Bible in Poetry: Gospel of St. Mark (Chapter 14)
With Feast of the Unleavened Bread,
(Passover) to take place in two days’ time,
The scribes and chief priests planned to arrest Him
By treachery and send Him to the cross;
They feared a riot during festival.
While at the house of Simon, the leper
In Bethany, a woman came and poured
A jar of oil perfumed over his head.
‘Why’s there a waste of perfumed oil? ’ Some asked,
They seemed to be angry with her because
It costed some three hundred days’ wages;
But Jesus asked, “Why do you trouble her?
She did something really good for me.
You can do charity for poor all times;
But you will not have me always with you.
She anoints my body for burial!
What she has done, the Gospel will tell you.
Then Judas Iscariot set off quietly,
To meet the chief priests to hand Jesus o’er.
They promised him money for doing so;
His disciples wanted to know where they
Were to prepare for eating the Passover.
Jesus sent two disciples and told them,
“Go to the city where you’ll meet a man
Carrying a jar of water; follow him.
When he enters a house, tell the master,
“The Teacher wants to know the guest room where
He may eat the Passover with the twelve.”
Then he will show an upper room quite large
And furnished; Make the preparations there.
The disciples found things as He had told.
When evening came, He went along with twelve.
As they were eating, Jesus said to them,
“One from amongst you will betray me soon.”
Distressed, they said, “Surely, it is not I! ”
Jesus said, “One of you who dips with me! ”
Woe to that man by whom I’ll be betrayed.
’Tis better that that man be never born!
He blessed the bread and broke and gave to them,
“This is my body that I’ll give for you.”
“He took the cup, gave thanks, all drank from it.
This is my blood that will be shed for you.”
“Amen, I say to you, I shall not drink
The fruit of vine until the day I drink
It new in God’s Kingdom, that is Heaven.”
[...] Read more
poem by John Celes
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!
