NEW TESTAMENT PROFILES IN POETRY: Through the eyes of people who knew Jesus and led the Church

By Rob Bellingham

This volume by the author of "The Bible in Verse" has each of the people who feature in the story of Jesus' ministry give their own perspective of what it was like to walk and talk with Jesus, or to lead the church in the first century. There were thirteen disciples, and many such as Paul, Barnabas, Luke and Silas who led the early church. There were also angels who conveyed messages from God, and men who opposed Jesus. Some Romans believed Jesus was the Son of God, others persecuted and killed Christians. Among the most grateful for the life of Jesus were the many he healed of recent or lifelong diseases and infirmities, or even death. It was the most transformative day of their lives. No other person has impacted human life and history more than Jesus. See him through the eyes of those who knew him best!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris NZ
• Release date: Sep 15, 2023
• ISBN: 9781669880998

Rob Bellingham

Rob Bellingham trained for ministry at age twenty, pastored two churches, and traveled with his young family to Bangladesh and India to work with the poor. After a decade, he returned to New Zealand where he worked for TEAR Fund and World Vision and served as international leader of a mission. Now retired, he enjoys playing tennis, gardening, writing, and serving on church mission committees in Auckland and Rotorua.

Book preview

New Testament

Profiles In Poetry

Through the eyes of people who

knew Jesus and led the Church

Rob Bellingham

Copyright © 2023 by Rob Bellingham.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 09/12/2023

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CONTENTS

Dedication

Introduction

Chapter 1: Jesus and the Disciples

1. Andrew: The First Called Disciple

2. Barthlomew: The Quiet Disciple

3. James: The First Disciple Martyred

4. John: The Most Loved Disciple

5. Judas Iscariot Reflects

6. Matthew Ponders Life

7. Peter: The Impetuous Apostle

8. Philip: The Greek Speaking Disciple

9. Simon: The Zealous One

10. Thaddaeus’ Thoughts: He Washed My Feet

11. Thomas: The Doubting One

12. Jesus Choosing Disciples

Chapter 2: Jesus and his Friends

1. Gabriel: Agent Of God

2. Mary: Mother Of Jesus

3. Wise Men: Worshippers And Gift Givers

4. Shepherds: The First Worshippers

5. Elizabeth: Mother Of John The Baptist

6. Herod: The Great And Brutal One

7. Caiaphas: High Priest

8. Simon Of Cyrene: The Cross Carrier

9. A Centurion’s Reflections

10. Two Murderers Meet Jesus At The Cross

11. Jesus Teaches In Parables

Chapter 3: Early Church Leaders

1. Apollos: The Learned Teacher

2. Barnabas: The Encourager

3. Cornelius: Roman Centurion, God Fearer

4. Dorcas: Seamstress For God

5. Herod Agrippa 1 And Peter

6. Luke: Physician, Historian, Evangelist

7. Lydia: The First European Christian

8. Paul: Apostle Missionary Writer

9. Silas: Leader, Teacher

10. Stephen: The First Christian Martyr

11. Timothy: Learner To Leader

Chapter 4: Jesus and the Healed Ones

1. Bethesda Pool: A Sabbath Healing

2. Blind Bartimaeus: The Jericho Beggar

3. A Deaf And Dumb Mute’s Best Day Ever

4. Paul And Eutychus: Sleeping In Church

5. Gergesa Demoniac: A Legion Of Trouble

6. A Demon Driven Boy: Saved From The Fire

7. Lazarus: Living Twice!

8. Jairus’ Daughter: A Resurrection

9. Zacchaeus: Transformed Tax Collector

10. Mary Magdalene: Delivered & Devoted

11. Malcus Saga: The Last Pre-Death Miracle

12. Peter’s Mother-In-Law: Restored To Serve

13. Peter & John: Healing The Lame Temple Beggar

14. Paul Heals A Lame Lystra Man

15. Satan’s Strategies

About the Author

About the Book

DEDICATION

T HIS BOOK IS dedicated to my special friends and my pastors.

Everyone needs friends but not everyone is good at being a friend. I may be an example of both. My life changed dramatically on 19 November, 2016 when I remarried and moved to Rotorua. My new best friend was Jan. After 8 years on my own, I was very grateful she took the risk of sharing herself and her home with me. She is kind, thoughtful and glows!

She is an identical twin, and we live next door to her alter ego, Judy, who is a legend with her energy and creativity. Judy has been married to Grant for over 50 years, who has struggled stoically with Parkinson’s for more than a decade. He inspires me as an example of friendship, flair, and faith. A legendary performer on unicycles and reciter of epic poems.

As I wrote New Testament Profiles in Poetry, I fed them pages of script to proof read and comment on. They were encouraging sounding boards. I am immensely grateful to them for their friendship.

