When we bought our family car, the salesman at the dealership commented on the sound system that came with the model we were considering. I just looked at him. Exactly how loud does “The Wheels on the Bus” need to be? But those speakers have blasted everything from Imagination Movers to TobyMac. “Jingle Bells” is a perennial favorite. We pull up to the ballfield rocking out to “We Are the Champions”.
Music gives expression to our emotions. It evokes a response from us. Toe-tapping songs that pull us into joy. Tender melodies that help us drift to sleep. Harmonies of praise when we’re overflowing with thanksgiving. The blues when our hearts are broken. We sing what our hearts are full of.
We’re in the middle of Passion Week, recalling the week leading up to Easter. It began on Palm Sunday, the day Jesus arrived in Jerusalem. It was a jubilant scene. The road was covered with coats and palm branches, and the crowd shouted, “Praise God for the Son of David! Bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Praise God in highest heaven!” (Matthew 21:8-9). Those words were lyrics to a song, lines from Psalm 118.
A few days later, Jesus ate the Passover meal with the disciples. He kept the ancient traditions associated with the meal, remembering how God spared His people and delivered them from slavery in Egypt (see Exodus 12). And He pointed to Himself as the Passover lamb, giving the disciples bread and wine in anticipation of His body broken and His blood poured out for the forgiveness of sins. “Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives” (Matthew 26:30).
Jesus’ very soul was in anguish at the thought of what was coming (John 13:21). Betrayal, abandonment, mocking, beatings, a cross, and a grave were just around the corner. And yet He went out singing. The Bible doesn’t say which hymn, but there were some traditional songs associated with the Passover, including Psalm 118, the very song that He rode into town on.
In my distress I prayed to the Lord, and the Lord answered me and rescued me. The Lord is for me, so I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? Yes, the Lord is for me; he will help me… You did your best to kill me, O my enemy, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my victory. I will not die, but I will live to tell what the Lord has done. Psalm 118:5-7, 13-14
When Jesus got to Gethsemane, He asked the disciples to stand watch while He prayed. Luke says that He prayed so “fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood” (22:44). This was no walk in the park for Jesus. This required all-out focus and determination. Perhaps this other traditional Passover hymn came to mind:
I love the Lord because he hears and answers my prayers. Because he bends down and listens, I will pray as long as I have breath! Death had its hands around my throat; the terrors of the grave overtook me. I saw only trouble and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the Lord: “Please, Lord, save me!” How kind the Lord is! How good he is! So merciful, this God of ours! The Lord protects those of childlike faith; I was facing death, and then he saved me. Now I can rest again, for the Lord has been so good to me. He has saved me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. Psalm 116:1-9
I don’t know exactly what song Jesus sang, but I love that these words, written long before Jesus was born, are possible candidates. To think that maybe God inspired these melodies knowing full well that His Son might need to hear them on the hardest, darkest night of His life and be encouraged to hold fast, to continue to the very end. To be reminded of His Dad’s unfailing love and faithfulness. An ancient playlist.
My friend, God knows the soundtrack of your life. He’s prepared the songs ahead of time. He sings the lament when you’re mourning, and He carries the beat when you’re dancing. The Cross isn’t the last track, and neither is the grave. There’s glory bursting forth with the sunrise on Easter. There’s whole new melody, a salvation song, a hymn of praise to the Savior.
He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the LORD. Psalm 40:3
For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs. Zephaniah 3:17
Click here if you want to know what we’re currently rocking out to.