Jesus My Great High Priest
Jesus my great High Priest
The hymn articulates the Lutheran understanding of Christ as the perfect High Priest whose single sacrifice supersedes the Levitical priesthood and grants believers direct access to God. It emphasizes Christ's ongoing intercession and the sufficiency of His work for salvation without human merit or priestly mediation.
History & Background
Written by Isaac Watts and published in his Hymns and Spiritual Songs (1709), this hymn expounds the priestly work of Christ as developed in Hebrews. It became widely adopted in evangelical Protestant hymnals throughout the 18th and 19th centuries.
Hymnal Appearances
- Lutheran Worship — 277
- Trinity Hymnal — 306
- The Lutheran Hymnal — 220
Bulletin Note
Isaac Watts (1674–1748) penned this hymn in 1709, celebrating Christ as the antitype of Israel's Levitical priesthood—a distinctly Protestant articulation of justification through Christ's finished work alone.
Preaching Connection
This hymn proclaims the gospel's heart: Christ's single, sufficient sacrifice abolishes the need for human merit or repeated works, granting believers the freedom and confidence to approach God directly through grace alone.
Stanza Arc
The narrative or theological arc traced by this tune's stanzas: Christ's forty-day fast as pattern for believer's Lenten struggle against sin, culminating in Easter resurrection hope
Themes
Christ's priesthood Atonement Intercession Access to God Sacrifice