Poems on Stories from the Gospel of John

THE MIRACLE AT CANA

John 2: 1-12

In Cana, on a wedding day,

his mother came, and so did he,

this man whose “Follow me”

had caused a few to walk his way.

But once the feasting had begun,

The wine gave out, we know not why.

His mother spoke, “They have no wine.”

To our surprise, he did not summon heaven right away.

He seemed to say, “It is not yours

to tell me what to do.”

And since we want a Lord

who makes our wishes his command,

we pause.

His mother sensed what he could do..

would do..

It was his word alone

that changed the wedding’s course,

that turned the water into wine.

And still his word,

the balm that heals our every wound,

the food that satisfies our hearts,

the arrow piercing all deceit,

is changing water into wine

so we can feast into the night.

•

JESUS IN SAMARIA/ THE WOMAN AT JACOB’S WELL

John 4: 4-42

He spoke to her at Jacob’s well.

It was forbidden, such a thing.

The air was thick; a stifling fog.

“It must not be...

It is not done...

The truth is plain...

The way is clear...”

And even so, he spoke.

“Give me a drink..”

These were the threshold words;

the words that opened windows

so the breath of life could enter in.

She could have fled,

bewildered by the boldness of the rabbi’s words.

But something in his probity said, “Stay.”

The laws of nature were unchanged.

No water into wine, no sight restored.

And yet a miracle occurred.

The thirsty rabbi redefined the scope of love.

And boundaries once seen as firm

gave way to panoramic views.

The fog dispersed, the air was fresh and new.

•

THE MAN BORN BLIND

John 9: 1-41

They said that blindness was a sin.

They built a fortress for their truth,

then, standing on the massive walls,

they flung the questions of their troubled minds.

The one they scorned knew only this:

“I once was blind, but now I see.

The one called Jesus took some mud

and spread it on my eyes,

then sent me on my way

to seek Siloam’s pool.

And when I washed

I saw in real time and space

the things my mind had drawn.”

To those encased in fear

this simple speech

was warrant for a bigger wall.

Their questions thundered on:

“How dare you try to lecture us?”

This drama still unfolds today,

and fortress builders of all faiths

retreat into their certainty.

But God, who never sleeps,

who knows the hairs upon our heads,

who senses all our hope and pain,

is digging in the mud,

preparing to anoint the eyes

of all who long for sight.

•

THE RAISING OF LAZARUS

John 11: 1-44

“If only you had been here..”

O Martha, how you speak for us!

When sorrow is a thunderstorm

that floods the path we hoped to walk,

how often we deflect our pain

and signal the embrace we need,

by crying our complaint.

“If only you had been here..”

Collecting every ounce of hope she had,

she spoke again,

“I know that God will give you what you ask.”

And Christ, not deaf to her complaint,

and not immune to sorrow and to tears,

unlocked the door of death.

In Christ, the door is open still.

He is the resurrection and the life.

•

THE ANOINTING AT BETHANY

John 12: 1-11

He was so bent on seeming just,

so keen to shame,

so poised to blame,

that when the censure crossed his lips,

the Lord was quick to speak.

“Leave her alone,” the Savior said,

referring to the precious one

whose hair was moist with scented oil,

whose heart was pure and unafraid.

Betrayers live to lie, and so he did.

Pathetic to the very core,

he grabbed at anything he could.

His deeds distorted all his words.

Anointers live to bless,

to point the way to purpose and to grace,

and in her tender act

she pointed to what lay beyond

the clamor of that hour.

And when he died, the Christ of God,

his death was for them both.

•

THE MIRACULOUS CATCH OF FISH

John 21: 1-14

He stood beside the sea.

And those who, days ago, had fished for souls

now searched for food.

Their nets were limp upon the waves,

their hopes suspended in the air.

He said, “The fish are on the other side,”

and when they verified his claim

they nearly sank beneath the weight.

One hundred fifty three, there were;

a catch so vast that words

cannot express the providence.

The naked Peter grabbed his clothes

and jumped into the sea.

The leap was what his body did

to demonstrate his joy.

Ashore, the Lord had built a fire.

A resurrection feast began

that stretches to the present day.