Fair are the meadows, fair are the woodlands, Robed in the blooming garb of spring: Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer, Who makes the woeful heart to sing.
This post continues our look at the hymn, “Fairest Lord Jesus.” You can read Excellent Lord Jesus (Part 1) here.
Note: The above is the first stanza of a famous Christian hymn. It was translated from German to English in 1873, and at that time, fair meant excellent or handsome. In this post, I continue to discuss Christ’s perfection and His encouragement to troubled Christians. In a later post, I will discuss Psalm 45, which says: “Jesus the Messiah is more handsome and excellent than the sons of men. Grace is poured upon His lips. Therefore, God has blessed Him forever.”
Jan Hus and Us
A version of this hymn was sung by followers of Czech Pastor Jan Hus (1369-1415). Hus was burned at the stake over 600 years ago for his biblical beliefs and his criticism of the corrupt church. Hus wrote: “It is better to die well than to live badly. I hope, by God’s grace, that I am truly a Christian. I would rather suffer the penalty of a terrible death than to believe or teach anything outside of God’s truth, or transgress the commandments of my Lord Jesus Christ.” Hus’s followers settled in Silesia (now part of Poland) after they were driven out of Bohemia in the bloody anti-Reformation purge of 1620. “Fairest Lord Jesus” is a hymn that reminds believers to be faithful to Christ, especially when following Him is not popular.
Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the [Old Testament] prophets who were before you.” The Lord’s little brother James wrote: “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”1
Persecution and Discrimination
More than 380 million Christians around the world suffer high levels of mistreatment and oppression for their faith.2 But Scripture also warns that the subtle, internal, moral decay of our hearts can be even more dangerous to a believer’s faith in Christ than being thrown in jail. Moral compromise and ungodly actions creep in quietly. This ethical downgrade breeds a culture of cynicism and disregard for the greater good—loving God and our neighbors.3
The Apostle Paul warns: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having an appearance of godliness but denying its power.4
Paul says again: Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold, but let God re-mold your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that God’s plan for you is good, meets all His demands, and moves toward the goal of our true maturity in Christ.5
Jesus, the Light of the World
Fair is the sunshine, fair is the moonlight, And all the twinkling, starry host: Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer than all the angels heaven can boast.
In God’s Son (Christ) was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it… This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light. In Him there is no darkness at all… Jesus says: I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.6
God (Father, Son, and Spirit) is righteous, true, and loving in His character, the opposite of darkness (evil, sin, and falsehood). The Lord is infinitely, eternally, and invariably holy, with no shred of iniquity, injustice, or impurity in Him. There is no one like our God, majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders.7
In Jerusalem, around 30 AD, the Lord Jesus attended the Hanukkah celebration. It’s the Feast of Dedication or the Festival of Lights. In John chapter 10, Christ calls the Jewish people to return to trusting and obeying God, at a time when love for the Lord was rare. People were stiff-necked, stubborn, and unwilling to be led by God, much like most people today. Jesus announced that He fulfills all the Old Testament predictions and He calls all people to follow Him.
Dear readers, We are surrounded by so much moral and spiritual darkness. Thank God, Christ’s light reassures us of God’s love, holiness, justice, and truth, and calls and re-orients us back to Him. The Holy Spirit’s Word, the Bible, is the lamp for our feet and the light on our path, to guide us through this life to Heaven.8 Partly during this life and perfectly in Heaven, Christ says: “Tears of joy will stream down their faces, and I will lead them home with great care. They will walk beside quiet streams and on smooth paths where they will not stumble.”9
The Hymn’s Doxology
Beautiful Savior! Lord of the nations! Son of God and Son of Man! Glory and honor, praise, adoration, now and for evermore be Yours.
In the Old Testament, the Lord was always interested in people from every nation, tribe, people, and language, Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews).10 God was always planning to gather in Jesus’ followers from all across the globe, and He is still gathering us! It’s not yet too late for people to call on the Lord for new life.
God says: It is too small a thing for Christ to be My servant to the tribes of Judah and Israel. I will make Jesus a light for the Gentiles, that My salvation may reach to the ends of the earth. (Isaiah 49:6)11
Look At Christ
The hymn, “Fairest Lord Jesus,” reminds me of the words of Robert Murray M’Cheyne, who wrote:
Learn much of the Lord Jesus. For every look at yourself, take ten looks at Christ. He is altogether lovely. Such infinite majesty, and yet such meekness and grace, and all for sinners, even the worst of us! Live much in the smiles of God. Bask in His beams. Feel His all-seeing eye settled on you in love, and rest in His almighty arms. Live near to Jesus and all things, even your troubles, will appear little to you in comparison with eternal realities in Christ.
Notes (various Bible translations): 1 Matt 5:10-12; James 1:12. 2 opendoors.org/persecution/countries. 3 “The Erosion of Values: When Wrong is Celebrated as Right” by David Myers, linkedin.com, Jan 26, 2024. 4 2 Tim 3:1-4. 5 Rom 12:2 JBP. 6 John 1:4-5, 8:12; 1 John 1:5. 7 Exo 15:11. 8 Psa 119:105. 9 Jer 31:9. 10 Rev 7:9. 11 See also: Matt 12:18-21, 28:18-20; Luke 2:32; Acts 13:47, 26:23; Rom 15:8-12; Isa 42:6, 60:3; Gen 12:1-3; Psa 22:27, 67:1-7, 98:1-3.