O sacred Head, now wounded,
with grief and shame weighed down,
now scornfully surrounded
with thorns, thine only crown!
O sacred Head, what glory,
what bliss till now was thine!
Yet, though despised and gory,
I joy to call thee mine.What thou, my Lord, hast suffered
“O Sacred Head Now Wounded”
was all for sinners’ gain.
Mine, mine was the transgression,
but thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior!
’Tis I deserve thy place.
Look on me with thy favor,
and grant to me thy grace.
We sang this hymn often during the season of Lent. It fixates on a single aspect of Christ’s death: the crown of thorns the Roman soldiers put on his head after they tortured Him.
Those who know me will easily guess why I’m writing about this song in particular, but for those who don’t know me, allow me to explain. Three years ago, when I was 27 years old, I was suddenly and significantly disabled by severe headaches. Though my condition changes over time, and some seasons are better than others, I remain medically disabled to this day.
Toward the beginning of this health saga, I was hospitalized for two weeks due to frequent attacks of primary stabbing headaches. They were characterized by sharp, stabbing pain which felt like an ice pick driving into my skull. The stabbing headaches initially went on for months, and just this year, they returned for a few weeks.
O sacred Head, now wounded,
with grief and shame weighed down,
now scornfully surrounded
with thorns, thine only crown!
What does a crown of thorns actually feel like? I think I know, or at least I have a better idea than most people.
In this small way, I’ve tasted Christ’s “deadly pain.” My headaches are a drink from His cup, a visceral sharing in His suffering.
The lyrics of “O Sacred Head” aren’t really about sharing in Christ’s sufferings–they’re more of a reminder that I deserve so much worse for my sin and rebellion against my Father. Thanks be to God for Jesus, ‘tis I deserve thy place.
But sometimes, I think God can speak to us on multiple levels, and about deeply personal things, through scripture, through worship, and through His people. It’s how he relates to us as a loving Father, how he cultivates real intimacy and friendship with us as His children.
So when we sing this song, these are the things God tells me, over and above what the lyrics already say:
“Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”
– Romans 8:17
“For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.”
– Romans 6:5
These are the promises God has delivered to me, the promises I claim as I say, Look on me with thy favor, and grant to me thy grace. And these are promises for all of God’s children who suffer. What greater hope exists than the hope of glory and new life?