23 Then the
soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four
parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was
without seam, woven from the top throughout. 24 They said
therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it
shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my
raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things
therefore the soldiers did. 25 Now there
stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of
Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus
therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith
unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! 27 Then saith he
to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her
unto his own home. 28 After this,
Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might
be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. 29 Now there was set a vessel full of
vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon
hyssop, and put it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus
therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed
his head, and gave up the ghost.
(John
19:23-30)
This
is an old hymn first published in 1737 whose lyrics have evolved through
various versions until we have it in its present form. We can firmly aver that
the last two lines were the composition of William Cooke in 1874. The tune is
Batty which is included in Johann Thommen’s Musicalischer Christenshatz (1745)
adapted from an older Moravian manuscript.
Sweet the Moments, Rich in Blessing
Sweet the moments, rich in blessing,
which before the cross we spend,
life and health and peace possessing
from the sinner's dying Friend.
Here I stay, forever viewing
mercy streaming in his blood;
precious drops, my soul bedewing,
plead and claim my peace with God.
Truly blessèd is the station,
low before his cross to lie,
while I see divine compassion
floating in his languid eye.
Lord, in ceaseless contemplation
fix our hearts and eyes on thee,
till we taste thy full salvation,
and thine unveiled glory see.
Sweet
the moments, rich in blessing, which before the cross we spend, life and health
and peace possessing from the sinner's dying Friend. At the foot
of the cross could be found a variety of personalities – you and I were
definitely represented among those gathered. There was the mother of Jesus,
other women (including Mary Magdalene); John the Beloved Apostle; ruthless
Roman soldiers; hypocritical Scribes, Pharisees, and Jewish rulers; and those
who had a casual desire to witness pain and suffering. But these were not the
only ones present at the crucifixion. Beside the Lord, there were two thieves
crucified on either side of Jesus. We all spend the days of our lives being
represented by one or more of those characters present on that awful day –
awful to God, and sadly joyous for us. Some sinners are incorrigibly
wicked and spend their days leering and ridiculing all things Holy. Others are
greedy and covetous of the wealth of others – the thieves. Still others are
those false preachers and religionists who deal in false teaching for filthy
lucre. One of the thieves died in his state of unforgiveness, but the other
died as a forgiven and redeemed sinner. To keep his
soul.
He
died with a Great Friend to keep his soul. The latter may represent you or me.
Or we may happily be represented by the Beloved disciple who – above all others
– remained steadfast in loyalty and love until the very end. He risked his life
in casting his lot with Christ openly. Then, there were the blessed women whose
courage exceeded that of Peter and others of the disciples. They remained at
the cross, not only until the end, but until the body was removed. They then
followed to see where it would be buried. Which of these represent us – for we
were there, you can be certain. We all remain at some point at the foot of the
cross.
Here
I stay, forever viewing mercy streaming in his blood; precious drops, my soul
bedewing, plead and claim my peace with God. Though the event occurred
two thousand years ago, and is marked by all world calendars as witness
thereof, our Lord died then, but also in our present moment, for He is the
great I AM. His mercy drops stream from the open wounds of a once and
sufficient sacrifice for all men who hear His voice and are called to follow.
His profuse flow of blood ‘bedews’ our souls with the Water of Life each day of
our earthly pilgrimage. It is His blood that bears testimony to the Father that
we are One with Him, and with one another in His Church.
Truly
blessèd is the station, low before his cross to lie, while I see divine
compassion floating in his languid eye. How much do we humble
ourselves before the Lord? How low do we lie before His cross? The entire being
of our Lord was a personification of Grace, Love, and Mercy. Even on the cross,
He expressed His desire that those who committed the greatest crime of eternity
in crucifying the Lord of Love should be forgiven. It was not the place of the
Lord to forgive those who crucified Him, but rather the Father’s role. Why is
this? The Father was sacrificing His greatest love and possession in sending
His Son to redeem us of our sins. The sin was not only against our Lord, but
God the Father as well. So, Christ asked, Father, forgive them for they know not what they
do.
The compassionate heart of Jesus expressed, in the very moments of His parting,
His love and concern for His dear Mother, Mary, and for John. Love is
courageous and overcomes fear and excruciating pain as well.
Lord,
in ceaseless contemplation fix our hearts and eyes on thee, till we taste thy
full salvation, and thine unveiled glory see. Our Lord
understands that we are frail and week. He understood the failure of Peter to
disregard the turbid waters and winds of the sea and focus on Him alone. When
Peter sank, the Lord heard his prayer of three words, Lord, save me. He
hears our prayers, regardless the brevity in which they are uttered out of
desperation. 3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee:
because he trusteth in thee.
4 Trust ye in the Lord
for ever: for in the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength. (Isaiah
26:3-4)
It may not be the billows of a stormy sea that diverts your attention from the
Lord. It may be financial problems, war, pestilence, famine, sickness, or even
approaching death. But our weakness is not in any of these – it is in our
inattention to the things of the Lord. If our hearts and minds are stayed on
Him, no evil, though it hiss and harass, cannot harm us truly. All who know and
trust in God are the called according to His purpose though they may not know
how they came to be so. We taste His full salvation from the very moment that
we are aware of our election in Christ. We are not healed of our sins partially
or piecemeal, but altogether at once.
The
saint of God is blessed to gather glimpses of His unveiled glory at moments of
seeming random meditation on His Word. The presence of the Holy Spirit may open
our eyes to a truth of Scripture known to the mind, but only presently
discovered in the sanctuary of our hearts. He whispers gentle beauty to ears
keen to hear and hearts thirsty for truth. He is altogether lovely, and He
deems us so when we seek His face in earnest pursuit. The world can never
understand the mysteries that are revealed to His elect. To the world, such
matters are foolishness. An illustration of this truth comes to mind of two
Lutheran priests who were driving a sign into the ground beside a rural road in
Iowa. The sign read, Don’t continue on the path you are heading. Turn around
before it is too late! A drunken carload of boys sped by laughing at the two
priests, and shouted, Why don’t you Christians mind your own business and quit
trying to tell others how to live! AS the car continued full speed ahead, one
of the priests looked at the other and said, Ole, maybe we should change the
wording of the sign to simply read, ‘Bridge our ahead!’
