Beginning this announcement of good news
- of one who's won the right to rule right here
(in this case not Tiberius who'd choose
for his “good news” to be proclaimed each year
at birthday time, to lucky subjects who
must act quite glad because he said they’d got
“good news” - they now had him as ruler to
rule over them - and he’s a “SON OF GOD”).
This Ruler, who is (also known as) “Christ”
(“Messiah” to the Jews who were widespread);
means their anointed leader realised
as king/priest/prophet - who'll have won, & led!
All others who were hailed as such demised,
when they were killed their followers were shed.
Bar Kokhba's just like Nero; & suffice
to say, you prob'ly heard this man was dead,
Now his rule is begun, and that's good news!
-for he's a better Em-per-or than all.
A true man, uncorrupted, he would choose
to serve the weak, though he would die and fall.
He's named) Yeshua, (just as many were
so named in Hebrew then, amongst the Jews,
but God has raised him up to be the first,
and over any ruler you could choose.
But when they spoke his name in Greek to those
who weren't from Palestine, they used the Greek-
ish way to say it, which is I suppose
their own prerogative, well, so to speak.
When his news was proclaimed by heralds5, and
in "lunch-rooms" all around about the place,
they said his name was "Iysous" (which we stand
to hardly recognise - unless we've traced
the Greek ourselves). But if I speak his name,
in English (as I've learned to speak from birth),
you might have heard it said as though he's blamed
for all the bad that happens here on Earth…
Well, as you hear
these stories of the same,
I hope you'll hear, & can, imagine too
and meet this person (that's if you are game).
I'll call him "Jesus Christ"! See what you’ll do!
God's claimed him as his son (and so I'll call
him that, and all who follow where he led
will gladly bow their knees, before him fall).
The one to lead us on to what's ahead-
as second Adam, ruling well on Earth
as Lord. Though Earth is desolate compared
to God's good dream he hoped for at its "birth".
He leads in such a way that life is shared
with God, who loves and wants us to grow true.
God's picked the way (this man) to move ahead,
to throw out self-ish ways to think, speak, do!
Well Proph. Is-ai-ah wrote (that God had said):
“Behold (take note, and listen), for I'm send-
ing (Greek word's “appostello” - 'member this!)
an angel or a messenger to tend
the way ahead of you, before your face,
who will prepare the way for you. A voice
that's calling in the desert 'Ready, set,
go on, prepare his way - the Lord (of choice)!
Make straight-a-way, a path for him.'" So, yet
there comes ol' John the Washer in the des-
ert, and he's heralding a washing (off
of "dirt" to start), a change of heart, that says
"Away with sin!", that brings remission of't.
And coming out to him was all of the
Judean country, & Jerus'lemites.
He washed them clean, thus Jordan's waters be
the end of sins confessed (by these Semites).
And John himself had clothes of camel's hair,
& leather belt around the waist of him
(that's reminiscent of Elijah, where
he wore a belt like that, then warned the king).
while eating locusts, honey of the field
(depending not on nearby towns), John, he
then heralded his message which revealed
“One comes behind me, who's ahead of me;
for I'm not worthy to bend down and loose
his sandals underfoot (as a slave would).
I'm washing you in water; but he'll use
the Spirit of the Holy (God, he's good)!"
1Ἀρχὴ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ [υἱοῦ θεοῦ].
2Καθὼς γέγραπται ἐν τῷ Ἠσαΐᾳ τῷ προφήτῃ·
ἰδοὺ*
ἀποστέλλω τὸν ἄγγελόν μου πρὸ προσώπου σου,*
ὃς κατασκευάσει τὴν ὁδόν* σου·
3 φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ·
ἑτοιμάσατε τὴν ὁδὸν κυρίου,*
εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τὰς τρίβους* αὐτοῦ,
4ἐγένετο Ἰωάννης [ὁ] βαπτίζων ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ καὶ κηρύσσων βάπτισμα μετανοίας εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν. 5καὶ ἐξεπορεύετο πρὸς αὐτὸν πᾶσα ἡ Ἰουδαία χώρα καὶ οἱ Ἱεροσολυμῖται πάντες, καὶ ἐβαπτίζοντο ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ Ἰορδάνῃ ποταμῷ ἐξομολογούμενοι τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν. 6καὶ ἦν ὁ Ἰωάννης ἐνδεδυμένος τρίχας καμήλου καὶ ζώνην δερματίνην περὶ τὴν ὀσφὺν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐσθίων ἀκρίδας καὶ μέλι ἄγριον.
7Καὶ ἐκήρυσσεν λέγων· ἔρχεται ὁ ἰσχυρότερός μου ὀπίσω μου, οὗ οὐκ εἰμὶ ἱκανὸς κύψας λῦσαι τὸν ἱμάντα τῶν ὑποδημάτων αὐτοῦ. 8ἐγὼ ἐβάπτισα ὑμᾶς ὕδατι, αὐτὸς δὲ βαπτίσει ὑμᾶς ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ. (Mark 1:1-8, NA 28)