vineyard
To other tenants who will give
Him produce at the proper times.’
Then Jesus asked them, ‘Didn’t you read
What scriptures said long ago then:
‘The stone, the builders rejected,
Became the cornerstone and chief
And this was done by God, most High,
And looks wonderful in our eyes! ’
Therefore, I say to you again,
‘The kingdom shall be tak’n away
from you and giv’n to people who
Produce its fruits as per God’s word.
The one who falls upon this stone
Will be to pieces dashed at once
And it will crush on whom it falls! ’
When Pharisees and chief priests heard,
The parables that spoke of them,
They wanted to arrest Him but
Feared the crowds that followed Him,
Regarding Him, Prophet of God.
Copyright by Dr John Celes 6-7-2007
poem by John Celes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Bible in Poetry: Gospel of St. John (Chapter 1)
In the beginning was the word,
And the word was with God,
And the Word was God,
And He was the beginning!
Every thing came to be through Him,
And without Him, nothing did not;
What came to be through Him was life,
And life was light of human race.
The light had shone amidst darkness,
And darkness hasn’t overcome it;
A man named John was sent by God
To bear testimony to light,
So that, through him, all may believe.
He wasn’t the light but came
To only testify to it;
True light enlightening persons
Was in the world which didn’t know him;
His own people didn’t accept him;
To those whoev’r accepted him,
The power to be a child of God
And to believe in his name was given.
All were born but of God alone,
And not through nature or by man;
The word became flesh, dwelt ’mongst us;
Like the Father’s, we saw his son’s
Glory too, full of grace and truth.
John testified to him and cried,
“This is He of whom I had said,
The one who comes soon after me,
But ranks ahead of me because
He had existed before me.
From his fullness, we all received
Grace after grace through Moses’ law,
While grace and truth came through Jesus;
None has ever seen God,
The son of God alone who was
At his father’s side, revealed him.
This is the testimony of St.John:
The Jews from Jerusalem sent Levites
And priests to John and asked him, “Who are you? ”
He admitted, “I’m not the Messiah.”
So, they asked him again, “Who are you then? ”
“Are you Elijah? ” and he said, “I’m not.”
“Are you the prophet then? ” He answered, “No.”
They queried him, “Just tell us who you are?
Let’s take an answer to those who sent us;
“What do you have to tell about yourself? ”
I am a voice in desert that’s crying,
“You make the way straight for the Lord.”
Some Pharisees then asked him, “Why baptize
If you are not the Messiah or else? ”
John answered them, “I baptize with water;
But there’s amongst you, one whom you know not,
And whom you neither recognize at all;
He is the one who will come after me;
His sandal-strap, I’m unfit to untie.
This happened in Bethany in Jordan.
On seeing Jesus the next day, John said,
“Behold the Lamb of God who washes sins away! ”
He is the one who’s expected to come
Soon after me but ranks ahead,
Because he had existed before me!
I didn’t know him but baptized with water.
So that he may be made to Israel known;
John testified more, “I saw the Spirit
Descend from the sky like a dove on him.
The one who had sent me to earth to preach
Told me, “On whomev’r you see the Spirit
Come down, remain, he is the one
Who will baptize with the Holy Spirit!
I’ve seen and testified that he’s the Son of God! ”
The next day, John was there again
With his two disciples
On seeing Jesus walk near-by, he said,
“Behold, the Lamb of God! ”
The two disciples heard whatev’r he spoke
And they followed Jesus.
Then Jesus turned and asked of them,
“What are you looking for? ”
They said to him, “Rabbi (Teacher) , where do you stay? ”
He said to them, “Come and you’ll see.”
So, they went and saw where he stayed,
And stayed with him that day.
It was four in the afternoon.
Andrew, (Simon Peter’s brother)
Was one of the two who‘d heard John
And too followed Jesus.
He found his brother Simon and told him,
“We’ve found the Messiah (the Anointed) ”.
He brought Simon to Jesus, who told him,
“You’re Simon, son of John.
You will be called Cephas, meaning Peter! ”
The next day, Jesus went to Galilee
And finding Philip, said, “You follow me! ”
Now Philip was from town of Bethsaida.
He found Nathanael and said to him,
“We’ve found the one about whom Moses wrote
In law and prophets also did like-wise:
Jesus, son of Joseph of Nazareth.”
Nathaniel asked, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?
