Who Am I?

As has become my tradition, I have decided to do a hymn each day this Passion week.  I hope these songs will remind you of the importance of Passion Week.  That these songs will cause you to do some reflection and some introspection as we approach the two most important days in human history.  The day Christ died and shed His blood for our sins, and the day He rose again that we too might have everlasting life.

The first hymn this week is a song that was made popular by the Happy Goodman’s and by Elvis Presley.  The song asks an important question that I think, if we are honest with ourselves, we have probably asked many times.  Who am I?  or Why me, Lord?  It is hard to fathom that with all our flaws and our sins, that God would still send His one and only Son to die for you and for me.  It is a humbling question, but a question that I think is necessary in truly understanding the importance and the power of Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross.

When I think of how He came so far from glory
Came to dwell among the lowly such as I
To suffer shame and such disgrace
On Mount Calvary take my place
Then I ask myself this question
Who am I?

Who am I that The King would bleed and die for?
Who am I that He would pray not my will, Thine Lord?
The answer I may never know
Why He ever loved me so
That to an old rugged cross He’d go
For who am I?

When I’m reminded of His words
I’ll leave you never
If you’ll be true I’ll give to you life forever
Oh I wonder what I could have done
To deserve God’s only Son
To fight my battles until they’re won
For who am I?

Who am I that The King would bleed and die for
Who am I that He would pray not my will, Thine Lord
The answer I may never know
Why He ever loved me so
That to an old rugged cross He’d go
For who am I?

Couple of comments on the lyrics:

• “On Mount Calvary take my place” – Do you find it easy or hard to relate to this particular line in the song?  Do you perhaps say to yourself – “I am not a thief.  I am not a blasphemer.  I am not sure if I would have deserved a punishment like that.”  I am afraid that we perhaps have taken our sin too lightly if we think that.  Mount Calvary was a punishment for sinners, for lawbreakers, for the wretched and the wicked.  The Bible says that “there is none righteous, no not one.”  The Bible says that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”  The Bible tells us “our offenses are many in your sight, and our sins testify against us. Our offenses are ever with us, and we acknowledge our iniquities.”  God is holy.  His judgment is always righteous.  His punishment of sin is required.  We deserved Calvary with all its shame, and pain, and humiliation, but receive Christ and all His benefits.  He did take my place that day 2,000 years ago, and He took your place too.

• “To deserve God’s only Son” – I am not sure I like the word “deserve” in this song.  Dictionary.com says “deserve” means “to merit, be qualified for, or have a claim to (reward, assistance, punishment, etc.) because of actions, qualities, or situation.”  Wow, according to that definition, we need to scratch this word from this song forever.  We deserve Hell, we get Heaven.  We deserve eternal damnation, we get eternal life.  Psalm 103:9-11 says “He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; ”  Why do we not get what we deserve?  God’s love.  I am grateful today that I didn’t get what I deserve (God’s judgment), I got grace.  Christ saved me from sin and misery and despair.  He rescued me from the pit.

So as you begin to focus your heart this week on Christ and His suffering and His sacrifice, and hope that you will let the words of this song bring you to a place of humility.  The Bible tells us that God will not cast out the broken and contrite spirit.  God opposes the proud, but He will give grace to the humble – to those that asked the honest question “Who am I?”