After a Hymn is Sung - Matthew 26:30

Matthew the apostle wrote as Jesus and His disciples, “were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink you all of it. For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom”, and in chapter twenty-six and verse thirty of his book, Matthew writes what happened, “when they had sung a hymn” where we read:

And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.

The verse reads, “And when they had sung an hymn, ...” Matthew began words, “and when” which means “and at the time and moment” “they had sung an hymn” or “Jesus and the disciples completed singing a paschal hymn”. Matthew shared how Jesus and His disciples sang at the end of this “Passover meal”, and more than likely they were from the book of Psalms chapters one hundred and thirteen through one hundred and eighteen. (See Psalms 113-118)

The verse goes on to say, “... they went out into the mount of Olives.” Matthew added the words, “they went out” which means “Jesus and the disciples left, departed and went forth” “into the mount” or “to the rising or lifting above the plan” “of Olives” which means “pertaining to Olive trees”. Matthew shared how Jesus and His disciples left the room where they at the “Passover meal” and departed to the mountain known as “the mount of Olives”.

When we meditate upon Matthew's words in this verse, we notice how Jesus and His disciples were “singing” together before they left for the “mount of Olives”, and because tradition called for Jewish people to sing the one hundred and thirteenth Psalm through the one hundred and eighteenth Psalm, more than likely this is what they were singing. Afterward, they left for the “mount of Olives” which was nearby. All these things were in sequence for Jesus as He walked step by step toward the “cross” to die for the sins of the whole world. God's desire is to have a relationship with every person through His Son Jesus, and those who are wise shall not only “sing” about His wondrous “salvation” but will also “yield” their lives to Him as their personal “Savior and Lord”.

Next time Matthew shares how Jesus says, “all of you shall be offended because of me this night”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.