“And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.”
- Matthew 26:30
Now honestly, this is not the picture of Maundy Thursday we usually remember. The very word, "Maundy" comes from the Latin word for command, and it is Christ's commands that we love one another as He loved us and that we commemorate the Lord's Supper until He comes again that are most commonly remembered.
We think of this day as the day that he again predicts His own death. It is the day he indicates who will betray Him, who will deny Him. He conducts the Lord's Supper, in an upper room. And then He goes to pray in the Garden.
Among the crucial events of the day, often we miss one critical detail; Jesus sang. He sang praises to God even in the foyer of agony.
But here He is in Matthew 26, singing with His disciples after He had delivered the message that should comfort their hearts and all disciples for all time.
It would be wonderful to know positively what song they sang. We do know that Psalms 116, 117 and 118 were sung at the close of the feast of the Passover and the 118th Psalm was the Passover Doxology. It is quite probable that our Psalm 118 is the very song Christ sang at the close of the Last Supper.
It is a prophetic confirmation of that glorious day when the spotless Lamb of God would make His own blood an offering for the sins of the world. It is a song of faith. “The Lord is on my side,” it declares.
It is a song of boldness. “I will not fear. What can man do to me?” And soon enough, Pilate would marvel at His boldness.
It is also a song of gladness. “This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” What a song to sing before His betrayal and crucifixion! Yet, as Hebrews says, "For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross."
It is a song of praise and adoration,”You are my God and I will praise You; You are my God and I will exalt You.” Think of the echo of these words in Christ's prayer in the garden just a bit later.
Jesus sang a song of praise on His way to death, as He became the light of the world. Think of it, Jesus singing as He faced Calvary.
The solemn events of these days had to pass in order to bring about the triumph of the empty tomb. Friday had to pass for Sunday to come.
As we fix our eyes on the cross, remember that it is empty, as is the tomb, for Psalm 118 is also a song of victory. It declares, “I shall not die but live, and declare the works of the Lord.” The Garden, the Cross, Death - all but stops along the way to Christ's prevailing over Death to provide us a way to eternal life!
That, my friend, is our reason to sing!
Dear Lord, I am awed by the remarkable trust Jesus set as our example. In the very shadow of the cross, He praised the Lord. As he went out to meet His fate, He sang exaltation to God. Let my heart rejoice as well, with praise in the midst of all my circumstances, both joyful and sorrowful. Amen.
Blessings!
Cara & Patti
Classic Christianity