O Dearest Jesus
O Dearest Jesus
O dearest Jesus, what law hast Thou broken
That such sharp sentence should on Thee be spoken?
Of what great crime hast Thou to make confession,
What dark transgression?
They crown Thy head with thorns, they smite, they scourge Thee;
With cruel mockings to the cross they urge Thee;
They give Thee gall to drink, they still decry Thee;
They crucify Thee.
Whence come these sorrows, whence this mortal anguish?
It is my sins for which Thou, Lord, must languish;
Yea, all the wrath, the woe, Thou dost inherit,
This I do merit.
What punishment so strange is suffered yonder!
The Shepherd dies for sheep that loved to wander;
The Master pays the debt His servants owe Him,
Who would not know Him.
Johann Heermann (1585–1647)
Translated by Catherine Winkworth (1827–1878)
JEAN DE FÉCAMP was a Benedictine monk who lived and wrote about nine hundred years ago. Fécamp was head of a monastic colony in Normandy for half a century. Later in his career, he decided to visit the Holy Land. While there, he was arrested and imprisoned by the ruling Turks. You might imagine him in that dank Turkish jail, as he remembered another innocent man imprisoned in Palestine by an occupying army—Jesus Christ.
It is no surprise that Lutheran pastor Johann Heermann should translate this hymn and develop the theme as his German town of Köben was ravaged by the Thirty Years’ War.
He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave. But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands. When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins.
Isaiah 53:9-11
From the book
