O Dearest Jesus, What Law Hast Thou Broken?
Hymn #119 from Lutheran Worship
Author: Johann Cruger
Tune: Herzliebster Jesu
1st Published in: 1630
A part of me hopes that we will not be singing this hymn today. It is so hard. And yet a part of me knows that I must hear it, even if I am not able to sing it because I am sobbing uncontrollably. Here are some excerpts:
O dearest Jesus, what law have you broken
That such sharp sentence should on you be spoken?
Of what great crime have you to make confession,
What dark transgression?
They crown your head with thorns, they smite, they scourge you;
With cruel mockings to the cross they urge you;
They give you gall to drink, they still decry you;
They crucify you.
What is the source of all your mortal anguish?
It is my sins for which you, Lord, must languish;
Yes, all the wrath, the woe that you inherit,
This I do merit.
How strange is this great paradox to ponder:
The shepherd dies for sheep who love to wander;
The master pays the debt his servants owe him,
Who would not know him.
A good hymn is like a good sermon: it teaches you something. If you had never heard the Passion story before, from this hymn you would learn:
- Jesus was sinless
- He went to the cross anyway
- It was MY sin that nailed Him to the tree
- He died for me despite the fact that I do not always follow or obey Him
- He even died for those who deny Him (Whoa. Think about that for a moment.)
Good Friday is hard for me. On this day above all others I am acutely conscious that I put Him on the cross. It's one thing to say, well, Jesus died for the sins of the world, but I'm not "the world" am I? and I'm not responsible for the sins of others...but I am responsible for my own. And they are enough. I sin in every thought, word and deed. I am defiant and disobedient and I do not love Him with my whole heart. I don't love my neighbour as myself. I am a sinner and I deserve only death.
Instead, He gives me Life.
And because the story doesn't end there, the hymn doesn't end there:
The sinless Son of God must die in sadness;
The sinful child of man may live in gladness;
We forfeited our lives yet are acquitted;
God is committed!
O wondrous love, whose depth no heart has sounded,
That brought you here, by foes and thieves surrounded,
Conquer my heart, make love its sole endeavor
Henceforth forever!
When, dearest Jesus, at your throne in heaven
To me the crown of joy at last is given,
Where sweetest hymns your saints forever raise you,
I too shall praise you!
May our Crucified Lord bless your solemn worship today as you remember His tremendous love and sacrifice - for the world, but also for YOU.
7 comments:
I am so glad I have linked to this blog. No words can fully effect what transpires through today's post. Thank you for this.
And I am glad to hear this was edifying for you. Bless you as we keep this Easter Vigil. One day to go!
This is a wonderful post. Thank you so much for sharing that hymn. So many of the old German hymns have much rich content. This is a great one to meditate on.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Oh Anita, this is soooo beautiful. I think if I had to sing the words, I would be in trouble as I, too, would be sobbing right along with you.
I am so thankful for my Jesus!
My friend, thanks so much for sharing this. My heart was truly touched, I love my Jesus so very much.
The boys and I studied this hymn last year and it really touched me then. As much as I like some of the new praise and worship songs, sometimes the old hymns say it best.
This was beautiful! I hope your entire weekend was blessed. BTW, I wrote a response to your comment about my post today. Wanted to make sure we didn't misunderstand each other...(((hugs)))
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