Stepping upon Christ’s back

Last updated on: November 14, 2011 at 12:05 am by Joel J. Miller

Stepping upon Christ’s back 2011-11-14T00:05:53-06:00 Joel J. Miller

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

easylocum, Flickr

Getting your theology from pop lyrics is usually a poor idea, but there are wonderful exceptions. Take Terry Taylor’s 1998 solo album, John Wayne. Known better for raucous numbers like “Hide the Beer, the Pastor’s Here” and “Darn Floor, Big Bite,” Taylor has also written many quiet and meditative songs over the years. Such is John Wayne‘s closing track, “You Lay Down,” a soft-spoken and beautiful song about Christ’s condescending love for his people.

The chorus:

You lay down, you lay down,
And I’ll step upon your back,
Up high enough, above the fence
To see all the way to glory land.

With this one little stanza, Taylor grabs two very powerful images of our savior. The first is Christ laying down his life for our salvation. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends” (John 15.13). Christ showed us the greatest of loves by willingly laying down his life for us, his friends.

The second is what that sacrifice allowed. In laying down his life, we can “step upon [Christ’s] back,” as the song puts it. Christ is like the big brother, holding us up to look over the fence. And what do we see? Glory land.

When Christ first approached his disciples, John records that Jesus told them, “you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man” (1.51).

The image is prefigured in Genesis 28, when Jacob dreams of a ladder upon which angels traffic between heaven and earth. The ladder, Jesus says, is himself. Christ is the connection between heaven and earth—a priestly function—and it is only through his doing that we see heaven. We’re too short to see above the fence, so we stand upon his back.

Christ stoops down in his incarnation, redeems us through his voluntary crucifixion, and lifts us up to glory by his resurrection. Innumerable books have been written on the subject, but the beauty of good song writing is that Taylor deftly covers the same ground in just twenty-six simple words.

Previous Post

November 11, 2011

Why we don't bear fruit

Next Post

November 15, 2011 Make room for suffering

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Books Church Life Family Life Misc Prayer Quotes Society Spiritual Growth Theology Uncategorized Video

Select a Month April 2014 March 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 November 2008 October 2008 July 2008 June 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 August 2007 June 2007 October 2002 July 2002 November 1999 October 1999

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who said, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

David Moses Joshua Samuel