The Righteous are as Bold as a Lion. (Prov. 28:1)
What was it that gave martyrs the boldness of lions through their deaths? Why could Stephen pray for the forgiveness of those who stoned him? Why could Christians sing hymns while they were being burned alive at the stake? It was the reality that upon their death rather than facing wrath and judgement they would face joy and glory. Jesus Christ bore the wrath of God upon his shoulders for all those who would repent and trust in him. So, every martyr can go to their grave with joy knowing there is no wrath to fear on the other side of death. Every martyr that has died beginning with Abel in Genesis 4 up until the present day are now experiencing joy forever in the presence of their savior.
This poem traces the lives of many martyrs beginning from Revelation and concluding at the cross. The phrase consistent throughout the poem, “Yet as the Master shall the servant be and pierced are the feet that follow me,” comes from a poem by Amy Carmichael.
Pierced are the feet that follow me
Worthy are you to take the scroll
You have purchased your bride in full
In heaven a glorious melody is sung
All glory, honor, and praise be to the Son
Now to the seven seals we will turn
And upon the life of the martyrs, we will learn
I looked and saw under the altar
The souls of those who had been martyred
They had been slain for the Word of God
And the witness they bore for the Son of God
They cried out saying O sovereign Lord
How long till you avenge our blood on this world?
Not until all your fellow servants are killed
So quiet your soul, rest, and be still
From the blood of Abel to Zechariah
All the martyrs witnesses of the Messiah
Yet as the Master shall the servant be
And pierced are the feet that follow Me.
From the New Jerusalem to the Cross
Traveling through history recounting the cost
The cost is high and yet it is free
You may give your life but his glory you’ll see
A woman wrote a letter in case of her death
Serving among the unreached until her final breath
She declares that suffering is to be expected
My reward will be his glory in the resurrected
5 men sought to reach the Waodoni tribe
They did not know they would give their lives
He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose
10,000 times over Christ alone would they choose
Yet as the Master shall the servant be
And pierced are the feet that follow Me.
William Tyndale translated the Bible
Yet not without enduring the fiery trial
He suffered the flames of this momentary life
Looking to heaven waiting to be rescued by Christ
John Hus preached against the Eucharist
The day of his death was one of the darkest
Yet through his death he saw the light
A glorious King, full of honor, majesty, and might.
He that endures will gain the crown
Justin Martyr breathed his last at sundown
Beaten and beheaded he went to his grave
Saying, “If we are punished for the sake of our Lord, we hope to be saved.”
Simon Peter one of the Apostles
Faithfully preaching the gospel
Being crucified like his Lord, he felt unworthy
Yet upon his death he saw him who is worthy
Yet as the Master shall the servant be
And pierced are the feet that follow me.
Upon the feet of Saul their garments were laid
Stephen was stoned for his Christ he would never trade
He looked up to heaven and saw him there
Do not hold this sin against them was his prayer
Jesus of Nazareth the humble God-man
Suffered and died so that we would not be damned
He gave his life on that bloody tree
But rose from the dead that we might be free
Anyone who would come after me must take up his cross
Deny yourself, and consider the cost
A servant is not above his master nor a disciple above his teacher
Yet as the Master shall the servant be
And pierced are the feet that follow me.
And on that day there will be a fountain
Where He will wash our pierced feet
We will worship him on that Holy Mountain
Where not wrath but joy will we meet.