So, Philip said to him, “Just come and see! ”
On seeing Nathanael come, Jesus said,
“An Israelite true, there’s no duplicate! ”
Nathaniel asked him, “How do you know me? ”
When Jesus answered him, “I saw you ’neath the fig-tree.”
Nathanael said, ” Rabbi, You’re Son of God, King of Israel! ”
But Jesus queried him, “Do you believe
Because I saw you under the fig-tree?
You’ll see much greater things than this.”
He said to him, “amen, I say to you,
You’ll see the sky open, God’s angels come
Ascending, descending on Son of Man! ”
Copyright by Dr John Celes 5-20-2007
poem by John Celes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Bible in Poetry: Gospel of St. Matthew (Chapter 11)
When Jesus had given commands to each,
He went away to towns to preach and teach.
When of his works, then John from prison heard,
He sent his disciples to Him and asked,
‘Are you the one to come or Messiah
Or should we be in search for another? ’
Jesus said, ‘Tell John, what you hear and see.
The lame can walk, the blind again can see;
The deaf can hear, lepers are cleansed truly;
The dead arise alive, the poor have peace;
Proclaimed is Good News to them poor with ease.
Blessed’s the one who takes no offence at me.’
Then Jesus told the crowds about John’s deeds:
‘In desert, simply dressed, on locusts feeds
A man called John, more than a prophet stayed,
To tell about God’s kingdom, God had made.’
‘This is the one about whom it is writ:
‘Behold, I send my messenger ahead,
He will prepare the way for you, unread.’
‘Amen, I say to you, of women born,
None can be greater than the Baptist, John.
The least in heave’n is greater than him John! ’
‘Violent are the days from John till now;
But, this has been prophesied from above;
He is Elijah, who’s one yet to come;
Whoev’r has ears to hear are most welcome.’
‘How can this generation be compared?
Like children in market-places who aired:
We played the flute but you did never dance;
We sang a dirge, but you ne’er mourned by chance;
Though John came neither to eat nor to drink,
They said he’s demonized with devil’s link’
About the Son of Man, they said, ‘O look,
A glutton, drunkard, friend of sinners, spook.
But wisdom vindicates all that they did.’
Then Jesus reproached towns which didn’t repent,
Although his great signs were done as He went.
‘O woe to Bethsaida and Chorazin,
Where mighty deeds were done, yet live in sin!
Had they been done in Sidon and Tyre,
They would’ve long back repented to admire.’
‘Will Capernaum be exalted to heav’n?
You’ll go down to the nether world, I say;
If mighty deeds done in your ’midst had been
In Sodom done, it would have still remained;
‘’Twill be more tolerable for Sodom,
On the Day of Judgment than for you all.’
So, Jesus said in reply, ‘Father Lord,
Of earth, heaven, although you’ve hid these things
From the wise and learned people of the world,
Yet, you’ve revealed them to the child-like ones!
For, such has been your gracious will, Father;
To me, from you, all things were handed o’er.’
‘And no one knows the Son, except Father,
And no one knows the Father except Son,
And ones to whom Son wishes to reveal.’
‘All over-burdened ones and who labor,
Then come to me, I’ll give rest that world can’t.
By taking my yoke on you, learn from me;
For, I am meek and humble of all hearts,
And you will find the rest for selves truly,
As light’s my burden and my yoke easy.’
Copyright by Dr John Celes 5-31-2007
poem by John Celes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Bible in Poetry: Gospel of St. Mark (Chapter 13)
While coming out of temple’s area,
One of his disciples said to Jesus,
“Look Teacher, what stones; what buildings! ”
And Jesus said, “There will not be one stone
Left upon another, that’s not thrown down! ”
While sitting on Mount Olives, some asked Him,
“What sign will appear when things come to end? ”
But Jesus said, “See that you’re not deceived.”
Many will come in my name to deceive.
When happen wars, it will not be the end.
Kingdoms and nations will fight each other.
Earthquakes and famines will be beginnings;
Watch out for they will hand you to the courts;
In synagogues, you’ll beaten be!
Because of me, you will suffer a lot;
But Gospel must be preached to nations first.
Do not worry what you must say ahead.
Just say what’s given to you at the hour.
The Holy Spirit speaks for you, not you!
Siblings will hand one another to death;
Children will rise against their own parents;
You will be hated by all just for me;
Who perseveres till end will be ones saved.
When you see desolation standing then,
From Judea one must flee to mountains.
The one on his house-top must not come down;
He must not enter house to get things out;
One in a field mustn’t come to get his cloak.
