Song of the Week: Nichole Nordeman's "Why"

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I was thinking about the cross. The symbol for Islam is the crescent moon, the symbol for Judaism is the Star of David, Hindus have the wheel, while Buddhists have the yin-yang circle. Why is the cross the universally-recognized symbol of the Christian faith? Why is Christ's sacrifice the centerpiece of the biblical story? Nicole Nordeman shares her perspective in "Why?" from the 2000 album, This Mystery (iTunes; Amazon).

We rode into town the other day
Just me and my daddy
He said I’d finally reached that age
And I could ride next to him on a horse
That of course was not quite as wide

We heard a crowd of people shouting
And so we stopped to find out why
There was that Man who my dad said he loved
But today there was fear in his eyes

So I said “Daddy, why are they screaming?
Why are the faces of some of them beaming?
Why is He dressed in that bright purple robe
I bet that crown hurts Him more than He shows
Daddy please, can’t you do something?
He looks as though He’s going to cry
You said He was stronger than all of those guys
Daddy, please tell me why
Why does everyone want Him to die?”

Later that day, the sky grew cloudy
And daddy said I should go inside
Somehow he knew things would get stormy
Boy was he right, but I could not keep from wondering
If there was something he had to hide

So after he left, I had to find out
I was not afraid of getting lost
So I followed the crowds to a hill
Where I knew men had been killed
And I heard a voice come from the cross

And it said, “Father, why are they screaming?
Why are the faces of some of them beaming?
Why are they casting their lots for my robe?
This crown of thorns hurts me more than it shows
Father please, can’t you do something?
I know that You must hear my cry
I thought I could handle a cross of this size
Father, remind me why
Why does everyone want me to die?
Oh, when will I understand why?”

My precious son, I hear them screaming
I’m watching the face of the enemy beaming
But soon I will clothe you in robes of my own
Jesus, this hurts me much more than you know

But this dark hour, I must do nothing
Though I’ve heard your unbearable cry
The power in your blood destroys all of the lies
Soon you’ll see past their unmerciful eyes
Look there below, see the child
trembling by her father’s side
Now I can tell you why
She is why you must die