'Inasmuch As Ye Did It Not ... ' / Edith Nesbit

If Jesus came to London,

Came to London to-day,

He would not go to the West End,

He would come down our way;

He'd talk with the children dancing

To the organ out in the street,

And say he was their big Brother,

And give them something to eat.

He wouldn't go to the mansions

Where the charitable live;

He'd come to the tenement houses

Where we ain't got nothing to give.

He'd come so kind and so homely,

And treat us to beer and bread,

And tell us how we ought to behave;

And we'd try to mind what He said.

In the warm bright West End churches

They sing and preach and pray,

They call us "Beloved brethren,"

But they do not act that way.

And when He came to the church door

He'd call out loud and free,

You stop that preaching and praying

And show what you've done for Me."

Then they'd say, "O Lord, we have given

To the poor both blankets and tracts,

And we've tried to make them sober,

And we've tried to teach them facts.

But they will sneak round to the drink-shop,

And pawn the blankets for beer,

And we find them very ungrateful,

But still we persevere."

Then He would say, "I told you

The time I was here before,

That you were all of you brothers,

All you that I suffered for.

I won't go into your churches,

I'll stop in the sun outside.

You bring out the men your brothers,

The men for whom I died!"

Out of our beastly lodgings,

From arches and doorways about,

They'd have to do as He told them,

They'd have to call us out.

Millions and millions and millions,

Thick and crawling like flies,

We should creep out to the sunshine

And not be afraid of His eyes.

He'd see what God's image looks like

When men have dealt with the same,

Wrinkled with work that is never done,

Swollen and dirty with shame.

He'd see on the children's forehead

The branded gutter-sign

That marks the girls to be harlots,

That dooms the boys to be swine.

Then He'd say, "What's the good of churches

When these have nowhere to sleep?

And how can I hear you praying

When they are cursing so deep?

I gave My Blood and My Body

That they might have bread and wine,

And you have taken your share and theirs

Of these good gifts of mine!"

Then some of the rich would be sorry,

And all would be very scared,

And they'd say, "But we never knew, Lord!"

And He'd say, "You never cared!"

And some would be sick and shameful

Because they'd know that they knew,

And the best would say, "We were wrong, Lord.

Now tell us what to do!"

I think He'd be sitting, likely,

For someone 'ud bring Him a chair,

With a common kid cuddled up on His knee

And the common sun on His hair;

And they'd be standing before Him,

And He'd say, "You know that you knew.

Why haven't you worked for your brothers

The same as I worked for you?

"For since you're all of you brothers

It's clear as God's blessed sun

That each must work for the others,

Not thousands work for one.

And the ones that have lived bone-idle

If they want Me to hear them pray,

Let them go and work for their livings

The only honest way!

"I've got nothing new to tell you,

You know what I always said -

But you've built their bones into churches

And stolen their wine and bread;

You with My Name on your foreheads,

Liar, and traitor, and knave,

You have lived by the death of your brothers,

These whom I died to save!"

I wish He would come and say it;

Perhaps they'd believe it then,

And work like men for their livings

And let us work like men.

Brothers? They don't believe it,

The lie on their lips is red.

They'll never believe till He comes again,

Or till we rise from the dead!