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Gary Hughes Poem
Judas Iscariot (Where Greatest Was Need)
So little their faith that the lost He did save,
it's not part of life but belongs in the grave.
Were it only as large as the smallest of seed,
they'd believe His success where greatest was need.
The heel lifted up they saw rightly not clean;
the reason He washed it they can't seem to glean.
Were only their faith as the smallest of seed,
they'd believe His success where greatest was need.
Was He delivered by Satan or God?
They want it both ways, and think it not odd.
Were only their faith as the smallest of seed,
they'd believe His success where greatest was need.
Thirty pieces of silver they say sold Him short,
but selling His failure's the sale He'll abort.
Were only their faith as the smallest of seed,
they'd believe His success where greatest was need.
Copyright © Gary Hughes | Year Posted 2016
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Gary Hughes Poem
Paradidomi
The men who wrote the KJV
wrote well but not inerrably.
“Betray” was not “paradidomi.”
He only said, “deliver me.”
The word “betray” should not have been
a gospel word or found therein.
Though one's described in all but one,
the word's not used by God's own son.
Against Him, “heel was lifted up.”
He said it once at their last sup.
Not once before, not once again,
not with “betray” He named the sin.
He washed the heel, and it was clean.
So after that, don't call it mean.
He said to him that he'd “deliver.”
It was God's plan for his life's Giver.
"Paradidomi" (PAIR-UH-DID-UH-MEE) is a transliteration of the Greek word that is translated "betray" in English translations of the Gospels. "Betray," however, is a mistranslation. The Gospel writers meant "deliver" or "hand over," and they intended no connotation of an act of treachery in their use of the word.
Consider these exchanges between Jesus and Peter:
Jesus: All of you will be offended in me.
Peter: I will never be offended in you.
Jesus: You will deny me three times.
Peter: I will never deny you.
Jesus: One of you will "betray" me.
Peter: Is it I?
Clearly, the word Jesus spoke did not connote for Peter an act of treachery. Jesus only said, "One of you will deliver me," or "One of you will hand me over."
For the interested, see the book by William Klassen, "Judas, Betrayer or Friend of Jesus?," Chapter 3 Section II. "Judas 'Handed Jesus Over': The Word paradidomi."
Judas became a traitor to Jesus when he went to the chief priests and made a covenant to hand Jesus over to them, after the devil put it into his heart. That is the trespass against Jesus to which Jesus referred, "[He] has lifted up his heel against me." Jesus responded to that trespass by washing the heel of offense. In the end, Judas glorified Jesus when he handed him over to the chief priests, after Jesus put it into his heart. Judas did not betray Jesus with a kiss; he served him with a kiss. Judas overcame Satan, who entered into him after Jesus identified him as the one who should deliver him, and who was opposed to those things which Jesus said should happen at Jerusalem.
Copyright © Gary Hughes | Year Posted 2016
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Gary Hughes Poem
John 13 (Part 2)
And now the hour was well advanced
for Him to take His leave.
He'd go the way His Father said
and leave them all to grieve.
He'd eat the bread His Father gave
(the work that He should do).
He'd give His life for all the world;
His Father gave it, too.
But that the scripture be fulfilled,
He should not eat alone.
One should eat His bread with Him,
and that one of His own.
The scripture said that it should be
whose heel was lifted up –
the one who should deliver Him,
and that way share His cup.
With trespass now forgiven him,
they two could share His bread –
the devil wouldn't call the shots,
but Jesus would instead.
It troubled Him to think of it
(the woe not His alone);
the one He saved would rue his life,
his flesh and, too, his bone.
The servant's not the greater
nor is he that one does send,
but the greater is received
by who receives him in the end.
He told them one should give Him up,
and that one of the twelve.
Although each asked if it was he,
no further did they delve –
except for Simon Peter.
Simon beckoned to his son
to ask of Jesus secretly
which one should be the one.
And after he had asked Him,
the Lord said here's the sign:
the one who gets this sop
when I have dipped it in the wine.
