Lo Many Shall Come from the East and the West
Lo many shall come from the east and the west
Lo Many Shall Come from the East and the West is a hymn text by Matthew Bridges (1848) in C.M. meter. Found in elw 651, lbw 313, lsb 510, lw 464. Sung to ST. COLUMBA.
The hymn celebrates the universality of God's redemptive plan, emphasizing that salvation extends beyond ethnic and geographic boundaries to all peoples. It reflects Lutheran confidence in God's saving will toward all nations while acknowledging the reality of rejection by some.
History & Background
Written by Matthew Bridges in 1848, this hymn was first published in his collection of hymns and reflects 19th-century Anglican hymn writing. The text draws directly from Christ's words in Matthew 8:11 regarding the inclusion of Gentiles in God's kingdom.
Hymnal Appearances
- Evangelical Lutheran Worship — 651
- Lutheran Book of Worship — 313
- Lutheran Service Book — 510
- Lutheran Worship — 464
- The Lutheran Hymnal — 415
Bulletin Note
Matthew Bridges (1800–1894) wrote this Epiphany hymn in 1848. Set to the Scottish tune ST. COLUMBA, it echoes Luke 13:29, expanding the vision of redemption to embrace all nations and cultures—a hallmark of 19th-century evangelical confidence in God's universal salvific will.
Preaching Connection
This hymn develops the Gospel's radical inclusivity while maintaining the Law's warning—ideal for sermons on election, universality of grace, or the missionary expansion of God's kingdom.
Stanza Arc
The narrative or theological arc traced by this tune's stanzas: Psalm 23 Christological transformation: establishment of Christ's sovereign care (1-2) → confession of human waywardness and divine retrieval (3) → victory over death through Christ's passion (4) → sacramental communion and eschatological promise (5-6)
Overview
A Norwegian hymn by Magnus Landstad on Matthew 8:11-12 — the Gentiles coming to the feast with Abraham while the self-righteous are cast out. Every stanza ends with the Kyrie, 'Have mercy upon us, O Jesus!' It moves from the great invitation (st. 1) and the judgment on those who trusted their own virtue (st. 2), to a plea to heed the Shepherd's call while there is time (st. 3), to join the ransomed (st. 4), to remain in God's keeping until the heavenly table (st. 5), and to the joy of eternity's morning, when every doubt is answered (st. 6) and the victor's crown is given (st. 7). Its lilting Scandinavian tune made it a favorite among Norwegian-American Lutherans.
Central theme: The heavenly banquet open to all nations by grace, closed to those who trust their own righteousness
Structure
Seven five-line stanzas (11.9.11.9.9), each ending 'Have mercy upon us, O Jesus!' Invitation (1) — judgment (2) — appeal (3) — prayer (4-5) — eternal joy (6-7).
Law & Gospel Shape
Law: those who 'resisted His grace and on their own virtue depended' are cast out (2). Gospel: the invitation to all nations, remission, the heavenly feast, the crown (1, 3-7). The Kyrie keeps every stanza in the posture of dependence on mercy.
Confessional Connections
Salvation by grace, rejection of trust in one's own virtue (AC IV; Ap IV). The universal invitation (FC XI). Unbelief as resistance to grace — the reason some are lost lies in them, not in God (FC XI.39-41). The Kyrie as the posture of faith.
Liturgical Use (Study Notes)
Epiphany (Matt 8:1-13, Epiphany 3 in the historic lectionary); mission festivals; All Saints'; funerals.
Historical Notes
Landstad (1802-1880), Norwegian pastor and hymnal editor. Strømme (1856-1921), Norwegian-American pastor and journalist.
About the Tune
DER MANGE SKAL KOMME (Norwegian folk tune; TLH cites Then Swenska Psalmboken, Stockholm, 1695).
Scripture References
Matt 8:11-12 Luke 13:28-30 Isa 25:6-8 Luke 14:16-24 Rom 10:3 Luke 18:9-14 John 10:27 2 Cor 6:2 Rev 7:9-10 Eph 1:7 Rev 19:9 1 Thess 4:14 Rev 21:4 1 Cor 13:12 Rev 5:9-13 2 Tim 4:8
Stanza by Stanza
Many will come from east and west and sit at the feast of salvation with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the blessed, obeying the Lord's invitation. Have mercy on us, Jesus!
Matt 8:11: 'many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.' Jesus said this of the Gentile centurion's faith. The 'feast of salvation' (Isa 25:6-8; Luke 14:16-24) is open to all nations. 'Obeying the Lord's invitation' — faith is the obedience of accepting the invitation. The refrain 'Have mercy upon us, O Jesus!' is the Kyrie — the right posture for all who come to the feast.
- Scripture
- Matt 8:11, Luke 13:29, Isa 25:6-8, Luke 14:16-24, Rev 7:9
- Imagery & language
- East and west; feast; patriarchs.
