Strong, Righteous Man of Galilee

Strong, Righteous Man of Galilee

1. Strong, righteous Man of Galilee,
   With borrowed peace we follow Thee:
   In temple court, Thy cleansing rod;
   On Pharisees, the scorn of God.
   With borrowed peace we follow Thee,
   Strong, righteous Man of Galilee.

2. Firm, peaceful Man of Galilee,
   With borrowed strength we follow Thee:
   Not to revenge, but heal and pray,
   To turn the cheek and tribute pay:
   With borrowed strength we follow Thee,
   Firm, peaceful Man of Galilee.

3. Calm, suffering Man of Galilee,
   With borrowed grace we follow Thee:
   Love at the well, share Martha’s loss,
   Forgive the nails, and take the cross.
   With borrowed grace we follow Thee,
   Calm, suffering Man of Galilee.

4. God’s peaceful Man of Galilee,
   Love’s triumph, we shall follow Thee:
   To crumble every boundary wall,
   Build highways to the hearts of all.
   Love’s triumph, we shall follow Thee,
   God’s peaceful Man of Galilee.
                         Harry Webb Farrington
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
Well, I haven't run acrosss one as rare as this one in a long time. It occurs in about twelve hymnals. I don't recall ever hearing it sung or singing it. I do like the second verse:

With borrowed strength we follow Thee:
Not to revenge, but heal and pray,
To turn the cheek and tribute pay:

Not the version of strength that most today think of when the say "Christianity"! More's the pity. Theirs is a caricature of true Christianity. True Christianity features a self-emptying God, not a wrathful "kill the enemies" kind of god.

Note that most versions say, "Girt with Thy..." instead of "with borrowed," but the substance is the same—it's not ours, but his.
</idle musing>