HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED: “DID JESUS SING?”  OH, WITHOUT A DOUBT! JESUS WAS A JEW.  THE JEWISH PEOPLE SANG. THEY SANG SCRIPTURES, THEY SANG PSALMS. THIS WAS COMMON TRIBAL PRACTICE IN THE DAILY JEWISH LIFE BOTH IN THE HOME, AND IN THE TEMPLE. JESUS KNEW HIS HEBREW YOU CAN BET ON THAT!DID YOU KNOW THAT JESUS AND THE DISCIPLES SANG AT THE LAST SUPPER?

(Mark 14:22-26; Luke 22:14-23; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34)26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.30 And when they had SUNG A HYMN, they went out into the mount of Olives.

WE KNOW THAT THEY SANG A HYMN BEFORE THEY WENT OUT INTO THE MOUNT OF OLIVES. WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD JESUS SING KNOWING WHAT WAS ABOUT TO TRANSPIRE? WHY NOT? SINGING OPENS US UP HOLISTICALLY,  ALLOWING US TO REACH THE HIGHEST HEIGHTS OF PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, AND SPIRITUAL REALMS. IT ALLOWS US TO SOAR.  SINGING,  WHETHER IT IS JOYFUL SONG OF THANKSGIVING AND PRAISE,  OR A SAD LAMENT, SINGING  ALLOWS US TO “LET GO”.  PICTURE JULIE ANDREWS SINGING AS SHE IS WHIRLING AROUND IN THE FIELD ON TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN…”THE HILLS ARE ALIVE WITH THE SOUND OF MUSIC”. REMEMBER THAT SCENE? SHE WAS “LETTING GO”. JEWISH PEOPLE WHO KNEW THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES USED THE PSALMS AS A SONGBOOK. PSALM 22 BEGINS WITH “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME?”  WHEN OUR LORD CRIES OUT THESE WORDS, COULD IT BE THAT HE IS REFERRING THE PEOPLE TO THE ENTIRETY OF PSALM 22 WHICH FURTHER GOES ON TO DESCRIBE A MAN ON DISPLAY IN PHYSICAL SUFFERING, NAILS PIERCING HIS HANDS AND FEET,  MOCKED, ENCIRCLED BY ENEMIES, CLOTHES TORN, AND  PEOPLE STARING AT HIM …PURE PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL HUMILIATION?  COULD IT POSSIBLY BE THAT JESUS WAS SINGING THE BEGINNING OF THE PSALM AS HE HUNG ON THE CROSS,  CALLING THE PEOPLE TO REMEMBER PSALM 22?  ONCE AGAIN, JESUS WAS SHOWING THE PEOPLE THE SCRIPTURES WERE BEING FULFILLED RIGHT BEFORE THEIR EYES.JESUS KNEW THAT PSALM 22 DID NOT END WITH SADNESS, BUT WITH PROMISE THAT GOD DOES NOT FORGET US. GOD WILL RESCUE US. GOD WILL RESCUE HIM. AND, IN THAT TIME OF UTTER AGONY,  JESUS REMINDED THE PEOPLE OF THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD. HE KNEW GOD’S PROMISE OF RESURRECTION TO NEW LIFE…THEN,  JESUS “LET GO” OF THIS WORLD, AND SOARED.

LET US CELEBRATE THE REMAINDER OF LENT, HOLY WEEK, AND EASTER IMAGINING JESUS, WITH THE MOST BEAUTIFUL VOICE, SINGING FROM THE CROSS, AND LET US JOIN HIM IN SONG!

PEACE OF THE LORD,
DIANE PAULK