We Have Been Told
We have been told, we've seen his face,
Theologically, "We Have Been Told" is saturated with the Johannine theology of abiding: the mutual indwelling of Christ and the believer that is central to Jesus's Farewell Discourse. The refrain proclaims that an encounter with the risen Christ — having seen his face, heard his name, and received his Spirit — constitutes a permanent transformation: "we will never be the same." This is essentially a baptismal and pneumatological claim, making the hymn well-suited to Lutheran contexts that emphasize the efficacy of the Word and Sacraments as genuine divine encounter rather than merely human religious experience. The vine-and-branches metaphor of stanza two (John 15:1–5) carries a dual theological weight that Lutheran musicians will recognize in Law/Gospel terms: the sharp Johannine warning that "without my love you can do nothing" functions as both Law (exposing human incapacity) and Gospel (grounding fruitfulness entirely in Christ's sustaining life). Stanzas three and four draw on John 14's promise of dwelling and abiding love, language that resonates deeply with Lutheran theologies of promise (promissio) — God's Word as the reliable foundation of Christian life. The final stanza's echo of John 15:13 ("no greater love than to lay down one's life for a friend") points toward the cross without naming it, which Lutheran preachers may wish to make explicit. In ecumenical Lutheran use, this hymn functions most powerfully as a Gospel proclamation and response: the encounter with the living Christ (refrain) grounds the imperatives of love and abiding (stanzas). Care should be taken not to read the stanzas as conditions for relationship but as descriptions of the life that flows from the gift already given — a reading the text itself supports when the refrain is understood as the theological center from which all stanzas radiate.
History & Background
"We Have Been Told" was composed by David Haas in 1983 and published by GIA Publications. The text draws extensively from the Farewell Discourse of Jesus in the Gospel of John (chapters 14–15), weaving together several of the most intimate sayings of Jesus to his disciples on the night before his death. It became one of Haas's most enduring and widely-used compositions in Catholic parish worship in the United States during the post-Vatican II renewal era, finding a home particularly in Ordinary Time, the Easter season, and sacramental celebrations. The hymn emerged during the flourishing of the contemporary Catholic folk-hymn tradition in North America, a movement shaped by composers such as Marty Haugen, Dan Schutte, and Haas himself — all associated with GIA Publications or Oregon Catholic Press. "We Have Been Told" was quickly taken up in parish hymnals including the Gather series, where it has appeared across multiple editions, and Worship IV. Its refrain-and-verse structure, characteristic of the St. Louis Jesuits' influence on Catholic hymnody, made it accessible for congregational and choir use alike. Ecumenically, the hymn has been used in broadly ecumenical contexts, youth ministry, and campus ministry settings across Protestant and Catholic traditions, largely because its text is so thoroughly grounded in the Johannine discourses rather than in specifically Catholic doctrinal language. Lutheran musicians have found it particularly suitable for Easter season use and for occasions emphasizing the Christian's relationship to Christ as the vine, as well as for rites of baptism and first communion.
Hymnal Appearances
- Gather 3rd Edition — 831
- Gather 4th Edition — 836
- Worship IV — 831
Bulletin Note
Text and music by David Haas (b. 1957), GIA Publications, 1983. Based on John 14–15, the Farewell Discourse of Jesus.
Preaching Connection
On any Sunday when the vine-and-branches text appears (John 15), this hymn is a natural sermon partner, embodying in song the transition from command to gift — from "you must bear fruit" to "I am the one who makes you fruitful." It also serves well when preaching the Farewell Discourse's promises about the Spirit, the prepared dwelling, or the peace Christ leaves as inheritance.
Catechism & Confessional Connections
- The Definition & Command of Baptism Small Catechism — Holy Baptism
Themes
abiding in Christ vine and branches discipleship Easter baptismal identity the Holy Spirit Christian community love of neighbor promise of Christ self-giving love Farewell Discourse friendship with God