Light through the shadows

Editor's note: The following text is a transcript of a podcast story. To listen to the story, click on the arrow beneath the headline above. 

NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Wednesday, April 1st. Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day.

Good morning. I’m Nick Eicher.

LINDSAY MAST, HOST: And I’m Lindsay Mast.

Coming next on The World and Everything in It: the story of Holy Week.

Matthew Boswell is a hymn writer known for songs including “His Mercy Is More” and “Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery.” He’s also an author, and his latest book is one for families called That Holy Week So Long Ago. It’s a beautiful poetic book detailing Christ’s final days that explains each day leading up to Resurrection Sunday.

He joins us now to talk about that book. Matthew, good morning and welcome.

BOSWELL: Thank you for having me. It's great to be here.

MAST: Many Bible stories for children feel like they happen in a historical vacuum. Why was it important to you to create a "bridge" between the modern world and 1st-century Jerusalem? How does that help a child see the Resurrection as a current reality rather than just a past event?

BOSWELL: I remember as a child hearing the story of Holy Week, starting with Palm Sunday, and then of course, knowing the events of Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday. But I think putting them in their context so we understand the purpose behind each of them, and then chronologically how all of these stack together in order to tell the story, yes, of what Christ has done, and also why Jesus went through these steps was the lines I was trying to connect in this book and in wanting the next generation to understand the significance of each one of these days and their unique contribution to the story of salvation.

MAST: Well we often rush to the "highlights" of Holy Week, and you certainly hit those in the book, but you chose to spend significant time on moments like the clearing of the temple and Judas’s betrayal on Wednesday. 

And I just want to read a little bit of that day, in part because it's Wednesday, and in part because I want people to hear this iambic pentameter and how beautifully it reads. So I'll read that before I ask my actual questions. But you wrote: 

Throughout Spy Wednesday Jesus taught
The people in the light.
While Judas schemed in shadows deep—
A plan by dark of night.
Just thirty silver pieces was
The price set to betray
The King of all who came in love
To take our sins away.

I want to know—how do those "heavier" or more convicting days help a child understand the full character of Christ?

BOSWELL: With that poem specifically, I'm trying to contrast two people. I'm contrasting the brightness and goodness of Jesus with the darkness of Judas' heart and what he's doing to betray. 

And you know, that day specifically is often overlooked. Even its name is intriguing, right? "Spy Wednesday" is historically what it's called. But I wanted to try to get to the heart of what's happening on that day with Jesus doing what he'd always done, teaching the truth, wanting people to come to him, wanting them to know about the kingdom of God, and at the same time, showing the dramatic turn in the hearts of those who were set to not only betray him, but ultimately to take his life. And so even in that, I'm just trying to slowly drip each day of the significance of it, and there by using contrast, and even the motif of light and dark to try to teach that to young hearts.

And at the same time, and this was always the case, knowing that many adults don't connect those things easily either. And so yes, trying to teach young hearts these truths, but also, know, quote, "reminding parents," i.e. teaching parents along the way of what's happening in these days.

MAST: You’ve spent your career writing lyrics meant to be memorized and sung by a congregation. I'm curious how your "songwriting brain" dictated the specific rhythm and structure of the poetry in this book?

BOSWELL: So, when I'm sitting down to write a hymn, I can't write anything without an opening line, because that is the North Star of the hymn. And in the same way, this book, that phrase, "that holy week so long ago" helps set the tone. It helps shape the rhythm and the meter of it. And so it's very important to me. And then just that becomes the rhythm and the rule that we follow for the rest of the poetry.

MAST: Matt, I know there are connections between rhythm and language for young children. Do you think there is also a connection between meter and how a child internalizes theology?

BOSWELL: Certainly. You know, theology is meant to make our hearts sing, and one of the ways it does that is by us being able to remember it. And poetry and rhyme helps serve the truth in that way, helping us meditate on those things while we're memorizing them and then afterward as well. And so throughout my whole life, that's been a helpful way for me to memorize scripture, to memorize how doctrines fit together. And so, I'm speaking my native language here in writing this book, just writing it in poetry for those of us who need help in remembering things.

MAST: Well, the book moves through some very dark, shadowy moments before reaching the brightness of the Resurrection. How can parents use that visual and narrative contrast to help their kids actually feel that relief and joy of Easter morning?

BOSWELL: I try to set that tone at the very beginning, saying, "Yes, there are some dark moments in this story, but if you keep on reading there is good news here that is worth repeating." And I think teaching children the darkness of the passion narrative and the shadows of Holy Week is very important. It makes the light of resurrection all the more bright. It helps prepare them for suffering in the future. It tries not to edit the good news of the gospel that required God Himself to suffer in our place so that we might be forgiven of sin. 

And so, I think not trying to apologize for those parts of the gospel story, but presenting them, presenting them faithfully, clearly, and helpfully in wanting young hearts to understand, yes, even the dark parts of the gospel. Remembering that it is bad news before it's good news, both in regard to human nature and also the cross before the crown.

MAST: Well Matthew Boswell is a hymn writer and author of the new book That Holy Week So Long Ago, it's available now. 

Matthew, thank you so much for your time.

BOSWELL: What a joy to be here. Thank you.

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.