The Apostle Peter

Then, after that, as Jesus with

His twelve disciples walked

To Caesarea Philippi,

And gravely with them talked,

 * * *

He asked them who the people said

The He, Himself, might be;

They answered John, Elias , and

The prophet Jeremy.

 * * *

He saith: “But whom say ye am I,

Who long with you have trod?”

Peter exclaimed : “Thou art the Christ,

Son of the living God!”

 * * *

Then Jesus answered him : “How blest

Simon Bar-jona, thou,

For flesh and blood hath not revealed

What thou, from heaven, dost know.

* * *

“And I say also unto thee,

That thou art Peter sure,

And on this rock I’ll build my church

From gates of hell secure.

* * *

“Keys of authority and truth

Shall unto thee be given;

What thou dost bind or loose on earth

Is bound and loosed in heaven.”

* * *

From that time forth the Lord began

To tell, and to explain

To His disciples, how He should

Be killed, and rise again.

* * *

But Peter said : “Nay, nay, my Lord

This, surely, shall not be;

Such treatment of the Prince of Life–

Were great indignity.”

* * *

But Jesus turned and said to him :

“Satan, get thee behind,

Thou savorest not the things of God,

But pride of carnal mind.”

* * *

And then said Jesus to them all :

“Who will my servant be,

Must deny self, take up his cross,

And humbly follow me.

* * *

“For who soe’er will save his life,

Shall lose it in the end;

But he who yields it for my sake,

To life in heaven shall tend.

* * *

“For what is a man profited

If he shall gain the whole

Of this world’s pompous wealth and

power,

Yet lose his own poor soul?”

Jesus Teaches Humility

One day while Jesus sat at rest

He asked the twelve to say

What was it they disputed, as

They walked along the way.

* * *

But they replied not, for they had

Disputed which should gain

The greatest rank and power, when

Their Lord should come to reign.

* * *

Then Jesus said : “If any man

Desire the highest place,

He shall be last, and servant, too,

Within the realm of grace.”

* * *

He set a child in midst of them,

Then took him in His arm,

And said : “Whoso receiveth such,

And shieldeth him from harm,

* * *

“Receiveth me, if, with true love,

He does it in my name,

And not only receiveth me,

But Him from whom I came.”

At Bethany

And as they went, He and the twelve,

Along the public road,

They entered into Bethany,

Where Martha, kind abode;

 * * *

Who hospitably welcomed Him

Into her house to rest,

Then hastened to provide for Him

Refreshments of the best.

 * * *

Meanwhile her sister Mary,

Who long had wished to meet

The gracious Lord and hear His voice

Sat meekly at His feet.

 * * *

But Martha, cumbered and perplexed

With anxious, household care,

And wishing for her welcome Guest

A banquet to prepare,

* * *

Entered the room where Jesus sat,

And said : “Lord, dost Thou know

My sister lets me serve alone?

Bid her some help bestow.”

* * *

And Jesus answered in a tone

Of grace yet king concern,

“O, Martha, Martha, good and true,

Thou something hast to learn.

 * * *

“Thou careful art, and troubled much

All good things to enjoy,

And that thy friends may feast full well

Thy time and means employ;

 * * *

“And yet there’s but one needful thing,

Worthy thine utmost thought,

And that good part is Mary’s choice,

Which from her take thou not.”

The Woman With an Infirmity

Now, in a synagogue, as He

One Sabbath day did preach,

Behold a woman, quite bowed down

And listening to His speech,

* * *

A poor, afflicted sufferer,

Who bore with groans and tears,

A spirit of infirmity

For fully eighteen years.

 * * *

Upon her Jesus laid His hand,

And, suddenly made straight,

She rose and glorified her God,

Whose mercies are so great.

* * *

The ruler of the synagogue,

Indignant the the Lord

Upon the Sabbath day had wrought

This healing by His word,

* * *

Unto the people said : “There are

Six days in which you may

Do all your works;–in them be healed–

Not on the Sabbath day.”

* * *

Then Jesus answered : “Hypocrite,

Doth not each of you think

It right, on Sabbath day, to lead

His beast away to drink?

* * *

“And ought not this poor woman, who

Is Abraham’s daughter, be

Made loose from pain she bore so long

Through Satan’s tyranny?”

* * *

And all His adversaries were

Ashamed when thus He chid,

While others wondered are rejoiced

For all the works He did.

The Man Born Blind

When, coming near His Journey’s

end,

Jerusalem was nigh,

He, one day, saw a man, born blind,

As He was passing by.

 * * *

And His disciples questioned Him :

“Master, whose sin hath done

Such evil as is this man’s lot–

His parents’ or his own?”

 * * *

And Jesus answered : “Neither hath

His parents sinned nor he,

But that the works of God, in him,

Might be made plain to see.

