People of God behold; thy Savior is nigh to thee!
He is come who was promised thee long ago.
Oh! hear him, follow his guidance
Blessing and life will he bring to thee.

But blind and deaf Jerusalem has shown herself;
She has thrust back the hands held out to her in love;
Therefore also the Highest has turned away his face,
And lets her sink to destruction.

Jesus, accompanied by all his disciples, set out to pay his last visit
to Bethany. Peter, with his staff in hand, walked with John beside the
master. Judas was present, with disheveled locks and haggard look,
James the Greater and James the Less, and Andrew and Thomas, and the
rest of the disciples.

Then Jesus spoke unto them and said: "You know, dear disciples, that
after two days is the feast of the Passover. So now let us make one
last visit to our friends in Bethany, and then go to Jerusalem, where
in these days all will be fulfilled which has been written by the
prophets concerning the Son of Man."

The disciples understood not his saying, and after some questioning
among themselves Philip ventured to address Jesus, saying unto him,
"Has the day then really come at last when thou wilt restore the
kingdom to Israel?"

Jesus looked upon Philip with tender compassion, and said unto him,
"Then shall the Son of Man be delivered up to the Gentiles, and shall
be mocked and spat upon and they will crucify him; but on the third day
he will rise again."

Then said John in a voice that trembled with emotion, as the other
disciples gazed at each other in horror, "Dear master, what dark and
terrible words thou speakest. What are we to understand by them? Make
it clear unto us."

Then Jesus answered and said unto him, "The hour is now come when the
Son of Man shall be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, if a
corn of wheat does not fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone,
but if it die it bringeth forth much fruit. Now is the judgment of the
world. Now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be
lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me."

Then were the breasts of the disciples troubled, for they could not
understand what these things meant. Thaddeus said to Simon, "What does
he mean by this speech?"

Simon replied with a puzzled air, "Why does he compare himself to a
grain of corn?"

Then said Andrew unto him, "Lord, thou speakest at once of shame and of
victory. I know not how to reconc