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Jason Hardin
When I survey the wondrous cross
Forbid it, Lord, that I should
boast,
See, from His head, His hands,
His feet,
Were the whole realm of nature mine, When I Survey The Wondrous Cross, labeled by well-known theologian Matthew Arnold as the greatest hymn in the English language, was written in 1707 by Isaac Watts at the age of 33. Watts was born on July 17, 1674, in Southampton, England. The oldest of nine children, his father was an educated deacon in a dissenting Congregational church. When Isaac was born, his father was in prison for his non-conformist beliefs. From a very early age Watts showed an unusual aptitude for study and languages. Under Mr. Pinhorn, rector of All Saints, and headmaster of the Grammar School in Southampton, he learned Latin at the age of five, Greek at nine, French at eleven, and Hebrew at thirteen. Frequently referred to as the father of English hymnody, one of Watts’ great concerns, even at an early age, was the deplorable state to which congregational singing had degenerated in most English-speaking churches. The singing consisted of slow, ponderous Psalms in which each line was first read by an appointed deacon and was followed by the droning of the congregation. The texts of these Psalm-hymns were often crude and inelegant. Typical doggerel of the time is this:
Ye
monsters of the bubbling deep, your Master’s praises spout; Watts once wrote, “The singing of God’s praise is the part of worship most closely related to heaven; but its performance among us is the worst on earth” (Osbeck). Particularly exasperated one Sunday afternoon while returning from a typically “poor” period of worship, Watts continued to complain about the congregational singing. His father promptly exclaimed, “Why don’t you give us something better, young man!” Before the evening service, young Watts had written his first hymn, which was eagerly and enthusiastically received by the congregation. For a period of two years, Watts wrote a new hymn every Sunday. In all, he is believed to have composed more than 600 hymns for congregational singing. Charles Wesley, estimated to have written more than 6,000 hymns himself, is reported to have said that he would give up all his other hymns to have written this one. Watt’s original title for this piece was “Crucifixion To The World By The Cross Of Christ.” It draws its inspiration from the writings of Paul in Galatians 6:14, “But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” This theme is drawn out even more clearly in a verse that is rarely included in our hymnals:
His dying crimson, like a robe, As disciples, we “survey” that wondrous cross every first day of the week in the memorial of Jesus’ sacrificial death. Through the eye of faith we are made to marvel at the willingness of the “Prince of glory” to become a Servant of shame. “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation” (Hebrews 5:8-9). In the shadow of the cross, the child of God is forcefully moved to say with Watts, “My richest gain, I count but loss and pour contempt on all my pride.” What merit do my accomplishments possibly afford me? What possible reason do I have to revel in my pride? Instead, “whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:7-8). After a thousand lifetimes of diligent service, God's redeemed children can only respond, "We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done" (Luke 17:10). “Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, save in the death of Christ, my God.” That is precisely Paul’s attitude as he writes to the Christians in Corinth: “When I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:1-5). How the landscape of the faithful would change if all of the Lord’s servants had such humility! If you have never made the effort to meditate on the beauty of Watts’ third verse, read these words slowly and appreciate their depth:
See, from His head, His hands, His feet, We often envision in our minds the blood of Jesus flowing from the piercings in His head, His hands, and His feet. What powerful imagery that sorrow and love were also mixed together in that sacrifice! We are given such an intimate glimpse of Jesus’ humanity in the Garden of Gethsemane when He confided with Peter, James, and John: “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me” (Matthew 26:38). Our hearts are made to ache as Jesus “went a little further and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, ‘O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will’” (Matthew 26:39). Indeed, sorrow for the ordeal, but love for God and love for humanity were mingled together like never before on that fateful day. What can we possibly give back to God as a sacrifice of thankfulness for His compassion and mercy? As Watts has so eloquently put it, even if I owned the entire world and all of the wonders that it contains and were able to somehow offer it as retribution, my gift would be woefully inadequate. Jesus asked long ago, “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). Indeed, “love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.”
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