Have You Heard a Tender Mercy? – Matthew 27; Mark 15; Luke 23; John 19

Come, Follow Me: New Testament 2023 (June 19–25)

Have you had hymns or Primary songs randomly pop into your thoughts? I never hear the whole song but rather verses that softly dance across the stage of my mind. Sometimes I join the tune, other times I ponder why these words are showing up now. Either way, I consider it a musical tender mercy coming from heaven. In between the notes, I hear Heavenly Father whispering, “I’m here. I’m watching out for you.” 

Jack Welch, speaking on the podcast, Come Follow Him, shared that Mary, Jesus’ mother, was raised in the temple. There, she probably sang and danced to the songs of Psalms and may have sung the sweet words to her firstborn. Over time, Psalms 22 may have been particularly powerful to her as it describes the death of her beloved son. Brother Welch proposes that Christ may have been comforted by these songs while on the cross because of similarities between the Psalms and Christ’s last words. 

For example, Psalm 22:1 reads, “My God, my God, why has thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the word of my roaring?” 

Mathew records Jesus crying with a loud voice on the cross saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why has thou forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46)

Psalm 22:14 reads, “I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou has brought me into the dust of death.”

Jesus shortens this to, “I thirst” (John 19:28)

I like thinking that Jesus heard hymns his mother taught him while on the cross. I like thinking these songs were musical tender mercies for Him at a time when he needed incomprehensible strength and courage. And I like thinking that Heavenly Father was indeed whispering to Him, “I’m here. I’m watching out for you.” Just like He does for me.