Night with Ebon Pinion
If you will, turn to song #XXX in your song book. This is not God’s Word. This a poem – set to music – written by a man.
This work is based on the gospel accounts of Christ’s prayer and experience in the Garden of Gethsemane.
We sing this hymn because it seems to correlate with biblical accounts, and helps us to understand the emotional level of this situation.
Night, with ebon pinion, brooded o’er the vale;
All around was silent, save the night wind’s wail,
When Christ, the Man of Sorrows,
In tears, and sweat, as blood,
Prostrate in the garden, raised His voice to God.
Smitten for offenses which were not His own,
He, for our transgressions, had to weep alone;
No friend with words to comfort,
Nor hand to help was there,
When the Meek and Lowly humbly bowed in prayer.
“Abba, Father, Father, if indeed it may,
Let this cup of anguish pass from Me, I pray;
Yet, if it must be suffered, by Me, Thine only Son,
Abba, Father, Father, let Thy will be done.”
Ebon Pinion brooded o’er the Vale – refers to Black wings or wing feathers and the Kidron Valley.
It implies a dark, depressing feeling hanging over the valley where the Garden of Gethsemane is.
Prostrate – to lie face down in reverence
Smitten for Offenses – similar to “slapped with charges” made responsible for wrong-doings.
Abba – Aramaic for Father, maybe more literally, Daddy
Now let’s think about this hymn and try to reinvent it for a better understanding.
It was a dark night, but the grief and sorrow darkened it even more, as if in the shadow of the wings of a giant black raven.
Nothing made a sound but the moaning breeze, when Jesus – who carried the griefs and sufferings of all people – fell to the ground and buried his face in the soil, as in subjection.
His voice cut into the night as he began his discourse with God, his Father.
The grief, sorrow, honesty and dedication caused his body to break out in profuse sweat that fell to the ground, dripping and pooling like blood.
He was not guilty of the charges he faced.
His was the responsibility of carrying the sins of all humans… He cried for the agony and no one could comfort him.
He had nobody to give encouraging words, nor any shoulder to lean on, but, nevertheless, He began to pray in earnest.
“My Loving Daddy, Dearest Father.
I ask you to take this burden off my shoulders.
This pain and suffering is like drinking a poison, and I ask that you remove it.
However, this is my request and nothing more. I know your will is greater. I know your plan is perfect.
So Daddy, if my suffering in bearing these sins for mankind is what YOU want, then please make it so.”
Mark 14:
32 And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray.
33 And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy;
34 And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch.
35 And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.
36 And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.
Matthew 26:
37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.
38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.
39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
Luke 22;
40 And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.
41 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,
42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.
44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
Isaiah 53
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
I cannot know, but I feel that Christ knew that he would withstand the physical pain.
Not that it wasn’t grievous and immense, but that it was simply something that he would bare.
I feel that the pain, the agonizing suffering that began earlier and lasted, at least, until the resurrection was the hardest part.
Jesus was with God, ALWAYS. Jesus is a part of the Trinity. He is God.
John 1:
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
That relationship, that closeness, that love is more than we can fathom!
And then… RIPPED away from the Beauty and laden with the vileness of sin and suffering.
Jesus was torn away from peace as he took on OUR sins in his sacrifice.
Habakkuk 1:
13 Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?
Mark 15:34 >>
And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
In the Garden, He asked God to stop this from happening.
He wished to not be exposed because He knew how hard, how bad it would be.
But nevertheless, he also knew He had to go on and He knew that his Father’s Will was what He wanted, even more so.
I have to be careful not to humanize Christ too much.
Yes he was a man – lived and died as one. But He is and was EVERYTHING more.
Making Him “human” helps us to try to understand what happened and helps to relate to Him.
God sent Him for this,
Hebrews 4:
14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
When you sing this hymn, when you partake of the Lord’s Table, when you think about Jesus, remember what He went through for you.
Remember why He did it for you.
C.S. Lewis once said, “The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God.”
And Isaiah said, chapter 40 verse 9,
“O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!
10 Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.
11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. “
Christ bore our sins.
We need to no longer. Pray – Repent – Obey.
God grants Forgiveness.
If you need strength, support or guidance, we can help you to find God’s path.
It is narrow but He will guide you down it if you let Him.
Please come forward if you feel God calling.