Banished From Sanctuary by Blind Guardian

I am doing this to bring to light songs that resonate with me and either have direct story telling of the Bible or Christian spiritual reference.  I start with the song that really got me started into finding my faith again, Banished from Sanctuary by Blind Guardian.  This one is fairly straightforward delving into what John the Baptist must have thought when he was in prison while Jesus was out teaching.  Jesus even points out that even John in all his faith still has doubts when his disciples ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall I look for another?” (Matthew 11:3).  

First off I just want to say that this is my interpretation of the song. I did some research on what Hansi Kursh of Blind Guardian (who wrote the lyrics) had in mind when he wrote them.  What we do know for sure is he has confirmed it is about John the Baptist.  Blind Guardian used to have a Lyrics FAQ section on their website and below is the entry for this song -

"Based on the life of John the Baptist, particularly his imprisonment and death."

Blind Guardian typically tells stories in their songs ranging from Tolkien to Stephen King to other myths/stories/history.  Whether he wrote this song out of faith or just respect to the early religious figures I don’t know.  In an interview with Metal Covenant he also said the quote below so I suppose we don’t know his intentions when he wrote this.  

“When I was young, I had a very overactive imagination. I came from a big family, so I was always discovering new possibilities. I was forced to deal with religion and find the ultimate truth out for myself. This resulted in a great deal of reading, and soul searching.”  Metal Covenenat

I recommend you listen to the song and the lyrics for yourself, here is a YouTube link with some visuals.

The first verse sets up the stage:

In deserts I was preaching

The hand of God was with me

Baptized with water and I praised

The one who came behind me

To save us all with the holy ghost

A prophet of the fools I've been lost

John was preaching in the desert about the coming of the Messiah and he was only paving the way for him (John 1:15).  John baptized with water and praised the one who would come after him (John 1:26-27).  John told them that He would baptize with the Holy Spirit to save all who believed (John 32-34).  The last line is fairly open to interpretation but I see it as “a Prophet of the fools” as he (John) being a prophet and the religious leader of the time the “fools”.  Him being lost may be his time in imprisonment?

The second verse is much more what John could have been feeling in his cell where he was held captive.

I'm sure you're there wandering around

But do you care for me, I'm alone?

You talk of love not for me

In my dungeon cold, I could think about

All the things you've said

But I can't understand, you famous son

It is an incredible sacrifice to know that your life is given just so that Jesus can give his life to save us all!  Jesus even acknowledges this in Matthew 11:4-6 where he basically tells them “go back and tell John of the miracles and he will believe.”  If even John can stumble in his faith knowing what his path was and giving up his whole life for it how then are we to believe we will never stumble?  The fact is we will and He knows we will but He is always there to help us back up along the path He has for us.

This next line and chorus I struggle with.

I left the way of Heaven

Or did you lead me from it?

No, no turning back

I'm banished from sanctuary

The darkness in me is filling me with pain

There's no way to turn back for eternity

“I left the way of Heaven or did you lead me from it?” hits hard.  Perhaps he is questioning that if Jesus was not the Messiah and he did this for the wrong person he will have been led astray?   Again we go back to being imprisoned and alone.  John was to lead the way for the Messiah to free us all and yet here he was imprisoned while Jesus was out preaching and gaining followers.  It’s enough to make the strongest man question the world around him.  He must have felt like he was banished from the very things he was trying to bring into the world and would not reap any benefits from it on this Earth.  He was “banished” from the Lord's presence (or at least that must be what it felt like) in his dungeon cell. 

In the next verse he really delves into his own doubts again.

In shadows I'm walking

And caught in loneliness

Deliverance I wait for but how long?

Are you the one who should come?

Show me the light in you

Or should we wait for someone another?

Here again we refer directly back to Matthew 11:3 where we see the last line “or should we wait for someone, another?”.  We all like to believe that we could hold out and keep faith but the reality is we are all broken people.  We will fail.  It doesn’t mean we don’t try but in tough times we need others to help us through those who are going through good times.  That’s a big point of the community of the Church, if we see another Brother or Sister struggling we help them through those times.  We cannot do it alone, we need Jesus and we need our community around us to help.  Of course John was alone in a cold, damp dungeon that was not comfortable at all.

We have another chorus and then a very heavy verse.

Your reich should come to this world

Your way smoothed by my blood, friend

My might will decrease but you'll get high

Yes, so much higher, be careful of the rats

Friend 'cause they'll never sleep

Before they catch you

Here John seems to accept his fate that he is going to die but it will help continue to pave the way for Jesus to do what He needs to do.  “Your way smoothed by my blood friend” seems to be that acceptance.  “My might will decrease while you’ll get high” is another reference to him accepting that it’s his time to die and for Jesus to ascend and do what He needs to.  The last lines I believe is a warning that the religious leaders will never stop until they catch him, which of course was already predestined.

The next verse I believe is Jesus and not John in his response to the question if they should “wait for another”.

Blind can see the sun, cripples walk alone

Deaf can hear my words, they believe, just believe

They believe in me, look, the signs are near

To perform my task, to perform my way

To perform the way I walked, way of the crucifix

The first two lines are easy, they are His direct reply (Matthew 11:4-6).  The last few words, to me, are a plea to just look at the signs and believe.  Don’t rely on your own logic, rely on the Lord.  “Look at what I’ve done, that is enough for you to believe!”  The next three lines are Jesus essentially saying these people all believe, the signs of the Prophets are here and now I must perform my task.  That was of course his path to crucifixion to shed His blood for all of us poor sinners so that we may be saved.  

Finally the last two lines before the final chorus.

I hear the hangman coming

I wait for execution

I feel here that we hope that John came to some kind of peace that Jesus was truly the Messiah and John had performed his task to pave the way.  In the series The Chosen John sees a vision of a lamb which represents Jesus of course giving him some comfort in his last moments.  Of course we do not truly know what John felt in his cell but it is clear from scripture that he did second guess himself, his role and if Jesus was truly the Messiah.  Can we blame him?  He was rotting in a prison cell because he did what he thought was right in calling out King Herod and possibly thought he was being ignored.  We all like to think we would be stoic but in reality would we even have confronted Herod for lust?  Or would we have just gone back to the wilderness in the safety of our followers?