 * * *

“I must perform my Father’s works

While it is day; the night

Is coming, when no man can work;

But I am the world’s light,

* * *

“As long as I am in the world.”

And when He thus did day

He spat upon the ground, and made

The spittle into clay;

 * * *

And with it He anointed thick

The eyes that ne’er had seen,

Then said unto the man : “Go wash

In water pure and clean.”

 * * *

Then went the man obediently,

And washed his sightless eyes,

And instantly he saw all round,

With grateful, glad surprise.

 * * *

The neighbors said : “Is this the man

Who begged, and could not see?”

Said others : “He is like to him.”

But he said : “I am he.”

* * *

They asked him how he gained his sight,

And he, with thankful voice,

Told all about the wondrous work

That made his heart rejoice.

* * *

And now unto the Pharisees

The happy man they brought;

And it was on the Sabbath day

This miracle was wrought.

 * * *

Questioned by doubting Pharisees,

He did to them relate

The way by which he was relieved

From his unhappy state.

 * * *

They said the man who gave him sight

A sinner, sure must be

Or He would not, on such a day,

Make a blind man to see.

 * * *

Yet other said : “How can a man

Who is a sinner do

Such miracles?” The healed man said :

“He is a prophet true.”

 * * *

The Jews would not believe the man

Was ever blind at all;

And, to find out if it were so,

They did his parents call,

 * * *

And asked them : “Is this man your son,

Who without sight was born?

How, then, doth he now see so well,

Yet blind until this morn?”

 * * *

The parents said : “He is our son,

And was born blind, we know;

But know not how he gained his sight;

Himself the truth must show.”

 * * *

The Jews straightway recalled the man,

And said : “Give God the praise,

We know this man’s a sinner, by

His Sabbath-breaking ways.”

* * *

He answered them : “I know not if

This man a sinner be;

One thing I know, the whereas I

Was blind, yet now I see.

 * * *

“We know that God regardeth not

A sinful man’s appeal;

But to obedient worshipers

He will Himself reveal.

* * *

“Since first the world began can ye

Such wondrous power find

As that a mortal man could heal

the eyes of one born blind?

* * *

“And if this man were not of God,

Nor down from heaven came,

He could do nothing in my case–

All glory to His name!”

* * *

And then they answered, wrathfully :

“Thou, who believed thus,

Wast altogether born in sin,

And art thou teaching us?”

 * * *

They cast him out; which Jesus heard,

And found him, when alone :

“Believ’st thou on the Son of God?”

He asked in gentle tone.

* * *

The man said : “Lord who is He, that

My faith to Him might bow?”

Said Jesus : “Thou beholdest Him,

He talkith with thee now.”

* * *

Then he said :”Lord, I do believe,”

With fervent voice, and loud,

And bending forward to the earth,

In reverent worship bowed.

The Raising of Lazarus

Of Martha you’ve already heard,

Who entertained the Lord

When once He passed through Bethany,

And Mary heard His word.

 * * *

They had a brother, Lazarus,

And Jesus loved the three,

And now the young man was brought

low,

And very ill was he.

* * *

And his sisters sent a message

Unto the Lord, in haste :

“Behold, he whom Thou lovest well

Is sick and failing fast.”

* * *

But Jesus said :”This sickness

Comes not that he must die,

But for God’s glory, that His Son

Be glorified thereby.

* * *

“Our friend, Lazarus, sleepeth,”

Were the next words He spake :

“And I go hence that I may him

Out of his sleep awake.”

 * * *

Then said they : “Lord, if Laz’rus sleep

He surely shall do well”–

Thinking that it was natural rest

That o’er his eyelids fell.

 * * *

Then He said, plainly : “Lazarus

Is cold and still in death.

But well, for your sakes, ’tis that I

Went not while he had breath.

 * * *

“For so your faith shall be made bright,

That may be somewhat dim;

But now arise and leave this place,

That we may go to him.”

* * *

Then Thomas said–called Didymus–

To the disciples all,

”Let’s go, that we may die with Him,

If death should Him befall.”

* * *

And now all hearts are sad and still,

And many throb with fear,

As Jesus and His followers

To Bethany draw near.

* * *

And those who meet Him tell the news

Of sorrow and of gloom,

That Lazarus has already lain

Three days within his tomb.

* * *

Now Bethany was very near

Unto Jerusalem;

And many to the sisters came,

To see, and comfort them.

 * * *

And as they sat in silence,

Their hearts with grief bowed down,

The word was brought that Jesus

Was coming into town.

* * *

Then Martha went to meet the Christ,

And said unto Him : “Lord,

If Thou hadst been here, my brother

Had recovered by Thy word.”

 * * *

“Thy brother,” thus the answer came,

“Shall rise again, I say.”

