King Wenceslas was raised by his grandmother, a Christian in a pagan landscape. By the time “Good King Wenceslas” was written, he had been dead for several centuries, yet the song remains popular and poignant within the Christian Christmas canon. What is its significance so many years after King Wenceslas existed?
In this modern age, Christians often feel like the situation for believers has never been worse. They imagine the world has never been more secular, more violent, or antagonistic towards Christians.
The fact is Christianity has always met with resistance. In Matthew 10:34, Christ declared, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.”
And so, it was with the King of Bohemia, who ruled during the early 10th century. His grandmother was murdered by the king’s mother, and the king would eventually be martyred at the hands of his own brother.
The Christian faith has always brought with it the brutal reality of division and sacrifice. A little research into the background of this simple carol helps to put the world’s situation into perspective and also provide a picture of the Christian answer to suffering: bring help.
Much of what historians know about King Wenceslas of Bohemia is legend, but what facts exist suggest that he tried to be a good king. The lyrics of the Christmas carol “Good King Wenceslas” are based on what is supposed to be a true story.
On the Feast of St. Stephen (December 26), Wenceslas looked out of his window into the cold expanse before him and saw a poor man who appeared to be in need of some help.
Thomas Acreman wrote that the king wished to bring him “food and firewood” and proposes that this story is not merely legend: it is part of the monarch’s biography.
According to the song, Wenceslas “asks a page if he knows who the man is. The page responds that the man lives a long distance from here, at the base of a mountain.”
With the assistance of this page, Wenceslas sets off for the man’s home with food and wood. But the page, struggling against the cold with his heavy load, requires encouragement too.
Legend claims that Wenceslas went ahead of the servant to shield him from the weather and to forge a path so the young man was able to walk more easily. “As the page walks in the King's footsteps, he is pleasantly warmed,” Acreman explained.
Whether this is true or not, King Wenceslas of Bohemia is reported to have been a God-fearing King with a warm heart toward those in need.
When someone is truly kind and loving in order to exemplify Christ’s own sacrificial kindness, he or she leaves an enduring legacy. Such was the case with King Wenceslas.
Although the tune was written independently of the lyrics and was first published about six centuries after the king’s death, “It wasn't until 1853 that English hymn writer John Mason Neale used the story of King Wenceslas [...] combined with the Tempus Adest Floridum melody [...] to create the Good King Wenceslas carol that we enjoy today” (Ibid).
Wenceslas’s actions during his reign were significant enough to be immortalized in song even after many centuries had passed. The Apostle John wrote, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (3 John 1:4).
Paul wrote to the church at Philippi, “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me — practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:9).
Boaz had heard good reports about Ruth, and so he said to her, “Do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman” (Ruth 3:11).
The objective of a faithful believer is to obey God and to spread his glory by the way one acts and speaks. By deflecting credit back to Christ, this gives the non-believer a picture of who we believe Jesus is, potentially sparking interest that can lead to salvation.
When a person or a group does this consistently and humbly, people remember, and Christ’s fame spreads.
So does his influence: people are encouraged to bring real help to those in need, and to consider others more significant than themselves (Philippians 2:3). They also know where to look for help when they need it.
When the meaning of Christmas seems to be lost amid commercials and party invitations, the words of Good King Wenceslas are a reminder of the season’s real purpose: to share the gift of the Good News in tangible, immediate ways with those who are hungry, cold, and hurting.
“Bring me pine logs hither/Thou and I will see him dine when we bear them thither.” To do so is to bring blessing into one’s own life. Therefore, Christian men, be sure/Wealth or rank possessing/ Ye who now will bless the poor/ Shall yourselves find blessing.”
God blesses those who look after the weak and the poor. This is our command from Jesus, and we submit to his command because, when we care for others in need, we are showing our love for him also: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (Matthew 25:35).
Showing love to strangers, giving up our time and money, enduring any kind of suffering or sacrifice in the name of Jesus: these are difficult.
God knows this to be true. The king’s page remarks, “Sire, the night is darker now/and the wind blows stronger/ Fails my heart, I know not how/ I can go no longer.”
He is honest to his master, declaring, perhaps through shuddering lips and chattering teeth, that the job ahead of them is too hard.
But the master, rather than chiding the well-fed servant of his court, helps him. “Mark my footsteps my good page/ tread thou in them boldly/ Thou shalt find the winter's rage/.
freeze thy blood less coldly.”
And the journey became easier. The path was clear, and the king took the brunt of the cold wind. What we hear is that we follow a servant King who will not send us anywhere he would not willingly go himself. He will not ask us to suffer what he has not already suffered.
Christ goes before us even now; we are not expected to demonstrate super-human strength in the face of obstacles. Even when our love is threatened by hardship, Christ will step in to revive our hearts.
But we must recognize our weaknesses and ask for help. The song’s protagonist answers a need, which the page articulates. The same is true for Christians. We are invited to call on the name of the Lord and experience his mercy, his grace, and his leadership.
This is not to say we will never walk in the storm, face cold, or endure hardship. He has made a way; however, Christ goes ahead of us if we are following him, not trying to get to the head of the line and mark our own path.
When we are following him, sometimes others are following us, which provides an even greater incentive to stay on the path marked out by Jesus.
What it boils down to is this: in the words of Commissioner William W. Francis, “What can we do this Christmas to reach out and be a Wenceslas to others? Who will find warmth, life, and love as they cross our paths this Christmas?”
Francis exhorts believers at Christmas to connect with both loved ones and strangers, especially those who are lonely, “Connecting with others will bring joy to your world.”
Invite someone over, and don’t worry if your meal is not five-star, your plates are mismatched, or you live in a tiny apartment. Serve others and “proclaim anew the reason for the season. This Christmas, let your world know that the Saviour, Christ the Lord, is born.”
For further reading:
What Can We Learn from Old Christmas Hymns?
What Is the Purpose of Singing Hymns?
10 Classic Christmas Hymns to Renew Your Holiday Spirit
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