- Law / Gospel
- Gospel — the universal feast.
- Connection to previous
- Invitation.
But those who always resisted his grace and depended on their own virtue will be condemned and cast out from his face, eternally lost and friendless. Have mercy on us, Jesus!
Matt 8:12: 'the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness.' Those excluded are defined precisely: they 'resisted His grace' and 'on their own virtue depended' (Rom 10:3; Luke 18:9-14). Self-righteousness is the opposite of faith. FC XI: the cause of damnation is not God's will but man's resistance to the Spirit's work through the Word. The refrain 'Have mercy upon us, O Jesus!' is the Kyrie — the right posture for all who come to the feast.
- Scripture
- Matt 8:12, Rom 10:3, Luke 18:9-14, Acts 7:51, Matt 23:37
- Imagery & language
- Resisting; virtue; cast out.
- Law / Gospel
- Law — self-righteousness condemned.
- Connection to previous
- Judgment.
May we all hear when our Shepherd calls in persuasive and tender tones, so that while there is time we hurry, all of us, and find him, our mighty defender! Have mercy on us, Jesus!
'My sheep hear my voice' (John 10:27). The call comes 'in accents persuasive and tender' — the Gospel, not coercion. 'While there is time' — 2 Cor 6:2; Heb 3:15. 'Mighty Defender' — the Shepherd protects. The refrain 'Have mercy upon us, O Jesus!' is the Kyrie — the right posture for all who come to the feast.
- Scripture
- John 10:27, 2 Cor 6:2, Heb 3:15, Isa 55:6
- Imagery & language
- Shepherd's call; haste.
- Law / Gospel
- Gospel — the tender call.
- Connection to previous
- Appeal.
May we swell the crowd of the ransomed to whom he has granted forgiveness! May God graciously let us dwell in heaven and save us from endless ruin. Have mercy on us, Jesus!
'The ransomed' (Isa 35:10; Rev 5:9). 'Granted remission' — forgiveness as gift (Eph 1:7). 'Graciously' — even entrance to heaven is grace. The refrain 'Have mercy upon us, O Jesus!' is the Kyrie — the right posture for all who come to the feast.
- Scripture
- Isa 35:10, Rev 5:9, Rev 7:9-10, Eph 1:7
- Imagery & language
- Throng of the ransomed.
- Law / Gospel
- Gospel — ransom and remission.
- Connection to previous
- Prayer.
God grant that I may remain in the merciful keeping of his infinite love and sit with the King at his table above when I am sleeping here in the grave. Have mercy on us, Jesus!
Perseverance as God's 'keeping' (1 Pet 1:5). 'Sit with the King at His table above' — the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev 19:9; Luke 22:30). 'In the grave… sleeping' — death as sleep (1 Thess 4:14). The first person 'I' makes the prayer personal. The refrain 'Have mercy upon us, O Jesus!' is the Kyrie — the right posture for all who come to the feast.
- Scripture
- 1 Pet 1:5, Rev 19:9, Luke 22:30, 1 Thess 4:14
- Imagery & language
- Keeping; table; sleep.
- Law / Gospel
- Gospel — perseverance and the heavenly feast.
- Connection to previous
- Personal prayer.
All trials will then be like a past dream, all trouble and sorrow forgotten; all questions and doubts will be answered at last; then eternity's morning dawns. Have mercy on us, Jesus!
Ps 126:1: 'like those who dream.' Rev 21:4: sorrow ends. 'All questions and doubts have been answered' — 1 Cor 13:12, 'then I shall know fully.' The theodicy question is not answered now but will be then. 'Eternity's morrow' — the dawn of the eternal day. The refrain 'Have mercy upon us, O Jesus!' is the Kyrie — the right posture for all who come to the feast.
- Scripture
- Ps 126:1, Rev 21:4, 1 Cor 13:12, Isa 65:17
- Imagery & language
- Dream; answered questions; morning.
- Law / Gospel
- Gospel — eternal resolution.
- Connection to previous
- Eternity.
Heaven will ring with an anthem grander than any ever recorded on earth; the Lord's blessed will receive from his hand the crown awarded to victors. Have mercy on us, Jesus!
The new song of Rev 5:9-13; 14:3. 'The crown to the victors' — 2 Tim 4:8; Rev 2:10 — given 'at His hand,' a gift of grace. Even at the end, the refrain remains 'Have mercy' — the saints' crown is mercy's gift. The refrain 'Have mercy upon us, O Jesus!' is the Kyrie — the right posture for all who come to the feast.
- Scripture
- Rev 5:9-13, Rev 14:3, 2 Tim 4:8, Rev 2:10
- Imagery & language
- Anthem; crown.
- Law / Gospel
- Gospel — eternal praise and crown.
- Connection to previous
- Crown.
Themes
Universal salvation The Gentiles received into the kingdom Eschatology and final judgment God's inclusive grace