We were challenged this week to think of a Bible text where we see Jesus singing. The first thing I thought was surely there was singing at the Wedding of Cana. I can only guess that there was even more singing after Jesus fueled the party with good wine! But is is not recorded that Jesus was singing that night. Then I remembered a little phrase in the story of the Last Supper "when they had sung a hymn they went out to the mount of olives" Isn't that beautiful? We see Jesus and his disciples at the last meal they would share before his death - singing together.
But Leonard Sweet unveiled another time when Jesus raised his voice in song, a Psalm of David....and incredibly it was on the cross in his suffering. Jesus lifted up only the first line of the song, but those at the foot of the cross would have heard the entire refrain in their hearts and minds. You know how that works, how our minds have the ability to fill in the blanks. There is incredible agony in the first line of his song.....and since I am not a first century Jew familiar with singing the Psalms.....I have never before filled in blank that followed. Please take a minute to read Psalm 22. What do you hear? Unmistakeably, I hear hope! I also hear Jesus echoing the last line of the song in his final words on the cross because "he has done it" sounds a lot like "it is finished" to me. Isn't the Bible amazing?
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