Ride On, Ride On, In Majesty

CW: #132/133 – “Ride On, Ride On in Majesty”

This hymn was written when Henry H. Milman was 30 years old and shortly before he became professor of poetry at Oxford in 1821. The original tune for this hymn was called “Winchester New” and formed from an earlier well-known German tune. This is the tune for Christian Worship: #133. The name of the tune for CW: #132 is “The King’s Majesty” and it was written by Graham George for this text and first published in The Hymnal … 1940. In reply to an inquiry about the origin of the tune, George wrote: “It originated as the result of a choir practice before Palm Sunday in – I suppose – 1939, during which I had been thinking, “Winchester New” is a fine tune, but it has nothing whatever to do with the “tragic trumpets,” as one might theatrically call them, of Palm Sunday. At breakfast the following morning I was enjoying my toast and marmalade when the first two lines of this tune sang themselves unbidden in my mind. This seemed too good to miss, so I went to my study, allowed the half-tune to complete itself – which it did with very little trouble – and there it was.”

1. Why is Jesus not the kind of king you would expect?

He is riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. Riding with palms and scattered garments strowed.

2. Why would the hymn writer say “your triumph now begin” in stanza 2 if Jesus was riding on to die?

Jesus was riding into Jerusalem so that He could triumph over sin, death and the devil with His death on the cross and His resurrection from the tomb. As the hymn writer puts it, “O’er captive death and conquered sin.”

3. The angels are very involved in what is going on in this world. How does the hymn writer express the feelings of the angels in stanza 3?

“The angel armies of the sky look down with sad and wond’ring eyes to see th’ approaching sacrifice.” The angels know and see the glory of God face-to-face. But now they see an even greater glory in the Son of God going to His death. Yet, it is saddening to see Jesus having to die for His fallen creation.

4. What is Jesus’ last and fiercest strife that is mentioned in stanza 4?

It is riding into the City headed to step in front of God’s wrath for mankind. To endure God’s wrath and to turn God’s anger into grace.

5. Where is the irony in the middle of stanza 4 – “Your last and fiercest strife is nigh. The Father on his sapphire throne awaits his own anointed Son.”

The irony is that Jesus has to go into battle against death. He wins by losing His life. Yet, by dying, He has life again in heaven with His heavenly Father. He is the sacrificial Lamb seated upon the throne of glory. Ezekiel speaks of this sapphire throne in the beginning of his book of prophecy: “Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking” (Ezekiel 1:26-28).

6. Stanza 5 is a good summary of the entire hymn. This stanza, like all the stanzas, makes clear that Jesus is riding on in majesty. Yet where is the majesty in this ride?

Jesus is your King riding into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, crucified under Pontius Pilate on Good Friday and risen from the dead on Easter morning.

7. This hymn introduces the Christian to Holy Week. Why is Holy Week so vital to understanding what Christianity is all about?

Popular preachers today profess a success theology, a theology of glory. They proclaim that if you are a Christian and commit enough, you will be sick less, have more money, and be more successful. They call that Christianity. However, Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23) So, during Holy Week we see that the Bible teaches a theology of the cross. True Christianity is not about you, but about Christ for you. Christ “meek,” “pursuing your road,” “riding on to die.”