Woe to pregnant women, nursing mothers;
Pray that this happens not in winter time;
Those are the days when tribulations come,
Those never have been since God’s creation;
The Lord shortened the days to save souls more;
Don’t you believe if told, “There’s Messiah! ”
False prophets will work wonders to mislead;
Be on your guard. I’ve told you all ahead!
After those days, the sun will become dark;
The moon will give no light and stars will fall;
The ‘Son of Man’ in clouds will come in power;
His angels will gather His elect all,
From end of earth to end of unseen sky!
When leaves on fig-trees sprout, ’Tis summer near!
These things will show that He is near at gates;
This generation will not pass, I say,
Until these things have fully taken place.
Heaven and earth will pass but not my words;
Only the Father knows the day and hour!
Be watchful and alert; you don’t know when;
Like man going abroad, leaving his home,
And servants with work, Gate-keeper ‘on guard’!
When the house-lord returns, you do not know.
Let him not come suddenly, while you sleep!
What I say to you, I say to all, “Watch! ”
Copyright by Dr John Celes 5-20-2007
poem by John Celes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Psalm 26
Lord I have loved the habitation of your house
And the place where your glory rests
Try my mind oh Lord and examine my heart
For you are the God that tests
Do not gather my soul with sinners
Nor with Pharisees and scribes
Deliver me Lord from blood thirsty men
Whose right hands are full of bribes
For I will bless you in the congregation
And rejoice in your mercy and grace
I will come before your holy throne
And rejoice that I stand in this place
poem by Frank McEleny
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Bible in Poetry: Gospel of St. Mark (Chapter 12)
Then Jesus spoke in parables again.
“A man had planted vineyard in his place;
He put a hedge around and dug wine-press;
He built a tower, leased it to farmers;
He then set off on journey to somewhere.
He sent a servant at the proper time
To get some produce from his place.
They beat him, sent him empty-handed back.
He sent another servant once again.
They beat him on his head and drove him back.
He sent another whom they had just killed;
Like-wise they did to many others too.
So, last of all, he sent his only son.
He thought, perhaps they will respect his son!
This time, those tenants told one another,
“Here comes the only heir. Let’s kill him too.
The inheritance will belong to us.”
So, seizing him, they killed too!
“What will the owner of the vineyard do?
He will then come, put all tenants to death.
And he will hand the vineyard to others.”
Have you not read what scriptures say?
“The stone, the builders rejected,
Became the principal cornerstone! ”
This has been done by Lord wonderfully;
They sought arresting him but feared the crowd.
Just then, He had told them a parable;
They left Him now and went away.
They sent some Pharisees, Herodians
To try ensnaring Him in His own speech.
They told, “O Teacher, we know you’re truthful;
You do not care about opinions;
You teach in accordance with truth alone;
“Must we pay Caesar census-tax or not? ”
“Why to test me? Bring me a denarius.
Whose image/ inscription are found?
They replied immediately, “That of Caesar’s! ”
So, Jesus said to them, “Repay Caesar
Whatev’r belongs to Caesar as per law,
And give to God whatev’r belongs to Him.
They were astonished by His great wisdom.
Some Sadducees then asked Him, “O teacher,
Then, Moses wrote that if one’s brother had died,
And leaving wife, without any children,
His brother must raise descendants through her!
The first of seven brothers got married;
His wife had no descendants when he died;
The second married her and also died,
And left no descendants; the third like-wise;
The seven married her in turn and died;
Without a child, the woman also died.
At resurrection, whose wife, will she be?
Then Jesus said to them, “Aren’t you misled?
You neither know scriptures nor God’s power.”
When people rise from dead, they’re angel-like;
They marry not, nor given in marriage;
As for the dead raised, God is of living;
He is not God of dead but of living;
He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob.
On seeing Jesus answer them so well,
A scribe asked, “What’s the first commandment then? ”
And Jesus said, “God is the Lord alone.
You love your God with heart, mind, soul and strength.”
The second is, “Love neighbor as yourself.”
There is no commandment greater than these.
The scribe agreed, “God’s one and only one.”
To love Him with your heart, mind, soul and strength
Is worth more than burnt off’rings / sacrifice.
Then Jesus said, “You’re not far from God’s kingdom.”
So, no one dared to ask Him more questions.
How do scribes claim Messiah as Son of David?
When David said, “The Lord said to my lord,
Sit till I place your foes under your feet.”
