Rhyming Redsong: Matthew 22 (The Parable of the Wedding Banquet; Paying Caesar’s Tax; the Resurrection; Jesus Silences the Jewish Leaders)

Rhyming Redsong: Matthew 22 (The Parable of the Wedding Banquet; Paying Caesar’s Tax; the Resurrection; Jesus Silences the Jewish Leaders)

To them, again, in parables he spoke,
with Jesus saying, “Heaven’s kingdom’s like
a king who had a wedding feast prepared.
He sent his servants to those who, been, had,
invited to the feast to tell to them
that they should come, but they refused to come.

“Then he sent some more servants and he said,
‘Tell those who have, invited, been, I, that,
my dinner, have prepared: My oxen and
my fattened cattle all have, butchered, been,
and everything is ready. Now, to, come,
the wedding feast.’ But, went off, each of them,
and no attention any of them paid–
one to his field, one to his business place.
The rest, his servants, seized, and them, disgraced,
and killed them. At this, the king was enraged.
He sent his army and, those murderers,
destroyed, and, to the ground, their city, burned.

“Then he said to his servants, ‘It’s prepared,
the wedding banquet, but, did not deserve
to come, those whom I had invited there.
So to the corners, street, go and invite,
the banquet, to, just anyone you find.’
So out they went, the servants to the streets
and gathered all the people they could see,
both those, the bad, as well as them, the good,
and up with guests, the wedding hall was filled.

“But when the king came in, the guests, to know,
he noticed a man there, his wedding clothes,
he wasn’t wearing. Of him, the king asked,
‘How did you get in here without them, friend,
your wedding clothes?’ And speechless was the man.

“Then the king told attendants, the, ‘Tie him
both by his hand and foot, and then expel,
throw him out to the darkness where there will
be weeping, also gnashing of the teeth.’

“For many are invited to the feast,
but few are those who’re chosen, there, to eat.”

Then, out, the Pharisees went, and laid plans
to trap him in his words. They sent to him
disciples, their, with the Herodians
along. They, “Teacher,” said, “we know that you
are a man of integrity, the truth,
you teach the way of God, according to.
You are not swayed by others ‘cause you pay
attention, none of your, to who, are, they.
Please, then, what’s your opinion, to us, say?
Is it right for us Jews, that tax, to pay,
imperial, to Cesar, yay or nay?”

But Jesus knowing, evil, their, intent,
said, “Why do you, to trap me, this, attempt?”
Show me the coin you use, the tax, to pay.”
They brought him a denarius. “Whose face,
whose image is this, whose inscription writ?”
Replied, they, “Caesar’s.” To them, he said this:
“So give to Caesar back that which is his,
to Caesar, and to God that which is God’s.”

When they heard this, they greatly were amazed,
so then they left him, and they went away.

The Sadducees, that same day, those who say
there is no Resurrection, to him came
with, question, a. “Good teacher,” what they said,
“as Moses told, a man would die, that if,
without, some children, having, brothers, his,
must marry her, the widow, and, up, raise,
some offspring for him. Now ‘mongst us once lived
some brothers, seven. Was, the first one, wed,
and then he died, and since he, children, had
no, he left his wife to his brother and
the same thing happened to the brother, next,
as well the third, until the seventh, last,
to him. The woman fin’lly died. Now at
the resurrection whose wife will she be,
the seven, of, since, brothers, all of these,
were, to her, married?” Jesus, this, intoned:

“You are in error ‘cause you do not know
the Scriptures or the pow’r that God can show.
The resurrection, at, the people will
not marry nor, in marriage, be impelled;
be like the angels, heavenly, they will.
But ‘bout the resurrection of the dead,
have you not, what God said to you, e’er read?
‘I am the God of Abraham, the God
of Isaac, and of Jacob, I’m his God’?
He is not, of the dead, the God, but of
the living.” When the crowds heard this, were, they,
astonished at his teaching and his ways.

That Jesus silenced them, the Sadducees,
when they had heard of this, the Pharisees,
they got together. One of them who was
an expert in the law, him, tested, with
this question: “Teacher, in the Law, which is
the greatest of them, the commandments, all?”

Replied, he, Jesus: “‘Love the Lord your God,
with all your heart, with all your soul and mind.’
Of the commandments, this one is the first,
and also is the greatest of the list.
And, too, the second is like it as well:
‘Your neighbor, love, as you would love yourself.’
All of the Law and Prophets hang on these
commandments, two.” While they, the Pharisees,
were gathered all together, Jesus asked
them, “What do you, ‘bout the Messiah, think?
Whose son is he?” This, they, to him, replied:
“The son of David.” He, to them, this, spake:

“Then how is it that David, speaking by
the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For what he says:

“‘The Lord said to my Lord the following:
“Sit at my right hand till your enemies,
I put them, subject to you, ‘neath your feet.”’

“If David then calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he
be his son?” No one could say further words,
reply, in, and from that day on, none dared
to ever ask him any, questions, more.