The Bible in Poetry: The Burial to Peter's Sermon

 

Extracted from the Bible In Poetry

From Genesis to Revelation

The Burial to Peter's Sermon

The Burial & Resurrection
   
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Joseph of Arimathaea, a Jew, was a good man and a just,
Went to the Governor Pilate, asking for the body of Jesus;
Taking the body from the cross, carefully wrapped in linen,
He laid it in a sepulcher for no man had ever lain therein.

On that preparation day as the Sabbath was drawing near,
The ladies returning home, spices and ointments prepared;
Mary went to the sepulcher very early that Sunday morning,
It was at that time of the day just before the sun starts rising.

Arriving at the sepulcher, noticeably absent was the stone,
This was Mary Magdalene; she had gone there on her own;
She ran to Peter and John and she quickly came to them,
His body is not in the tomb; I don’t know where they lay him.

John had outrun Peter and was before the tomb stooping,
Peter rushed right past him deciding that he would go in;
He observed the linen clothes in the organized way they lay,
The napkin for his head was positioned in a strange way.

John finally went in the tomb; what Mary said He believed,
But that Jesus would rise again, this they hadn’t received;
Then the disciples went away and journeyed to their home,
Mary stayed outside the tomb and there she stood alone.

Before the tomb she turned and there she saw a stranger,
Somehow she did not know this stranger was the Master;
He noticed she was crying; she told him the reason why,
Then she recognized him and she said to him Rabboni.

Then reaching out her hands intending to hold the Master,
He told her touch me not for I must ascend to the Father;
She went to tell the disciples what she did learn and hear,
They had been shut away; of the Jews they were in fear

Sightings of Jesus
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Jesus appeared in their midst; Thomas did not believe,
Jesus gave him the proof; he knew he was not deceived;
Until he had seen the wounds, Jesus he wouldn’t receive,
Blessed are they, Jesus said, who do not see but believe.

Peter became restless and again he longed for the sea,
“I go a fishing,” said he and the others, “we’ll go with thee.”
They fished and they fished but nothing to show that night,
Jesus stood on the shore but he was not the familiar sight.

In reply to a question they explained to him their problem,
Cast the net to the right was the instruction he gave them;
They caught so many fish they were forced to call for help,
To get them hauled to shore they summoned another ship.

The disciple that Jesus loved told Peter it was the Lord,
Peter being naked covered up as soon as he had heard;
When they came to shore there on the beach would find,
Jesus had prepared the meal and invited them to dine.

Now the third time he was seen since rising from the dead,
Do you love me more than these to Peter he had said;
Thrice he asked the question and thrice Peter had replied,
Perhaps he began to consider that time the Lord he denied.
 
These and many more were the signs that Jesus had done;
But these have been recorded to prove he was God’s son;
Not long after this, his disciples would view his ascension,
A preview of our Lord’s return, on that day will be jubilation.

Forty days post resurrection they having assembled together,
Began to question Jesus about restoring the kingdom of Israel;
He said they didn’t have to know of the times or of the seasons,
That was in the Father’s power and He only knows the reasons.

The Ascension

He told them not to depart but they should stay at Jerusalem,
For when the Holy Spirit would come upon every one of them;
And when he spoken these thing he was taken up in a cloud,
Right before the disciples’ eyes and a small but select crowd.

As they gazed upward to heaven watching Jesus go away,
They were told he would return in like manner some day;
From Olivet to Jerusalem was just a Sabbath day’s journey,
A secret room was where they went and there began to tarry.

Awaiting the Promise
 
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Peter and James and John, Andrew and Philip and Thomas,
Bartholomew, Matthew, Simon, James the son of Alphaeus;
Judas the brother of James, Mary and several more women,
Continued praying with one accord along with Jesus’ brethren.

Then Peter reminded them no one was in Judas’ position,
So when they had cast their lots Matthias had won the election;
They had been told by Jesus that the Spirit would fill all them,
And they would be witnesses unto him beginning at Jerusalem.

The Promise Fulfilled

They were all in one mind when the day of Pentecost came,
They received the Holy Ghost as the Spirit upon them rained;
None of them was omitted but all were filled at that instance,
They began to speak in tongues as the Spirit gave utterance.

People heard their own language and they were all amazed,
Some said they were drinking; they were in a drunken craze;
Marvelling and wondering at what they had head and seen,
They were puzzled by the fact that these were all Galileans.

There were Parthians and Medes, Elamites and Judeans,
Mesopotamians and Asians, Pamphylians and Egyptians;
Parts of Libya and Cappadocia, Jerusalem, Pontus, Cyrene,
Cretes, Arabians and Romans; one international scene.

Peter’s Sermon
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But Peter with the eleven stood and lifting up his voice said,
These are not drunken men and from Joel’s prophecy read;
That in the last days God will pour His Spirit on all Persons,
Some people shall prophesy while other will see visions.

Blood and fire, vapour of smoke, wonders God will show,
Wonders will be seen in heaven, signs in the earth below;
That great and notable day them that on the Lord shall call,
Will certainly be saved; salvation will be given to them all.

Speaking with authority of his crucifixion and resurrection’
Jesus Christ the Lord was the theme of his presentation;
They that heard him speak were pricked to the very heart,
Repent in the name of Jesus; that’s a good place to start.

Receiving of the Holy Ghost is the promise made to you,
To as many as the Lord shall and to all your children too;
Save yourselves said he from this untoward generation,
Accept the word of the Lord and receive your salvation.


Stewart Russell © 2013

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