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

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.