THE LESSON

Then Jesus took his disciples up the mountain

and gathering them around him he taught them

saying

blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven

blessed are the meek

blessed are they that mourn

blessed are the merciful

blessed are they that thirst for justice

blessed are all the concerned

blessed are you when you are persecuted

blessed are you when you suffer

be glad and rejoice for great is your reward in heaven

try to remember what I’m telling you

.

Then Simon Peter said

will this count?

and Andrew said

will we have a test on it?

and James said

when do we have to know it for?

and Phillip said

how many words?

and Bartholemew said

will I have to stand up in front of the others?

and John said

the other disciples didn’t have to learn it

and Matthew said

how many marks do we get for it?

and Judas said

what’s it worth?

and the other disciples likewise.

.

Then one of the Pharisees who was present

asked to see Jesus’ lesson plan

and inquired of Jesus

his terminal objectives in the cognitive domain

.

And Jesus wept.

.

Don Limelan ‘Birds of Fire’  1985