And after He had dipped it,
He gave it to the one
who just then asked the question –
He gave to Simon's son.
Flesh and Blood were given,
and the last became the first:
an end would come to hunger,
an end would come to thirst.
Note: The poem "John 13" is published here on PoetrySoup in three parts to avoid a negative character count on the "Add New Poem" draft page. I divided the poem rather than try to publish it from the draft page with a negative character count. Gary
Copyright © Gary Hughes | Year Posted 2016
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Gary Hughes Poem
John 13 (Part 3)
Judas only filled the bill;
He couldn't choose another.
He had to choose and send the one
who was His new, gained brother.
Having then received the sop,
then Satan entered in.
The adversary came to tempt
and battle from within.
“Is it I should give You up?”
(You cast that from my heart!)
“Do as you've said and quickly now,
by Scripture it's your part.”
So at the words of Jesus,
he got up from his place.
Jude's act of glorifying
all would think a great disgrace.
Having then received the sop,
he went out; it was night.
With both God and Satan in him,
he'd reacted to his plight.
Things of men and things of God
were whirling in his head.
One question he considered,
would it be better to be dead?
Destined for perdition,
the condition he'd been in,
he'd come to hate this life of his;
it was a life of sin.
Yet, Jesus came to save him –
this he'd heard Him say.
Could He really save one
who'd gone so far astray?
Now it hardly mattered;
his course he now had set –
he'd plod this road unto the end
despite his deep regret.
He really couldn't say to Him,
“Lord, I've changed my mind.”
When Jesus spoke, “You've said,”
it seemed as if to bind.
He'd heard the words of Simon,
“Lord, be it far from Thee;”
and now he had that spirit
from which teaching said to flee.
“This shall not be unto Thee!”
How could he say these words,
when Jesus had recoiled at them
as not of God but for the birds?
Note: The poem "John 13" is published here on PoetrySoup in three parts to avoid a negative character count on the "Add New Poem" draft page. I divided the poem rather than try to publish it from the draft page with a negative character count. Gary
Copyright © Gary Hughes | Year Posted 2016
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Gary Hughes Poem
John 13 (Part 1)
Jesus knew the hour had come
that soon He should depart.
He loved them all unto the last,
him tugging at His heart.
The devil having done his thing,
his heel was lifted up;
but this thing, too, was given Him –
and us if we would sup.
He laid His garments to the side.
A towel He made His girdle.
With water in a basin now,
He'd overcome this hurdle.
Their feet He took them in His hands
and washed them every one.
He washed their feet though they were clean
except for Simon's son.
He came to Simon. Peter said,
“Lord, do You wash my feet?”
“What I do now you do not know.”
(Be patient. Keep your seat.)
“Never shall You wash my feet.”
(I'll never stand for that.)
“If not, with Me you'll have no part.
You don't know what I'm at.”
“Not just my feet – my hands! my head!”
(With You I need my part.)
Before He spoke, Jude noticed this –
his way His eyes did dart.
“Who's bathed needs nothing else to do;
he's clean as clean can be,
but you're not all.” (Jude had a fault
that just the two could see.)
The covenant was made in stealth
so only he would know.
The darting eyes spoke otherwise.
Here's what those eyes did show.
They showed that Jesus knew the tale
that only Jude should tell,
but this He kept between them two –
He'd taught them this as well.
He'd taught them, “If a brother fail,
to him go tell his fault;
and more than that, for your sake, too,
forgive him as you ought.”
So now His eyes accomplished that;
his washing did it, too.
Examples of these lessons, here,
He gave for me and you.
But if our heart is hardened
against those we have judged,
our mind's made up and nothing said
can ever make us budge,
if forever we're against them,
and we always hold the grudge,
in the arteries of life we serve
as nothing more than sludge.
Jude heard the words of Jesus.
He's the only one who could
because He kept it private –
that's the way He said they should.
So taking up His garments
and once again His seat,
He asked them if they understood
regarding washing feet.
