My Jesus, Fair

Recently I was listening to one of my new favorite songs, My Jesus, Fair by Chris Anderson. I absolutely love some of the new hymns that are being written. They maintain that timeless purity of the hymns that you find in your hymnal, but also I think have much more of a focus on Christ. My favorite songs are the ones that cause to me to think about my Lord and praise Him.

This one, My Jesus, Fair,  really struck me as I was listening to the lyrics. I always thought about the crown of thorns as a symbol of Christ's royalty and a means of pain. Never had it occurred to me to meditate on the thorns themselves - a result of the curse. They wouldn't have existed if it had not been for the curse of sin, that God at that moment was rescuing man from. What love God had! He didn't just bear my sin on the cross. He bore the whole curse so that I would have the freedom to enter Heaven and spend an eternity with him.

My Jesus, fair, was pierced by thorns,
By thorns grown from the fall.
Thus he who gave the curse was torn
To end that curse for all. 

O love divine, o matchless grace - 
That God should die for men!
With joyful grief I lift my praise,
Abhorring all my sin,
Adoring only Him. 

- Chris Anderson


**I listened to this song on my iPod via Project 10 Men Steadfast Faith, available on iTunes.

**Graphic borrowed from a Google search of "crown of thorns."