A father's fortune spent he in waste,
with strangers lodged and sinners ate,
while himself allowing only death to taste,
he wanton gave away his lot like a profligate.
And what seemed he to by appearance be?
What more than Jordan's penitent was he?
Who taking sacred scroll the prophet's words did claim,
announcing that the ordinary was divinity the same?
Profaning sabbath days he sanctified the other six,
and through Beelzebub made righteousness ironically prevail,
for only by the viper's curse could he the good with evil mix,
and take away the shroud of sin by hiding 'neath its veil.
Judged by priest and pious a scandal 'gainst the Name,
and thought by nearest kin a zealot out his mind,
he ne'er the less absolved by heaven those with reckless shame,
and scorned the sages of God's Law as devil seed and blind.
To those who from him Yahweh's proofs demanded,
he gave the sign that in the past the holy did sure seal,
that blessed is the one who's by the curse been branded,
and he who suffers woes from God has from Him every weal.
So into hell now look and see his presence there,
and up to heaven gaze where God has him there seated,
and know that death and life is what we with him share,
this man become our deity, the Son of Man completed.
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An unusual but powerful poem. Please allow some comments.
To suggest comparison of the Son of Man with the prodigal(profligate) son in the first stanza was novel.I liked the image of taking away the shroud of sin by hiding under its veil. That was a great way of expressing the incarnation.
I am not sure about the 'so look into hell and see his presence there'. If He did descend into hell, which some dispute,(regardless of the creed) why think He is still there?
Over all, I am reminded of Matthew 5:11. Blessing comes with cursing. Bravo!