When David calls him ‘Lord’, how’s he, his son?
“Beware of scribes with robes so long,
Who accept greetings in market-places,
And seats of honor in all synagogues,
And places of honor at banquets too;
They devour houses of widows and then
Recite such lengthy prayers as pretext! ”
They will receive severe condemnation.
Jesus sat opposite the treasury,
And saw the crowd put money into it;
Rich people offer large sums of money;
A poor widow dropped in two coins worth cents.
And Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you,
The poor widow put more than all the rest!
The others gave their surplus wealth but she
Gave everything she had in poverty! ”
Copyright by Dr John Celes 5-20-2007
poem by John Celes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Tell Me Jesus, How To…
Tell me Jesus, how to
drive Satan away?
follow Thee;
become ‘Fishers of men.’
become clean in body, mind and soul.
be healed;
have great faith;
take heart;
have my sins forgiven.
praise God, the Father in heaven;
get honor from people around;
not doubt;
listen and understand the Word of God.
show compassion on those hungry;
guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees;
have in mind, the things of God;
take up my cross and follow Thee.
not be afraid;
not be rich;
remain righteous in a deceitful world;
pray to God.
heal the sick;
rebuke the evil spirits;
be a servant to all and first with God;
gather treasures in heaven while on earth.
give to God, what is God’s;
not be deceived;
keep the Sabbath holy;
cancel the debts due from others.
be a good samaritan;
be freed of my infirmities;
not make others to sin;
leave my life of sin.
hold on to your teachings;
be washed by you;
love Thee;
Prepare my soul to eat at the feast of the kingdom of God.
Copyright by Dr John Celes 8-10-2008
poem by John Celes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Bible in Poetry: Gospel of St. Matthew (Chapter 7)
‘Don’t judge others for judged you too shall be;
For, as you do to others, so you’ll be;
The measure you use others, to measure,
Will then be applied to you one day, sure.’
‘Why note the splinter in your brother’s eye,
But to the beam in your own eye, blind be?
How can you then advise your own brother,
‘Let me remove from your eye, the splinter, ’
‘While wooden beam in your eye doesn’t bother.’
‘You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam,
First from your eye, and your sight will be clear;
Then only can you see the splinter well,
That’s in your brother’s eye, and remove it! ’
‘Don’t give to dogs those things that are holy;
And throwing pearls before swine is folly,
For they will trample them by foot or turn
Around and tear you to pieces also.’
‘You ask and it will be given to you
You seek and you will be able to find;
You knock the door and it will be opened.’
‘For, everyone who asks, shall all receive,
And everyone who seeks will surely find;
To everyone who knocks the door firmly,
Opened will the door be to them surely.’
‘Which one of you will hand his son a stone,
When he asks for a loaf of bread to eat?
Which one of you will give your son a snake.
When he asks you to give him some good fish? ’
‘If you who are so wicked know to give
Good gifts to your children promptly on earth,
How much better things will your Father give,
To those who ask Him things that are of worth? ’
‘Do to others things you want done to you.’
This is the law and what the prophets say.
‘Enter the narrow gate that leads to life,
Yet, few do find the gate and narrow road.
The gate that’s wide and road that’s broad will lead
Many who use it to mere destruction.’
‘Beware of prophets false who come to you,
In sheep-skin dressed, but are ravenous wolves.
You’ll know them by their fruits they tend to give;
Do people pick, from bramble-bushes, grapes?
Can people pluck, from thistle-shrubs, good figs? ’
‘All good trees bear only good fruits always;
A rotten tree will bear bad fruits all days.’
‘The tree that does not bear good fruits is cut,
And thrown in fire that will consume it;
You’ll know the persons by the fruits they give.’
‘Not all who call upon the Lord by name
Shall enter kingdom of heaven that day,
But only those who do the will of God.’
And on that day, so many will tell me,
‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name?
Lord, didn’t we drive out demons in your name?
Lord, didn’t we do mighty deeds in your name? ’
Then I’ll tell them firmly, ‘I know you not! ’
‘Depart from me, you evil-doers all.’
‘Whoever listens to my words and acts,
Will be like wise man building house on rock;
Although the rain and floods came and winds blew,
The house didn’t collapse, built on solid rock.’
‘Whoever hears my words but does not act,
Will be like fool who built his house on sand;
The rain fell, floods came and fierce winds then blew,
The house collapsed and fully was ruined.’