“Yea, in the resurrection morn,”

She said, “at the last day.”

* * *

“I am the resurrection, and

The Life,” the Lord replied.

“He that upon my name believes

Shall live, though he had died.”

 * * *

“Oh, Lord,” she answered fervently,

“I truly do believe

Thou art the Christ, the Son of God,

Whom this world should receive.”

* * *

When Jesus saw the sister’s tears,

And tears of those around,

He groaned in spirit and was sad,

With troubled thoughts profound.

 * * *

He said to them : “Where have ye laid

Your friend and mine to sleep?”

They say to Him : “Lord, come and see,

Then all beheld Him weep.

 * * *

And then they took away the stone

From where the dead was laid,

And Jesus lifted up His eyes,

And solemnly He said :

* * *

“Father I thank Thee that Thou hast

Heard my heart’s secret prayer,

And I know that Thou dost always

Bow down to me Thine ear.”

 * * *

And when He thus had spoken,

He cried in accents loud :

“Lazarus, come forth,” and the dead

Came forth, bound in his shroud,

* * *

And his face bound with a napkin;

His movements thus were slow;

But Jesus called out, with command:

“Loose him and let him go.”

* * *

Then O, what deep and solemn joy

The sisters’ hearts conceived!

While many of the Jews around

On Jesus Christ believed.

The Young Ruler

Now, as He went forth in the way,

A certain ruler came:

“What shall I do,” he frankly asked,

“That I may heaven claim?”

* * *

“Why callest thou me good?” the Lord

Inquired in gentle tone.

“There is none good in earth of heaven

But God, and God alone.

* * *

“Thou knowest the Commandments;

Keep them in deed and truth,

He answered and said “”Master, I’ve

Observed them from my youth.”

* * *

Then Jesus looked at the young man,

And loved him in His heart,

And said: “One thing thou lackest yet,

Thou with thy wealth must part.

* * *

“Go sell, and give all to the poor,

And stored in heaven ’twill be,

Then come and cheerfully take up

The cross and follow me.”

 * * *

But the young man was sad at heart,

Unwilling to obey;

His riches he would not give up,

So, grieved, he went away.

* * *

And then to His disciples

The Lord said, grave but kind :

“How hardly shall the rich their way

Into God’s kingdom find?

 * * *

“It is easier for a camel

Through a needle’s eye to go

Than he who loves his wordly goods

The bliss of heaven should know.”

Fortells His Death

Then Jesus took the twelve apart,

And gravel said to them :

“Behold, we now are on our way

Up the Jerusalem,

* * *

“And all things that the prophets wrote

About the Son of Man,

Shall be accomplished in that place,

True to the ancient plan.

 * * *

“And He shall be betrayed unto

The chief priest and the scribes,

Delivered up to the Gentiles,

And mocked with taunts and jibes;

 * * *

“And they shall scourge and spit upon,

And crucify your Lord ;

The third day He shall rise again,

According to His Word.”

* * *

The apostles listened, yet these things

They could not realize;

The meaning of the truths they heard

Was hidden from their eyes.

The Request of James and John

Then came, as they were walking on ,

The wife of Zebedee,

Who said : “Lord, what I most desire

Wilt Thou grant unto me?”

 * * *

He said unto her : “What wilt thou?”

She answered : “That my sons

May at Thy right and left sit down,

Thy kingdom’s greatest ones.”

 * * *

Then Jesus to the young men said :

“Ye know not what ye ask.

To drink my cup, my baptism bear,

Would be too hard a task.”

* * *

They answered :”We are strong enough.’

Then He said : “Ye shall try

To drink my cup, my babtism bear,

While grace shall strength supply.

* * *

“But to sit at my right and left

I cannot give to you;

My Father doth reserve those seats

For whom He deems them due.

 * * *

“Be not such lords as Gentiles are,

And who would highest be

Let him be servant to the rest,

And take a low degree.

* * *

“E’en as the Son of Man came not

To take a lofty place,

But to be minister, and give

His life to save the race.”

Blind Bartimeus

And now the Lord His way must take

Through ancient Jericho.

The people crowd around Him there,

And make His progress slow.

* * *

And Bartimeus, blind and poor,

Was sitting by the way;

Another beggar, sad and blind,

Sat by his side that day.

* * *

And when they heard the tramping

crowd,

And asked the reason why,

They learned that Christ of Nazareth

Was just then passing by.

* * *

Then each man cried aloud at once,

In tones of earnest plea :

“Jesus, Thou Son of David,

Have mercy upon me.”

* * *

And Jesus had compassion on

Their dark and helpless plight,

And gently touched their eyes and said :

“Your faith doth give you sight.”

* * *

Immediately their eyes were healed,

And both with joyful mind,

Followed the Master, praising God,

And all the people joined.