One of the great hymns of the Church yet not sung nearly enough is "Ah, Holy Jesus"-
Ah, holy Jesus, how hast Thou offended,
That man to judge Thee hath in hate pretended?
By foes derided, by Thine own rejected,
O most afflicted.
Who was the guilty? Who brought this upon Thee?
Alas, my treason, Jesus, hath undone Thee.
’Twas I, Lord, Jesus, I it was denied Thee!
I crucified Thee.
Lo, the Good Shepherd for the sheep is offered;
The slave hath sinned, and the Son hath suffered;
For man’s atonement, while he nothing heedeth,
God intercedeth.
For me, kind Jesus, was Thy incarnation,
Thy mortal sorrow, and Thy life’s oblation;
Thy death of anguish and Thy bitter passion,
For my salvation.
Therefore, kind Jesus, since I cannot pay Thee,
I do adore Thee, and will ever pray Thee,
Think on Thy pity and Thy love unswerving,
Not my deserving.
It's appropriately haunting. We sang it last night at the Good Friday service.
Words: Johann Heerman, 1630; translated from German to English by Robert S. Bridges, 1899.
Music: Herzliebster Jesu, Johann Crüger, 1640.
Ah, holy Jesus, how hast Thou offended,
That man to judge Thee hath in hate pretended?
By foes derided, by Thine own rejected,
O most afflicted.
Who was the guilty? Who brought this upon Thee?
Alas, my treason, Jesus, hath undone Thee.
’Twas I, Lord, Jesus, I it was denied Thee!
I crucified Thee.
Lo, the Good Shepherd for the sheep is offered;
The slave hath sinned, and the Son hath suffered;
For man’s atonement, while he nothing heedeth,
God intercedeth.
For me, kind Jesus, was Thy incarnation,
Thy mortal sorrow, and Thy life’s oblation;
Thy death of anguish and Thy bitter passion,
For my salvation.
Therefore, kind Jesus, since I cannot pay Thee,
I do adore Thee, and will ever pray Thee,
Think on Thy pity and Thy love unswerving,
Not my deserving.
It's appropriately haunting. We sang it last night at the Good Friday service.
Words: Johann Heerman, 1630; translated from German to English by Robert S. Bridges, 1899.
Music: Herzliebster Jesu, Johann Crüger, 1640.
3 comments:
This hymn is soul searching and stirring. This is why I love the old hymns. How can you not read or sing this hymn and not be moved. As a Believer, everytime I think how our Heavenly Father set in motion the plan for redemption,I'm in total awe, and to love his creations soo much to come down to earth in human form to suffer,and to die on the cross for my sins is way beyond comprehension(in human thinking),it's the greatest example of love, and putting others above self that has ever been seen in world. HE IS RISEN!!
Norma
Couldn't agree more, Tony. We sang it on Palm Sunday, and, as always, I could barely make it through.
So many wonderful hymns of timeless truth. I will never forget the first time a classic hymn spoke to me. The year was 1056. this was the first Billy Graham crusade I had ever attended, at the Oklahoma Fair Grounds. George Beverly Shea sang “How Great Thou Art,” and those words and the boldness in the way he gave honor and glory to God, well, that great old saint sang this event into my soul. Every time I sing this song, I will cherish that first memory forever.
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