Astonished were the crowds by Jesus’ words;
He preached with authority, unlike scribes!
Copyright by Dr John Celes 5-29-2007
poem by John Celes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Bible in Poetry: Gospel of St. Matthew (Chapter 24)
While Jesus left the temple place,
His disciples approached Him soon,
And told Him point the buildings out.
Then Jesus told them in reply,
‘All structures that you can now see,
Amen, amen, I say to you,
Not a stone upon another
Shall ev’r remain but down be thrown! ’
And as He sat on Mount Olives,
His disciples then asked of Him,
‘O tell us when this will happen?
What sign will herald your coming?
What clue will tell us end of age? ’
Then Jesus answered their questions,
‘Just see that no one deceives you.
Many will come in my name then,
Saying, ‘I’m Messiah from God! ’
‘And thus deceive the multitude;
You’ll hear of wars and wars will come;
Don’t be alarmed for they must come;
And yet, it will not be the end;
Nation will rise against nation;
Kingdom will rise against kingdom;
There will be famines and earthquakes,
Those occur everywhere on earth;
But these are just the beginnings.’
‘They’ll persecute you and kill you;
They’ll hate you as you spread my name;
And many will be led into sin;
They’ll hate and betray each other;
False prophets will arise galore;
The increased evil will cause love
Of many to become so cold;
The ones who persevere until
The end, alone will be then saved.’
‘The Kingdom’s Gospel will be preached,
To nations of the entire world,
And only then, the end will come.’
‘When Daniel spoke of this same thing-
Desolate abomination
Then, those in Judea must flee
To the mountains immediately.
Don’t go down to get things from house;
Don’t return from the field for cloak;
Woe to pregnant women those days;
Pray that this doesn’t come in winter;
Let it not happen on Sabbath day.’
‘Such tribulation that occurs.
Has never occurred anytime,
Since the beginning of the world,
Nor will it happen thereafter.
And if those days are not shortened,
None can be saved and hence shortened
It will be, for the elect’s sake! ’
If one says, ‘Here’s the Messiah!
Or there He is, don’t believe it!
False prophets, messiahs shall come,
And perform signs and wonders too
So great, as to deceive common
People and even the elect! ’
Behold, I‘ve told it beforehand;
They may say, He’s in the desert,
Or He’s in the inner rooms;
Do not believe the things all say! ’
‘Like lightning that is seen afar,
So will be, Son of Man‘s coming!
Vultures are found where corpses lie! ’
Following the tribulation:
‘The mighty sun will dark become,
The moon cannot bestow its light;
The stars will shoot down from the sky;
The powers of heavens will be shaken.’
‘The Son of Man’s sign will appear,
In heaven while the earth’s tribes mourn;
The world will see Him come ’midst clouds,
In pow’r and glory unheard of;
His angels will all blow trumpets;
And gather all the elect then,
On earth from four winds that do blow
Across the heavens, end to end.’
‘You learn a lesson from fig-tree:
When branches tender turn, sprouts come,
It means that summer is quite near.’
‘In like manner, when signs you see,
The Son of Man is near at gates;
Amen, I say to you, amen,
‘This generation shall not pass
Away, until these things conclude.’
‘Heaven and earth shall pass away
But words of mine shall never pass.
That day and hour, no one knows yet;
Neither the angels in heaven,
Nor the Son, except the Father! ’
‘In the days before the great Flood,
There was just eating, drinking much,
And marrying, remarrying until
The day, Noah entered the Ark! ’
‘No one guessed the flood would come;
It carried them away so fast;
So shall be when comes Son of Man! ’
‘Of the two men out in the field,
One will be taken, other left;
Of two women, grinding at mill,
One will be taken, other left, ’
‘Therefore you stay awake, alert;
You never know when comes the Lord;
If only house-lord knew the hour,
Then he will stay awake, not let,
The house to be burgled at night;
So, too, you all must be prepared,
For the Son of Man shall arrive
At an unexpected hour then.’
‘The prudent, faithful servant then,
Who distributes food in right time,
And master finding him do so,
Blessed and lucky is that one:
Master puts his wealth in his charge.’
‘The wicked lazy servant who
His master has not expected
But beats his fellow servants, eats,
And drinks with drunkards while he’s gone! ’
‘His master comes by surprise then,
At unknown hour to punish him,
Rather severely in a place,
Where exist wailing and teeth-grinding! ’
Copyright by Dr John Celes 6-12-2007
poem by John Celes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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