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ESUS said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? (John 11:25-26)
I was surprised to learn I had not yet written about this majestic Easter hymn. I was likewise surprised to find it missing from a number of hymnals, including the 1940 Church Hymnal. I can only attribute that omission to oversight or ignorance of the depth of meaning of this hymn. Perhaps it is a bit too biblical for the modern hymnist.
Composed by the Rev. Edmond Budry in 1884 (while in Africa) to the tune of Judas Maccabeus, this hymn reverently depicts the resurrected Kingship of our Lord and His powerful victory over death and Hell. Judas Maccabeusis the work of Georg Friedrich Handel. This hymn is to be sung slowly, reverently, and with passion.
Thine be the Glory
Thine be the glory, risen, conqu'ring Son;
endless is the vict'ry Thou o’er death hast won.
Angels in bright raiment rolled the stone away,
kept the folded grave-clothes where Thy body lay.
Refrain:
Thine be the glory, risen, conqu'ring Son;
endless is the vict'ry Thou o’er death hast won.
Lo! Jesus meets us, risen from the tomb.
Lovingly He greets us, scatters fear and gloom;
let His church with gladness hymns of triumph sing,
for the Lord now liveth; death hath lost its sting.
Refrain:
No more we doubt Thee, glorious Prince of life!!
Life is nought without Thee; aid us in our strife;
make us more than conqu'rors, through Thy deathless love;
bring us safe through Jordan to Thy home above.
Refrain:
1 Thine be the glory, risen, conqu'ring Son; endless is the vict'ry Thou o’er death hast won. Angels in bright raiment rolled the stone away, kept the folded grave-clothes where Thy body lay. When we meet the enemy on the battlefield, we seek to destroy him. If he dies at our blows, the victory is ours; but with Christ, the rule did not apply. He laid down His life at the hands of His enemies but this was not the end of the story. After lying in the tomb over the Sabbath Day, our Lord arose from the dead conquering both death and Hell – for US! The Roman cohort leisurely stood without the tomb on what they considered to be a routine night of duty; but that night turned out to be one of the most spectacular post of duty they would ever experience. A blast of Thunder from Heave heralded the coming of the Angels to roll the heavy stone away from the borrowed tomb of our Lord. It was such a startling event that the Roman guards fell unconscious with fright. To the guards, the event was one of overwhelming gravity, but to the angels, it was a simple honor to keep watch over the tomb to insure that the grave close were left undisturbed where the risen Lord had folded them.
2 Lo! Jesus meets us, risen from the tomb. Lovingly He greets us, scatters fear and gloom; let His church with gladness hymns of triumph sing, for the Lord now liveth; death hath lost its sting. The darkness of a night of fearful contemplation prevailed in the hearts of the disciples as well as those who had been complicit with His crucifixion. Perhaps the greatest hurt was felt by Simon Peter who had denied the Lord thrice and then beheld the Lord look him straight in the eye while standing before His accusers. Though Christ rose from the dead, it will profit us nothing unless we are made aware of that resurrection and believe. Christ arose long before sunrise on the first day of the week, very likely just after the close of the Sabbath the evening before. But His resurrection remained unknown until Mary Magdalen came to the tomb while it was yet dark. Mary wandered through the dark streets of Jerusalem to the Garden Tomb only expecting to find the dead body of her Lord. There was evening greater sorrow created by her finding the tomb empty. Weeping, Mary looked into the empty tomb and was disappointed at not finding the DEAD body of her Lord. Owing to her lack of understanding, Mary wept bitterly. The query of the angels she saw there must have seemed completely meaningless to Mary, “Woman, Why weepest thou?” “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid Him.” Mary is mourning over the dead body of her Lord just as we often mourn the loss of a loving family member who dies in faith of Christ – but without reason.
Allow me at this point to take certain editorial license in describing this scene of the weeping Mary and the two Angels. I=t is apparent that the Angels were looking out the opening of the tomb toward Mary. They could see the cedars lining the Garden, the pink cast of pre-dawn on the hills, and they could see something else of which Mary was not aware. They could see the living Lord whom Mary sought approaching behind Mary. It likely gave them a thrill in asking her, “Woman, why weepest though?” Of course they knew the reason, but thay also knew the futility of tears in the presence of a risen Savior.
Mary’s eyes are blinded by her profuse tears. She turns aback and sees some personage approaching. Who else could it be at this early hour but the Keeper of the Garden – and so it was! It was the living Lord whose dead body she sought. But her tears blinded her just as the tears blinded Hagar in the wilderness of Beersheba. The presumed Gardener uttered the same exact question of the Angels, “Woman, why weepest thou?” When Mary insists that the Gardener reveal where He has laid the body of her Lord, Jesus calls Mary’s name in such a way as only her Lord could call her, and her eyes were opened. Her tears became tears of joy rather than of sorrow. When Christ calls our names, He does so in a manner which is unmistakable to the hearer. We will know Him intimately if we seek His resurrected glory. Knowing the voice of our Lord will insure that we, too, have that same victory over death that He has promised and made possible by His resurrection. We, too, can enjoy a ‘borrowed tomb’ instead of that grave of the Rich Man who cared not for the beggar Lazarus.
3 No more we doubt Thee, glorious Prince of life!! Life is nought without Thee; aid us in our strife; make us more than conqu'rors, through Thy deathless love; bring us safe through Jordan to Thy home above. The Light of Faith sheds great light on our understanding. Knowing that Christ died a sinless sacrifice for us as the Lamb of God without spot or blemish, that He was buried and His tomb vouchsafe by the imperial seal of Rome, that He arose from that tomb on the third dayand ascended to the Father to continue as our only Advocate and Intercessor is our soul’s comfort. We are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. (Romans 8:37 Not that we loved Him, but that He loved us first. That love imparted to our hearts will enable us to rise as well from our borrowed tombs at that Last Day.
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