MAJESTIC SWEETNESS SITS ENTHRONED[1]
Savor the sweetness of salvation. But just what is it that we find sweet? What is it we are savoring? For Samuel Stennett in his hymn Majestic Sweetness Sits Enthroned, it is the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Even more specifically, in the first stanza it is that which sits upon our Savior’s head; that which mars the radiance of heaven on his face and covers his lips with blood. It is the crown of thorns, symbolizing the reversal of the curse of Eden accomplished by our Lord on the cross. It is the suffering of Christ on our behalf that we cherish as inexpressibly sweet.
Majestic sweetness sits enthroned upon the Savior’s brow; his head with radiant glories crowned; his lips with grace o’er flow.
We cannot fathom the miracle of God taking on human flesh. And yet, the incarnation of God the Son is the culmination of God the Father’s plan for redeeming humanity from the curse of sin. Of all the patriarchs and prophets from the beginning of time through all the saints to the end of time, none can compare with God incarnate, Messiah Jesus.
No mortal can with him compare, among the sons of men; fairer is he than all the fair who fill the heavenly train.
The prophet Isaiah described the mission of Messiah in this way: “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.”[1]
He saw me plunged in deep distress and flew to my relief; for me he bore the shameful cross and carried all my grief.
From “deep distress” to a place of “relief.” From the curse of sin and death, destined for hell, to the sweetness of salvation and eternal heaven. How do we show our gratitude for what Christ has done? By yielding our total allegiance to Him.
To him I owe my life and breath, and all the joys I have; he makes me triumph over death and saves me from the grave.
To heaven, the place of his abode, he brings my weary feet, shows me the glories of my God, and makes my joys complete.
Much like Philippians 2, this hymn speaks of a God who is both omnipotent and incomparable and yet who lovingly and graciously plunged himself into a state of torture and humiliation for our sake, so that we could find victory over death. In response we offer our own lives and our gratitude.[2]
Majestic Sweetness Sits Enthroned
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Corinthians 4.15).
[1] Words: Samuel Stennett, 1782
[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Is 53:4–6.
[2] The Sing! Hymnal, Crossway Publishers, 2025, p. 920.
