Rhyming Redsong: Matthew 21 (Jesus Enters Jerusalem; Jesus Curses the Fig Tree; Jesus Confronts the Jewish Elders)

As they approached Jerusalem and came,
upon the Mount of Olives, to Bethphage,
disciples, two, sent Jesus, to them, said:
“Go to the village, that’s, of you, ahead,
and there, at once, these two, what you will find:
a donkey with her colt by her that’s tied.
Untie them and then bring them both to me.
If anyone, to you, says anything,
say that the Lord needs them and, send, he will,
them right away.” This took place to fulfill
what, spoken through the prophet, was: “Say to
her, daughter Zion, ‘See your king, to you,
comes gentle, riding on a donkey, colt,
upon them both, the donkey with her foal.’”

Went, the disciples, and as Jesus told
them, that is what they did. The donkey, colt,
they brought and placed their cloaks on them, to sit,
for Jesus, on. A very large crowd spread
their cloaks upon the road, while others cut
some branches off the trees and, on, spread them,
the road. Ahead of him, that went, the crowds,
and those that followed shouted out these words:

“Hosanna to the son of David!” “Blessed
is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!” When
Jerusalem, to, Jesus, entered, had,
the city, whole was stirred and asked, “Who’s this?”
“The prophet,” the crowd answered, “Jesus, is,
this, the, from Nazareth in Galilee.”

The temple courts, then, Jesus, entered, he,
and drove out those engaged in commerce there,
those who were buying and, too, selling wares.
The money changers tables he, o’er, shoved,
the benches of those who were selling doves.

“It’s written, ‘My house will,’” to them he said,
“‘be called a house of prayer,’ but this instead,
you’re making it into ‘a robbers’ den.’”

The blind, and too, the lame both came to him,
the temple, at, and he healed all of them,
but when the chief priests, teachers of the law,
the things, most wonderful, he did, they saw
and in the temple courts, heard children shout,
“Hosanna to the son of David!”, out,
they were indignant. “Do you hear what they,
these children, say?” they asked him. Jesus said,
“Of course, ‘From children’s lips,’ have you not read,
‘and infants, you, Lord, have called forth your praise’?”

And he left them and went to Bethany,
out of the city where, that night, he’d sleep.

As Jesus was, in morning’s hours, wee,
on his way back into the city, he
was hungry. Seeing by the road, a, tree,
fig, he went up to it but nothing found
on it except for leaves. Then this he said
to it, “May, never, you, bear fruit again!”
Immediately, withered, was the tree.
Amazed were the disciples, when, this, seen,
they had. “How did, the one sans figs, the tree,
so quickly wither?” of him they inquired.

“I tell you truly,” Jesus then replied,
“if you have faith and doubt, you would eschew,
not only can you do what was done to
the fig tree but you also could, it, tell,
this mountain, ‘To the sea, go, throw yourself,’
and it will be done. If, this, you believe,
whate’er you ask, in prayer, for, you’ll receive.”

The temple courts, to, Jesus entered in,
and, while he, teaching, was, they came to him,
the elders of the people and chief priests.

“By what authority, are you, things, these,
them doing,” they asked, “and who gave you this
authority?” Replying, Jesus, “I
will also just a single question ask,
and if you answer, I will, you, apprise,
authority, I do these things, what, by.
So, John’s baptism, where did it come from?
Was it of heav’n’s, or human origin?”

They said this, once they’d ‘mongst themselves, discussed,
“If we say, ‘Heaven, from there,’ he will ask,
‘Then why did you believe him, not,’ but if
we say, ‘Of human origin’– we risk
the people’s wrath, of them, we’re sore afraid,
for ‘John’s a prophet,’ that is what they say.”

“We don’t know,” so, to Jesus, answered, they.

Then he said, “Neither will I tell to you,
by what authority, these things, I do.”

“What do you think: there was a man who had
two sons. He went, the first, to, and he said
today, go and work in the vineyard, Son.”
“I will not,” answered he, but later on,
he changed his mind, and to the vineyard, went.
The father, to the other son, went, then,
and said the same thing to him. Answered he,
“I will, sir,” but, there, he did not proceed.
Which of these two did what his father wished?”

