Exegeting the Hymns #28 - Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery

Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery
w/m Matt Boswell, Matt Papa, Michael Bleecker

Come behold the wondrous mystery
In the dawning of the King
He the theme of Heaven's praises
Robed in frail humanity
In our longing, in our darkness
Now the light of love has come
Look to Christ who condescended
Took on flesh to ransom us

Come behold the wondrous mystery
He the perfect Son of Man
In his living, in his suffering
Never trace nor stain of sin
See the true and better Adam
Come to save a hell-bound man
Christ the great and sure fulfillment
Of the law; in Him we stand

Come behold the wondrous mystery
Christ the Lord upon the tree
In the stead of ruined sinners
Hangs the lamb in victory
See the price of our redemption
See the Father's plan unfold
Bringing many sons to glory
Grace unmeasured, love untold

Come behold the wondrous mystery
Slain by death the God of life
But no grave could e'er restrain Him
Praise the Lord He is alive
What a foretaste of deliverance
How unwavering our hope
Christ in power resurrected
As will we be when He comes

I had the pleasure of talking with Matt Boswell at the SING! conference last year and he is a great wealth of knowledge in the area of modern hymns. Along with the Gettys, Stuart Townend, and the folks over at Sovereign Grace, Matt is quickly becoming one of the top names in the modern hymns movement. This song is one of those songs that is difficult to enjoy the rich depths of its poetic teaching in just 4 minutes. That is why I love breaking these types of songs down in this blog. This song teaches so much and those truths bless us so profoundly.

Come behold the wondrous mystery in the dawning of the King. He the theme of Heaven's praises, robed in frail humanity. In Mark 4, Jesus speaks of the mystery of the Kingdom of God. We can look back and see it plainly, but to the people of Jesus’ day, that mystery was only given to some. To others, it was hidden by Christ in parables. Romans 11 tells of that mystery of the blinding of Israel while God builds His church from among the Gentiles. Romans 16 conveys that the mystery that was hidden from before the world began, but is now revealed to us in the scriptures… the teaching of Jesus Christ. And Ephesians 3 declares the mystery of Christ. Jesus Christ, shown in shadowy prophecy in the Old Testament, is now revealed to us in the New.  

Matt Boswell calls us to come and behold, look upon Christ, the mystery revealed in the pages of scripture. We see Jesus as the King of kings (Revelation 17:14, 19:16), the only one who is able to open the scroll and receive glory and honor and blessing (Revelation 5), and the Creator who took on flesh (John 1:14). In our longing, in our darkness, now the light of love has come. We are born into darkness, into sin, dead and in rebellion against the Way, Truth and Life. Jesus is the light of the world, shining light on every man, and we praise God that He made us alive to see it (John 1:9, Luke 4:18, John 9:39). Look to Christ who condescended, took on flesh to ransom us. The term here “Condescended” does not mean to be condescending or arrogant, but to stoop down, to humble ones self (Philippians 2:1-9). I am always astounded to think that the infinite, omnipresent God would take on a human body that felt all the pain that we feel, so that His enemies might one day receive glorified bodies and reign with Him forever.

Come behold the wondrous mystery, He the perfect Son of Man. The term “Son of Man” is a term that refers to His deity. In his living, in his suffering, never trace nor stain of sin. We believe in the Impeccability of Christ… that Christ could not sin. It would mean that He would act against His very nature to do so, and God cannot violate His nature. See the true and better Adam, come to save a hell-bound man. Jesus is called the second Adam in 1 Corinthians 15, “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.” Some mistakenly see this as universal salvation. Yes, every one who has been born, is born dead in their sins. The two “All's” refer to descendants, but that similarity ends, in that it is clear in scripture that not everyone is saved.  The second “all” refers only to believers, but it does refer to ALL believers.  John MacArthur says, “Just as Adam was the progenitor for everyone who dies, so Christ is the progenitor of everyone who will be raised to life.” (John MacArthur, 1 Corinthians (Chicago: Moody Press, 1984), 417.) The very next verse tells of who the “All” refers to - Those who are Christ’s”. Christ the great and sure fulfillment of the law; in Him we stand. Not only did Jesus not sin, but He lived the perfect life, fulfilling the law perfectly, something that man could never do. On the cross, he bore our sin, and in exchange, gave us His righteousness.  

Come behold the wondrous mystery, Christ the Lord upon the tree. In the stead of ruined sinners hangs the Lamb in victory. There was real irony in the cross. What looked like sure defeat was actually complete and utter victory. As Jesus died physically, He accomplished the very work that would ensure eternal life for His chosen ones. See the price of our redemption. See the Father's plan unfold. Bringing many sons to glory, grace unmeasured, love untold. If you want to see what it cost to make us children of God, look at the cross. The wages of our sin is death. It could have been our eternal death in the lake of fire, but that wage was paid by Christ in our stead. It was our sins, that we should have endured for all eternity, that Jesus took in a matter of hours and then cried victoriously, “It stands finished!”

Come behold the wondrous mystery, slain by death the God of life, but no grave could e'er restrain Him. Praise the Lord He is alive! The events of 2000 years ago were not plan B. They were not a reaction by the Father to things gone wrong. Everything from the Jews to the Romans to Pilate to the place, date and time were carefully orchestrated before this world was ever formed (Acts 2:23, 4:27-28). The second person of the Godhead willingly became our sacrifice. Just as His death was in the plan of God, so was His inevitable resurrection. We serve a Lord who is alive!

What a foretaste of deliverance. How unwavering our hope. Christ in power resurrected as will we be when He comes. 1 Corinthians 15, in the very context of Jesus being called the final Adam, it says, “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the first fruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.” We can look to Christ and see that resurrection from the dead is real, and it awaits everyone who follows Christ as Savior and Lord. We have hope, not a wishful hope, but a certain expectation that as Christ was raised from the dead, so shall we be raised incorruptible. We can now see, through the pages of scripture, and place our hope in this wondrous mystery. ​

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