Articles
The Last Hymn
by Paul Stevens
What was the last hymn that Jesus sang on this earth before His crucifixion? We cannot know the answer to that with certainty because the scriptures do not explicitly tell us. We can, however, reasonably assume that one of the last hymns that Jesus sang was with His apostles at the last supper in accordance with the Jewish customs of that feast.
Matthew 26:30 records what happened immediately following the last supper (the Passover feast) and the institution of the Lord’s Supper. It says in verse 30, “And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.”
The Jewish tradition of the time was to sing the Hallel during the three pilgrim festivals. These three festivals that Jews traveled to Jerusalem for included the Passover, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Booths. The Hallel in Hebrew meant “praise” and consisted of reading or singing Psalms 113-118. There doesn’t appear to be any reason that Jesus would have abandoned this part of the Jewish tradition, especially in light of the message of the Hallel.
Psalm 113 begins and ends with the words, “Praise the Lord!”. It is a Psalm about the majesty of God, his worthiness to be praised, His generosity and compassion.
Psalm 114 talks about the power of God and tells the story of the escape from Egypt in Exodus 14. It refers to His power over the seas and the mountains. “Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, At the presence of the God of Jacob…” (verse 7).
Psalm 115 compares the majesty of the true God of heaven to the false gods, limited by their maker's hands, who cannot see, hear, or touch. It encourages Israel to “trust in the Lord,” and He will be “their help and their shield.” He has blessed them and will continue to “bless those who fear the Lord, Both small and great.”. Psalm 115 also ends with the exclamation, “Praise the Lord!”
If these were the last hymns sung by Jesus, then Psalms 116-118 would have hit incredibly close to home.
Psalm 116 praises God for hearing the writer’s supplications. Then, beginning in verse 3, it says, “The pains of death surrounded me, And the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me; I found trouble and sorrow. Then I called upon the name of the Lord: “O Lord, I implore You, deliver my soul!”. We are not told the entirety of Jesus’s prayer in the garden. It’s not hard to imagine that some of these words would have been on His anguished mind as He prayed there alone. Verses 12-14 says, “What shall I render to the Lord For all His benefits toward me? I will take up the cup of salvation, And call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows to the Lord Now in the presence of all His people.”
Psalm 117 would have been not far from Jesus’s mind as He looked to His coming sacrifice. “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples! For His merciful kindness is great toward us, And the truth of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!” The sacrifice Christ was about to endure was not just for the nation of Abraham’s seed but for all mankind. Certainly, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles!”
Psalm 118 speaks of God’s everlasting mercy. No expression of God’s mercy could compare to the one that was about to be manifest in Christ in the hours following His singing of these words. “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” Verses 8-9 discuss the wisdom in trusting God. 10-14 talks about God’s power over His people’s enemies. 15-18 emphasizes the blessings of the righteous, but also God’s chastening.
In verses 22-24, we have a direct prophesy of Jesus. “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.” Jesus, being referred to as the “chief cornerstone,” can be found in Matt. 21:42; Mark 12:10-11; Luke 20:17; Acts 4:11; Eph. 2:20; and 1 Peter 2:7-8. Imagine singing those words just hours before fulfilling them. Imagine the realization of the Apostles later on when they remembered singing those very words with our Savior on that last night together before His death.
If these were the last words Jesus sang before His cruel death, consider the significance of these final words of Psalm 118. “You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt You. Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”