“The first,” they answered. Jesus, to them, quipped:
“The tax collectors and the prostitutes,
I tell you truly, they’re ahead of you
at entering God’s kingdom for John came
to you to show you righteousness, its way,
and you did not believe all that he said,
but tax collectors, prostitutes both did.
And even after you had all this seen,
you still did not repent and, him, believe.

“Now listen to another parable:
a vineyard planted in land, arable,
was by its owner. It, ‘round ‘bout, a wall
he put, a winepress, also, dug in it,
and a watchtower, over all, he built.
Then to some farmers, vineyard, the, he leased,
and moved his household to another place.
The harvest time, when it approached, he sent
three servants to his tenants to collect
his fruit. The tenants seized those three who served:
they beat one, killed the second, stoned the third.
Then other servants, more, to them he sent,
than the first time. The tenants treated them
the same way. Last of all, his son, he sent
to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said,
but when the tenants saw the son they said,
each other, to, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s
kill him and take all his inheritance.’
So they took him and, out, from -yard, the vine,
they threw him, and they killed him. Therefore, when
the owner of the vineyard comes, what will
he do to them, the tenants who, him, killed?”

“A wretched end, those wretches, to, bring, he’ll”
replied they. “And he will the vineyard, lease
to others tenants who will, him, supply
his share of fruit that’s sown at harvest time.”
To them, said Jesus, “Have you never read
in Scriptures, Psalms: ‘The stone rejected by
the builders has, the cornerstone instead
become; the Lord has done this, in our eyes,
and, it is marvelous’? Therefore, I tell
you that God’s kingdom, from you, will,
away, be taken, and then given to
a people who’ll produce the kingdom’s fruit.
Who, anyone, falls on this stone will be
to pieces broken; anyone on whom
it falls, that one will be crushed certainly.”

When the chief priests and, too, the Pharisees
heard Jesus’ parables, they knew his speech,
about them, was, and they looked for a way
to, him, arrest, but they were much afraid
of all the crowds because the people held
that he, a prophet, was, if truth they’d tell.

Rhyming Redsong: Matthew 20 (The Vineyard and the Workers; The Greatest in the Kingdom; Jesus Heals Two Blind Men)

“For heaven’s kingdom, this is what it’s like:
an owner of some land went out to hire
in early morning, workers for his vines,
those of his vineyard. He agreed to pay
them a denarius as one day’s wage
and to his vineyard, in there, he sent them.
‘Bout nine o’clock, in morning’s time, he went
out and saw others in the marketplace,
there standing, doing nothing. He told them
‘You also go and, in my vineyard, strain,
and you, whatever’s right, is what I’ll pay.
So they went. ‘Bout noon, he went out again,
and ‘bout three in the afternoon to find
more workers. In the afternoon, ‘bout five,
he went out and still others, he found, whom,
just standing ‘round. He asked them, ‘Why have you
been standing here all day long, doing naught?’
“They answered, ‘No one has hired us, because.’
“He said to them, ‘You also go and work,
my vineyard, in!’ When evening time, towards dark,
the vineyard owner, to his foreman, said,
‘The workers, call, and them, their wages pay
beginning with the ones who were hired last
and going on until you reach the first.’
The workers who were, five o’clock, ‘round, hired,
the afternoon, in, a denarius,
what each received. So when they had arrived,
those hired first, they thought payment, more, was just.
But each of them, just one denarius,
what they received. How, grumbling, they began,
when they received it, the landowner, ‘gainst:
‘These, only one hour worked, who were hired last,’
they said, ‘Them, equal to us, you have made,
who’ve borne the burden of the work, the day,
its heat.’ But answered, he, to one of them,
‘I am not, unfair, being to you, friend.
Did not, for one denarius, agree,
you, to do work? Now take your pay and leave.
I want to give the one who was hired last
the same as I gave you. Do not I have
the right to do what I want with my stuff,
my money, or is it you’re envious
because to them I was so generous?
So the last will be first, first will be last.’”

Now Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
He took the twelve aside along the way.
“Jerusalem,” is what he said to them,
“we’re going there, and he will be conveyed,
the Son of Man, unto the priests who’re chief,
and to those ones, the law is what they teach.
To death, they’ll, him, condemn, and then convey
him over to the Gentiles to be mocked
and flogged and crucified. On the third day,
he will be raised to life and resurrect’d.

