RESURRECTION WEEK DEVOTION: 7 DAYS. 7 REFLECTIONS. 1 ETERNITY-SHAKING RESURRECTION!

And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Matthew 26:30 ESV (see also Mark 14:26)

Imagine someone walking into your home and calling your name.

You will know the voice. It’s familiar, and so is the sound of your reply.

Now imagine that same person singing. It might make you laugh if your loved one lacks the ability to hold a note or sing in key. Either way — whether talented or not — the thought of a person you care about singing tends to evoke a sense of happiness.

For me, the thought of loved ones singing is sweet and I feel grateful for the people God has brought into my life.

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Rewind now to the Last Supper, specifically the moment at the end of the meal when the activities are wrapping up and they are heading out to a prayer session in a nearby garden.

Jesus sings! Two Gospels tell us the same fact: Matthew 26:30 ESV and Mark 14:26 ESV.

Marking the Passover means He and all the participants that night would have been singing parts of the Bible that were written as songs. Psalms 113 to 118 are, collectively, called the ‘Hallel,’ and would be voiced during parts of the Passover meal, which forms the structure and purpose of what we call The Last Supper.

In this moment, specifically, we know He sang, with the other disciples. And it wasn’t some depressing, tear-filled sorrowful dirge from a funeral. This is the part of the night’s remembrance when a theme of praise and thanksgiving kicks in.

Likely still, they were singing this portion as they concluded the night:

22 The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;
23 the LORD has done this, and it is marvellous in our eyes.
24 The LORD has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad.

Psalms 118:22-27 NIV

‘THIS VERY DAY!’ — Verse 24… Do you see that? Jesus is singing about Himself — the true Messiah — as depicted in songs written hundreds of years before. As the Psalmist wrote, how ‘marvellous’ it is to contemplate! How glad we can be THIS DAY because of what Jesus did.

The thought of Jesus singing makes me smile now. Though the pain and suffering of His sacrifice was still to come, I know this — He sang with His brothers in that moment with a deep, immovable gladness that transcends mere emotions.

He chose to sing, still sings, and rejoices over us.

‘For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying,“I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.” For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.’

Hebrews 2:10-12 ESV

‘For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.”‘

Romans 15:8-9 ESV

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For a full breakdown of the week leading to the Resurrection of Jesus, see this table provided by the team who brought us the English Standard Version of the Bible: https://is.gd/olgMH0

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