Shortly after my arrival, Rotorua Baptist Church imploded as churches sometimes do. The journey to health has been hard and slow. Six months before Covid lockdown in March 2020, a new ministry couple arrived, Angus and Wendy Budge. They have been such a blessing to the congregation, using their huge gifts in the service of God and living as 21st century disciples of Jesus.

A companion volume to New Testament Profiles in Poetry, called First Testament Profiles in Poetry may see the light of day if my Hezekiah prayer is granted.

Rob Bellingham

August 2023.

INTRODUCTION

E VERYTHING IS SET in both time and context. New Testament Profiles in Poetry were written in late 2022. I had just finished writing a poetic version of The Bible in Verse and thought it would be fun to get the people involved in the New Testament story, in the first century of the Christian/Common era, to describe what happened and how it impacted them. The 1 st person accounts of disciples, church leaders, healed people and opponents and believers, bring the familiar parables and miracles of Jesus to life.

The context for them was Israel and the Roman world nearly 2000 years ago. For me it was a journey with cancer and in particular Covid lockdown in the cancer lodge in Hamilton, New Zealand. Treatment with radiation and chemotherapy most days took about 2 hours so there was plenty of time to research and write during the six weeks of treatment.

There is much that is different between the 1st century CE and the 21st century CE. I have had the advantage of living in developing countries amongst the poor. There culture and customs, especially in rural areas, have changed much less than in the modern world, where the new frontier is artificial intelligence and the world of social media.

Have you ever wished you had lived in Israel at the time of Jesus and been one of his disciples. I have! They were certainly adventurous people and risk takers. Who of us would abandon our trade and wander with a guru/rabbi/teacher for three years. And who of us believes so deeply, that they dedicate their lives to expounding the teaching they heard, and emulating the example they observed in those three years, to the point of martyrdom. Yet that is what they did.

They need the chance to tell their story – the high points and the tough times, because the one they followed, Jesus, is like no other who has ever walked this earth.

Rhyming couplets is the medium they use in this volume. Because poetry is succinct the words and events assume dramatic immediacy and impact. You may end up wondering – would I have the courage to live the life of danger and adventure, faith and hope they did? And do I have the depth of love for Jesus that they demonstrated? I have written this book hoping to dislodge complacency and mediocracy, where they have taken up residence in people who once were inspired and burned with zeal for the spread of the story of salvation announced by Jesus.

CHAPTER 1

Jesus and the Disciples

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T HERE ARE MANY questions we might like to ask Jesus about his disciples and here are some…

Why did he choose those particular people? They were a very mixed bunch and mostly Galilean. It links with the theme of his own life on earth – born as a baby, into a humble family, raised as a tradesman, from a backwater town. He certainly took on a huge training challenge.

What roles did Thaddeus and Matthias play? For both of them we have their names listed but no record of their actions. Thaddeus was in the disciple band for 3 years – surely there was time for him to do something memorable. Matthias was chosen to replace Judas Iscariot – but what were his credentials and contributions?

Why was there an inner circle of three fishermen? Surely it would have been fairer, given the diversity of background and opinion to choose a more representative reference group. What differences arose and what debates were voiced at team meetings? When James and John’s mother sought positions of honour for her sons and thereby upset the other disciples, how deep was the rift?

What were Jesus’ expectations for them? When he sent them out in ministry pairs, they returned reporting demons fled and the sick were healed, but on other occasions they failed to achieve the same things. Did Jesus really mean they/we would do greater things?

So, meet the disciples but not via a second person introduction. Let them speak for themselves about how the three years spent with Jesus impacted them. Let them articulate the high points of that unique experience – and the low points too. Let them reveal the why, when, and how of their careers after Jesus chose them.

In this first section we hear what the 12 disciples thought and did while with Jesus, and after as they carried on his mission. It is significant that all of them except John (and Judas Iscariot) were martyred in the end, and John was exiled. We might ask more questions – Why did they persist? and How did the Christian church survive?

ANDREW: THE FIRST CALLED DISCIPLE

Matt 16:17, Mark 13:1-4, Luke 5:1-11, John 1:36-43, 12:20-22

My biography reads, Andrew son of Jonah,

Young brother of Peter, from town of Bethsaida.

I was first to be called, a disciple of Jesus to be,

I’m mentioned 12 times in Jesus’ 4 biographies.

Four of them are merely in the lists of recruits,

But I take a significant role in three key pursuits.

My name is Greek, while Simon Peter’s is Hebrew,

As a fishing family, we on both cultures drew.

I’d met Jesus 3 months, before he reached Galilee,

I was at the Jordan, listening to John’s prophecy.

The day Jesus came for baptism, hearing the word,

This is my dearly loved Son, I was greatly moved.

There too was