The sons of Zebedee, their mother, then,
to Jesus, with her sons, together, came,
and kneeling down, a favor asked of him.
What is it that you want?” he asked. She bade,
“Grant, in your kingdom, one of these two, that,
my sons may sit upon your right, your left,
and there the other, at, their proper rank.”
“You don’t know what you’re asking,” Jesus said
to them. “Can you drink the cup I will drink?”
“We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them,
“Indeed, you’ll drink from my cup, but to chose
who sits at my right, left is not for me
to grant. These places, they belong to those
for whom my Father, has prepared, these seats.”

Indignant with the brothers, two, they were,
the ten, when all about this, they had heard.
Together, Jesus called them and he said,

“You know the rulers of the Gentiles, that
they lord it over them, they exercise,
their high officials, their authority
o’er them. Not so with you, contrariwise,
whoever, great ‘mongst you, to be, aspires
must be your servant, and whoever yearns
to be first must become your slave–just like
the Son of Man did not come to be served
but to serve and, as well, to give his life
for many as a ransom, sacrifice.”

As, leaving Jericho with his discip’es,
was Jesus, large crowds, followed, he’d acquired.
Two blind men, sitting, in the road, its side.
When they heard, Jesus, that he’d pass them by
in a short while, they shouted, this, they cried:

“Lord, Son of David, mercy, on us, show!”

The crowd rebuked them and them, they implored
to quiet, be, but all the louder, how
they shouted. “Mercy, have on us, O Lord,
the Son of David!” Jesus stopped, inquired
of them, “What do you want me to do for
you?” he asked. “Lord,” they said, “we want our sight.”
Compassion on them, Jesus had that more,
and touched their eyes. Immediately they
received their sight and followed him that day.

Rhyming Redsong: Matthew 19.13-30 (Little Children; The Rich and the Kingdom of God)

To Jesus, little children, people brought
for him to place his hands on them and pray
for them. But the disciples, them, they caught,
rebuking them. To them, what Jesus said,
“The little children, let them come to me,
don’t hinder them for it’s to such as these
that heaven’s kingdom’s ownership belongs.”
Then after he had placed his hands on them,
on, Jesus, from that place, is where he went.

Just then a man came up to Jesus, asked,
“What good thing, Teacher, so I may possess,
must I do for eternal life?” “Why do
you ask me ‘bout behaviors that are good?”
replying Jesus. “There is only One
who’s good. To enter life, if what you want,
keep the commandments.” He inquired, “Which ones?”

Replying Jesus, “‘Murder, you shall not,
adultery as well do not commit,
don’t steal nor, testimony false, e’er give,
your father, mother, honor, too, and love
your neighbor as yourself.” “All these I have
kept,” said the young man. “What do I still lack?”

Replying Jesus, “To, your life, perfect,
go, your possessions, sell, and, to the poor,
give, and, in heaven, treasures for you stored.
Then come, and follow me.” When, this, he heard,
the young man, sad, away, was how he went,
because he had great wealth. Then Jesus said
to his disciples, “Truly, I tell you,
it’s hard for someone, rich, to enter to
the kingdom, heaven’s. I again tell you,
to go, a camel, easier, what’s done,
a needle’s eye, through that, than for someone
to enter, kingdom, the, of God, who’s rich.”

Astonished greatly, when they heard of this,
were the disciples, and they asked of him,
“Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them
and said, “With man this is impossible,
but with God all things are made possible.”

Him, Peter answered, “We’ve left everything
to follow you! What will be for our gain?”

To them, said Jesus, “Truly, I tell you,
when, all things, at their time to be renewed,
when on his glor’ious throne, of Man, the Son
will sit, you, who have followed me, upon,
will sit, twelve thrones, and you will judge, as well,
of Is’rael, all her tribes that number twelve.
And anyone who, houses, brothers, left,
or sisters, father, mother, or their wife,
or children, fields, for my sake will receive
a hundred times back what it is they gave,
and life, eternal, an inheritance.
But many who are first will then be last,
and many who are last will then be first.”