Exegeting the Hymns #36 - Jerusalem

Jerusalem 

w/m Jonny Robinson, Rich Thompson, Tiarne Kleyn

See Him in Jerusalem
Walking where the crowds are
Once these streets had sung to Him
Now they cry for murder
Such a frail and lonely Man
Holding up the heavy cross
See Him walking in Jerusalem
On the road to save us

See Him there upon the hill
Hear the scorn and laughter
Silent as a lamb He waits
Praying to the Father
See the King who made the sun
And the moon and shining stars
Let the soldiers hold and nail Him down
So that He could save them

See Him there upon the cross
Now no longer breathing
Dust that formed the watching crowds
Takes the blood of Jesus
Feel the earth is shaking now
See the veil is split in two
And He stood before the wrath of God
Shielding sinners with His blood

See the empty tomb today
Death could not contain Him
Once the Servant of the world
Now in vict'ry reigning
Lift your voices to the One
Who is seated on the throne
See Him in the New Jerusalem
Praise the One who saved us

I have been listening to this song for a year now and always loved the melody and the lyrics I could make out on the recording, but it wasn’t until I sat down and actually read the words in preparation for Good Friday that I realized that this could very well be the best worship song I have ever heard.  

When I discern whether a song is one I want to sing, I usually read the words without the music first. Even mediocre lyrics can be moving with enough production and a pretty melody, but a truly great song will move you when you just consider the words. This one brought me to tears the first, second, third, and fourth time I read it. In fact, it still moves me just thinking about the beautiful poetry and deep theology carried along with such a moving melody.

The song takes us from the passion of Christ, through His resurrection, and to His reigning glory, all the while keeping the city of Jerusalem in view. See Him in Jerusalem, walking where the crowds are. The first verse does such a masterful job of painting the humanity of Jesus, the suffering servant who emptied Himself and walked among men. Once these streets had sung to Him, now they cry for murder. The song starts out with a soft piano intro and paints a picture of Jesus walking with people… then, with the use of one word, “Murder”, proceeds to startle the listener, proclaiming that this is going to be different, something serious. That word is something you don’t hear in worship songs very often. I have always believed Palm Sunday to be a false coronation. Many of the same people that were spuriously calling for Him to be an earthly king by shouting “Hosanna”, were the same people that 4 days later were yelling “Crucify Him”. Jesus didn’t meet their expectations. He came for something much bigger! Such a frail and lonely Man, holding up the heavy cross. Jesus, who was beaten so badly that you could hardly tell it was a man had to carry his own cross, but this pitiful picture was hardly enough to dissuade the Jewish leaders and Roman guards to let up. See Him walking in Jerusalem on the road to save us. That is why He came. This was God’s plan from before He made this world. It was the will of the Father, and therefore it would be carried out.

See Him there upon the hill. Hear the scorn and laughter. Silent as a lamb He waits, praying to the Father. On the one hand, it amazes me that Jesus would ask the Father to forgive his executioners because I don’t know that I would. But on the other hand, it does not surprise me, because that was the very reason Jesus was letting this happen to Him in the first place. They didn’t take His life, He laid it down freely to save sinners. See the King who made the sun and the moon and shining stars let the soldiers hold and nail Him down so that He could save them. That line just blew me away the first time I read it. If He had stopped them… and He could have… there would be no salvation, no way to eternal life. He let them kill Him SO THAT He could save them.

See Him there upon the cross, now no longer breathing. What a sobering picture. I’m sure some were waiting for Jesus to just “do something”, anything to save Himself, and then the moment came when that idea had passed. He stopped breathing. It was finished. Dust that formed the watching crowds takes the blood of Jesus. This is probably my favorite line in the song. Dust… these people who crucified Jesus were nothing more than the created, created from the dust of the ground, and to dust they would return. What irony that the one who gave man life would have His life taken from the same man, that same dust. Feel the earth is shaking now. See the veil is split in two, and He stood before the wrath of God shielding sinners with His blood. In the Exegeting the Hymns on “Come Thou Fount”, I talked about the phrase “Interposed His precious blood”. This is the same picture. Jesus stood between the wrath of God and us. He bore God’s wrath in our place. Someone asked the question the other day, “Who is the enemy?” Obviously, they meant the Devil, and in the context of Christians, that would be the right answer, but for the unsaved, the Devil is not the enemy. The enemy is God. God will punish sin, all sin. He must, for He is just. Jesus took that punishment on our behalf and gave us His perfect life in exchange.

See the empty tomb today, death could not contain Him. Once the Servant of the world, now in victory reigning. Jesus not only was raised from the dead, but is now seated at the right hand of the Father, and one day will judge the world. The frail and lonely man is no longer. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is not just the ruler of an earthly city like Jerusalem, but of all of the heavens and the earth and will one day rule from the New Jerusalem. Lift your voices to the One who is seated on the throne. See Him in the New Jerusalem. Praise the One who saved us.  ​

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