Title: Jesus, Priceless Treasure
Author: Johann Franck, 1618-1677
German title: Jesu, meine Freude
Translation: Catherine Winkworth, 1829-1878
Relevant Scripture verse: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” – Matthew 6:19-21 ESV
1 Jesus, priceless treasure, Source of purest pleasure, Truest friend to me:
Ah, how long I've panted, And my heart has fainted, Thirsting, Lord, for thee!
Thine I am, O spotless Lamb; I will suffer nought to hide thee, Nought I ask beside thee.
2 In thine arm I rest me; Foes who would molest me Cannot reach me here.
Though the earth be shaking, Ev'ry heart be quaking, Jesus calms my fear.
Sin and hell in conflict fell With their bitter storms assail me, Jesus will not fail me.
3 Hence, all fears and sadness, For the Lord of gladness, Jesus, enters in.
Those who love the Father, Though the storms may gather, Still have peace within.
Yea, whate'er I here must bear, Still in thee lies purest pleasure, Jesus, priceless
treasure!
As is the case with many hymns, this one by the German Lutheran pastor Johann Franck and translated by Catherine Winkworth has been sung to different tunes, which are popular in different parts of the world. In the Lutheran congregation of my youth, I was somewhat familiar with the text of this hymn, though it was always sung to a different tune than the one in the first video below. I was accustomed to the sweeter and calmer tune by the Norwegian musician Ludvig M. Lindemann (1812-1887). Understandably, congregations of Norwegian Lutheran heritage have a somewhat different musical heritage than their German Lutheran counterparts. Speaking from my own experience, an often-difficult lesson for new pastors is learning that different congregations have different backgrounds and traditions and recognizing the importance of honoring those traditions.
At the same time, there is value in learning new things as a way of expanding our horizons. This is true for both congregations and individuals. It was not until my sojourn in Germany as a pastoral intern in 2005-2005 that I became familiar with the original tune to which these words were sung, composed by Johann Crüger (1598-1662). Hearing it for the first time was a bit jarring for me, to be honest. This tune is harsher sounding, yet arguably better captures the theme of spiritual warfare expressed in the text.
Among the many things unfamiliar to me in the German context was the German hymn tradition. Though many of these hymns were new to me at the time, they began to grow on me over the course of that year, and some have left a lasting mark on my soul. My internship supervisor that year was the German pastor at the St. Thomas (Lutheran) Church in Leipzig, which is the historic congregation of the great composer Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). Like many German hymns of the generations before Bach, Franck’s hymn was made famous by Bach’s motet version, and my supervisor often spoke of this hymn as his personal favorite.
Catherine Winkworth’s translation of Franck’s hymn is not the most literal; translating hymns eloquently is indeed challenging. Literally, the German title (Jesu, meine Freude) means “Jesus, my joy.” There being no way to fit these words to the tune, she settled on “Jesus, Priceless Treasure.” Though not literal, Winkworth nonetheless did a marvelous job at capturing the overall sense of the German original. The concept of “treasure” is drawn from the fourth verse of the German text. The original text also speaks in the third verse about the “old dragon,” a reference to Satan. The translation expresses this by reference to foes who would molest me and how sin and hell in conflict fell. Christians place trust for their salvation not in themselves, but in God alone.
Frank’s hymn is one of trust in God in the face of challenge and even disaster. There is no denying the harshness of life and the reality of loss. The hymn is a comforting message of God’s presence through the gift of Jesus Christ. The original text speaks of finding refuge in this good news by standing under the “umbrella” of this message. Yet we also know that temptation and despair come not only through outward loss. Sometimes earthly comfort poses and equally serious danger to our souls in the way it leads us away from God, who is the source of our blessings. What is of utmost importance to us? What is our treasure? During our earthly sojourns, we are called to find in Jesus the greatest treasure and to thirst for his grace both in times of trial and ease.
You can access below a video of the text sung to the original German tune JESU MEINE FREUDE: https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?&q=Jesus%2c+priceless+treasure&&mid=9C0DE54F4B95D4F923BD9C0DE54F4B95D4F923BD&&FORM=VRDGAR
You can access here a video of the hymn sung to the Norwegian tune GUD SKAL ALTING MAGE by Ludvig Lindeman: https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?&q=jesus+priceless+treasure+gud+skal+alting+mage&&mid=6212EE64A1388C35849B6212EE64A1388C35849B&&FORM=VRDGAR
Author: Johann Franck, 1618-1677
German title: Jesu, meine Freude
Translation: Catherine Winkworth, 1829-1878
Relevant Scripture verse: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” – Matthew 6:19-21 ESV
1 Jesus, priceless treasure, Source of purest pleasure, Truest friend to me:
Ah, how long I've panted, And my heart has fainted, Thirsting, Lord, for thee!
