There Is a Green Hill Far Away

There is a green hill far away,
Without a city wall,
Where the dear Lord was crucified,
Who died to save us all.

There was no other good enough
To pay the price of sin.
He only could unlock the gate
of heav'n and let us in.

We may not know, we cannot tell,
What pains he had to bear,
But we believe it was for us
He hung and suffered there.

Oh, dearly, dearly has he loved!
And we must love him too,
And trust in his redeeming blood,
And try his works to do.

Text:  Cecil Frances Alexander, 1818-1895
Music:  John H. Gower, 1855-1922

Scriptures:  John 19:16-20, Hebrws 13:12

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John 19:16-20

Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified.  And they took Jesus, and led him away.

And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:

Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.

And Pilate wrote a title, and put in on the cross.  And the writing was, Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews.

This title then read many of the Jews:  for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city:  and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin.

Hebrews 13:12

Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.

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We were driving from Ascoli to Pescara on a Sunday afternoon.  It had rained really hard that morning, but the storm had moved on and the sun was shining.  The elevation is higher and the air is clearer in that part of Italy.  There are more hills and lots of grapes and other agricultural fields along the wayside.

We looked up at a hill as we were driving along.  The sun was shining on it and it was green and beautiful.  Michael and I both started singing "There is a green hill far away without a city wall."

As I contemplated the significance of green hills and city walls, I thought about the huge wall that surrounded ancient Rome and also about the city wall that surrounded Jerusalem at the time of Christ.

We see parts of the partially destroyed Rome wall all over the city.  When we were in Jerusalem a couple of years ago, we saw the wall that surrounds Jerusalem.  We left the confines of the city wall and went to Golgotha, which is outside the city walls, where Christ was crucified.

Ancient people felt safe inside the city walls.  Whenever they were in danger, they sought the protection of the city walls.  Inside the city walls was the heart of civilization.  That's where merchants came to sell their wares and people went to buy them.  There was life and activity inside the walls.

Outside the city walls, bandits and thieves had more power over the people and they weren't nearly as safe.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ provides the same kind of protection.  When we live by it's teachings, we are protected.  When we venture outside and make poor choices, we are in danger.  We need to be vigilant and always strive to be worthy of the blessings that come from living the gospel.  When we go to church on Sunday or to the temple we are protected because we are in safe, sacred places.  We should strive to make our homes a place where we and our children can feel safe.

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Pictures of Rome City Wall

Porta Maggiore - Major door to Rome