God’s Word for You
Mark 14:26 They sang a hymn
by Pastor Timothy Smith on Sunday, January 7, 2024
26 They sang a hymn, and then they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Psalms 113-118 are a special collection within the larger collection of the Psalms. They are the Passover Psalms or “Egyptian Hallel” (“hallel,” the first part of Hallelujah, means “to praise” ). Long before New Testament times, they had become traditional music to sing at the annual Passover celebration. Israelites would have thought of them the way we think of Christmas hymns or Lenten hymns. The words and music simply become part of the holiday celebration. The celebration isn’t complete without the music.
By the time Israel went into exile in the days of the prophets Daniel, Ezekiel and Jeremiah, there were already collections of Psalms. The Passover Psalms may have been one such collection. After the return from exile, tradition says that Ezra may have arranged the Psalms into the final numbering of the Psalms that we use today. Some of the Dead Sea scrolls follow this pattern, but some do not, which shows that other arrangements were in use (some of those may have been for musical reasons, such as rhythmic, poetic, or musical similarities). It is also said that “Nehemiah… founded a library and collected the books about the kings and prophets, and the writings of David, and letters of kings about offerings” (2 Maccabees 2:13).
We can’t say for certain that Jesus and his disciples sang these particular Psalms at this moment. The text only says that they “sang a hymn,” which could have been the usual conclusion to the Passover (Psalms 115-118), or, if they had already done that, maybe they sang another song they all liked, such as this:
The cloud was seen overshadowing the camp,
and dry land emerging where water had stood before,
an unhindered way out of the Red Sea,
and a grassy plain out of the raging waves,
where those protected by your hand passed through
as one nation,
after gazing on marvelous wonders.
For they ranged like horses,
and leaped like lambs,
praising you, O Lord,
who delivered them.
But let’s ponder a few of the lines from the traditional Psalms:
“Why do the nations say, ‘Where is their God?’
Our God is in heaven,
he does whatever pleases him.
Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.” (Psalm 115:2-4)
This Psalm proclaims the absolute supremacy of the one true God, who saved his people from bondage in Egypt and who saves his people from bondage to sin.
“The cords of death were around me,
the anguish of the grave overtook me.
I was overcome by trouble and sorrow.
Then I called on the name of the Lord:
‘LORD, save me!’” (Psalm 116:3-4)
As the Israelites cried out to God to rescue them through the Red Sea, we also pray to God to rescue us in the face of any and all sin and temptation.
“Praise the LORD, all you nations,
worship him, all you peoples!
For his mercy on us is overwhelming.
The faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.
Praise the LORD!” (Psalm 117:1-2)
This Psalm encourages all mankind to praise God and gives these reasons for it: (1) He is the LORD, the God of faithful love and mercy who makes covenants in his own name, the LORD, and keeps them all. (2) The mystery of the trinity is proclaimed here in the threefold use of his name, the LORD. (3) He is God over all, not just one nation or country, but of all peoples (even those who do not belong to any nation or country). (4) His faithfulness endures forever. (5) He is infinite and eternal. (6) He is merciful, which no false god can claim in the least. (7) His is worthy of praise in all things and at all times. Such weight of doctrine and points of praise for the Scripture’s shortest Psalm and chapter!
“The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
The LORD has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes” (Psalm 118:22-23)
The one that the Jews rejected has become the foundation of the New Testament Church, the true Israel, and for Jew and Gentile alike, he is the only means for salvation (Romans 1:16). As Luther said in one of his earliest letters: “Learn Christ and him crucified. Learn to praise him and, despairing of yourself, say, ‘Lord Jesus, you are my righteousness, just as I am your sin. You have taken upon yourself what is mine and given to me what is yours. You have taken upon yourself what you were not and have given to me what I was not.” And elsewhere: “Hear and obey Christ! This is the greatest service of God. Nothing else counts. For do what we will, what God has in heaven is better and more beautiful than anything we can do.”
This is our Jesus, who has done so much for us! This is the one who went out to the Mount of Olives. After he ate the Passover with his friends, he went out to become the Passover to make us all his friends. Praise his holy name forever.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm, Minnesota. To receive God’s Word for You via e-mail, please visit the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church website.