Thine I am, O spotless Lamb; I will suffer nought to hide thee, Nought I ask beside thee.
2 In thine arm I rest me; Foes who would molest me Cannot reach me here.
Though the earth be shaking, Ev'ry heart be quaking, Jesus calms my fear.
Sin and hell in conflict fell With their bitter storms assail me, Jesus will not fail me.
3 Hence, all fears and sadness, For the Lord of gladness, Jesus, enters in.
Those who love the Father, Though the storms may gather, Still have peace within.
Yea, whate'er I here must bear, Still in thee lies purest pleasure, Jesus, priceless
treasure!
As is the case with many hymns, this one by the German Lutheran pastor Johann Franck and translated by Catherine Winkworth has been sung to different tunes, which are popular in different parts of the world. In the Lutheran congregation of my youth, I was somewhat familiar with the text of this hymn, though it was always sung to a different tune than the one in the first video below. I was accustomed to the sweeter and calmer tune by the Norwegian musician Ludvig M. Lindemann (1812-1887). Understandably, congregations of Norwegian Lutheran heritage have a somewhat different musical heritage than their German Lutheran counterparts. Speaking from my own experience, an often-difficult lesson for new pastors is learning that different congregations have different backgrounds and traditions and recognizing the importance of honoring those traditions.
At the same time, there is value in learning new things as a way of expanding our horizons. This is true for both congregations and individuals. It was not until my sojourn in Germany as a pastoral intern in 2005-2005 that I became familiar with the original tune to which these words were sung, composed by Johann Crüger (1598-1662). Hearing it for the first time was a bit jarring for me, to be honest. This tune is harsher sounding, yet arguably better captures the theme of spiritual warfare expressed in the text.
Among the many things unfamiliar to me in the German context was the German hymn tradition. Though many of these hymns were new to me at the time, they began to grow on me over the course of that year, and some have left a lasting mark on my soul. My internship supervisor that year was the German pastor at the St. Thomas (Lutheran) Church in Leipzig, which is the historic congregation of the great composer Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). Like many German hymns of the generations before Bach, Franck’s hymn was made famous by Bach’s motet version, and my supervisor often spoke of this hymn as his personal favorite.
Catherine Winkworth’s translation of Franck’s hymn is not the most literal; translating hymns eloquently is indeed challenging. Literally, the German title (Jesu, meine Freude) means “Jesus, my joy.” There being no way to fit these words to the tune, she settled on “Jesus, Priceless Treasure.” Though not literal, Winkworth nonetheless did a marvelous job at capturing the overall sense of the German original. The concept of “treasure” is drawn from the fourth verse of the German text. The original text also speaks in the third verse about the “old dragon,” a reference to Satan. The translation expresses this by reference to foes who would molest me and how sin and hell in conflict fell. Christians place trust for their salvation not in themselves, but in God alone.
Frank’s hymn is one of trust in God in the face of challenge and even disaster. There is no denying the harshness of life and the reality of loss. The hymn is a comforting message of God’s presence through the gift of Jesus Christ. The original text speaks of finding refuge in this good news by standing under the “umbrella” of this message. Yet we also know that temptation and despair come not only through outward loss. Sometimes earthly comfort poses and equally serious danger to our souls in the way it leads us away from God, who is the source of our blessings. What is of utmost importance to us? What is our treasure? During our earthly sojourns, we are called to find in Jesus the greatest treasure and to thirst for his grace both in times of trial and ease.
You can access below a video of the text sung to the original German tune JESU MEINE FREUDE: https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?&q=Jesus%2c+priceless+treasure&&mid=9C0DE54F4B95D4F923BD9C0DE54F4B95D4F923BD&&FORM=VRDGAR
You can access here a video of the hymn sung to the Norwegian tune GUD SKAL ALTING MAGE by Ludvig Lindeman: https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?&q=jesus+priceless+treasure+gud+skal+alting+mage&&mid=6212EE64A1388C35849B6212EE64A1388C35849B&&FORM=VRDGAR