This gentle, holy Jesus,
Without a spot or stain,
By wicked hands was taken,
And crucified and slain.
They laugh at Him and mock Him,
And tell Him to come down,
And leave that Cross of suffering,
And change it for a crown.
Why did He hear their mockings?
Was He the mighty God?
And could He have destroyed them
With one almighty word?
Yes, Jesus could have done it,
But let me tell you why
He did not use His power,
But chose to stay and die.
He had become our Surety;
And what we could not pay,
He paid instead and for us,
On that one dreadful day.
For all our sins He suffered;
For all our sins He died;
And not for ours only,
But all the world beside.
Then take this great salvation,
For Jesus loves to give;
Believe! and you receive it,
Believe! and you shall live.
In living faith accept Him,
Give up all else beside;
While grace is loudly calling—
Look to the Crucified.
ML 07/16/1944