Jesus Saves

Mark 14:26 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 
 
DID you know Jesus sang with his disciples? Do you wonder what Jesus’ vocal range was? Did Jesus have perfect pitch? Maybe he sang lead. Or perhaps Jesus sang supporting harmony. Knowing Jesus, it’s likely his voice blended precisely with the others’.
   What did they sing on this night? After the Passover meal, it was customary for the Jews to sing psalms from the Hallel, meaning praise. This is the name for Psalms 113-118. Read through them, and you will discover some familiar praises you may have sung or said, too, when you worshiped God.
 
Psalms 116:1-6 I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. 2 Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. 3 The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow. 4 Then I called on the name of the LORD: “O LORD, save me!” 5 The LORD’s gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. 6 The LORD protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, he saved me.
 
Psalms 117:1-2 Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. 2 For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD.
 
Psalms 118:1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
 
Verse upon worshipful verse of the Hallel proclaim God’s salvation. Several have been incorporated into modern praise songs. Many have been used in hymns and calls to worship through the church’s history to praise God’s enduring love to bring us to himself.
   The Jews sang these songs remembering God’s salvation to bring Israel from Egypt. Little did the disciples know that these songs were about to become very personal for them.
    As they left the Upper Room, the disciples believed they were returning to Bethany where they had spent the previous seven or eight nights. But on the way, Jesus stopped at an olive grove called Gethsemane. The disciples were about to gain a greater understanding of God’s gracious, saving love that endures forever.