Of course they couldn't understand
the example He had given,
but afterward they'd hear the tale
that Judas was forgiven.
Note: The poem "John 13" is published here on PoetrySoup in three parts to avoid a negative character count on the "Add New Poem" draft page. I divided the poem rather than try to publish it from the draft page with a negative character count.
Copyright © Gary Hughes | Year Posted 2016
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Gary Hughes Poem
Blind World
Men they were who’d die with Him,
as they said on Simon’s lead;
but the world has criticized them
when to Him they did take heed.
He said that they would scatter;
it was written, yes, indeed.
He said the written must be done;
in the end they took His lead.
He’d taught them how to follow Him,
who it was they should deny;
and when our eyes are opened,
we will know the reason why.
You see, He had prepared them
for the thing that must be done.
Losing sheep was not the thing,
but His words, “I have lost none.”
For two thousand years the world has judged the apostles of Jesus deficient in loyalty to him when they scattered at the scene of his arrest. It has been a judgment according to appearance.
Truly, the apostles of Jesus were men who would die with him. That is why they were scandalized when he told them it was written that they would scatter. But at the scene of his arrest, when he declared that the scriptures must be fulfilled, they saw in his declaration a cue to scatter; and they scattered on cue. (Mark 14:49,50) They denied themselves as the men that they were, men who would die with him, in order to follow him. For each, to scatter was to take up his cross.
In showing his disciples what must happen at Jerusalem, Jesus faced opposition from them. His corrective to this opposition was the instruction, "Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." (Mark 8:31-34)
Here is righteous judgment: The disciples of Jesus followed him when they scattered at the scene of his arrest.
Nevertheless, I say this only in my own name.
Copyright © Gary Hughes | Year Posted 2016
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Gary Hughes Poem
We Are The Truth
No vocal cords disturbed the air;
none said “Let there be light.”
There were no cords.
There was no air.
There was only might.
The thing itself comprised the word;
the thing revealed the might.
It was not cords.
It was not air.
It was only light.
The truth’s not what we say it is;
it’s only that which is.
Say what we want,
it’s not the truth;
but our saying of it is.
Copyright © Gary Hughes | Year Posted 2016
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Gary Hughes Poem
O Judas (It's All About Jesus)
There was a man, a fallen man
whose destiny would be perdition.
He was a thief and betrayed his friend.
This we received in our tradition.
A better friend no man could have.
His love revealed, revealed unspoken.
He washed the heel; 'twas lifted up.
He washed it clean - a sign, a token.
A heart was changed; a heart was healed.
The power of love could not be broken.
But something else was going on,
something else, and hardly spoken.
From up on high He came to show
how every man would have to go.
Then going back from this below,
He told his friend he'd help Him go.
Like Job he'd look upon his birth.
A later judge upon his girth,
and lead the sheep of planet earth
to denigrate his life, his worth.
Beelzebub! his friend they called Him.
Now he's been called so much, much more.
He earned his coins - they weren't stolen,
but took them back which Scripture said restore.
Denied himself. Took up his cross.
His life of sin he made his loss,
and losing that for his friend's sake,
he found his life in losing's wake.
Born once again. Below the cross.
His brother/friend he'd made his boss.
Boss to Boss his friend would go
As he looked on from down below.
And looking on he heard Him speak
to her there standing grieved and bleak.
“Behold your son,” he heard Him say.
And with that said, He looked his way.
Three days hence upon the morn,
came Magdalene, her look careworn,
and said they'd taken Him away;
she didn't know where now he lay.
He outran Simon to the tomb,
and he looked in, expecting gloom.
Then Simon came and entered in;
then he did too, the man of sin.
Linen cloth here. Head's napkin there.
But corpse no more lay anywhere.
They'd entered in who were bereaved,
but seeing these he then believed.
After this, when out to sea,
he saw Him standing on the shore,
the man with life forever . . . more,
the man Who's knocking at the door.
Copyright © Gary Hughes | Year Posted 2016
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