Hymn Reflection: Christ Jesus Lay in Death’s Strong Bands
Christ Jesus lay in death’s strong bands,
for our offenses given;
but now at God’s right hand he stands
and brings us life from heaven;
therefore let us joyful be
and sing to God right thankfully
loud songs of hallelujah. Hallelujah!
Origin
In 1524 while preparing for his German mass, Martin Luther penned this hymn. Court composer, Johann Walther, is credited for the tune of the hymn which is also known as “CHRIST LAG IN TODESBANDEN”. This is an adaptation of medieval chant used for “Victimae Paschali laudes” (the sequence for Easter). It is similar to to “CHRIST IST ERSTANDEN” or “Christ Is Arisen”; both intended for the Easter season, specifically Easter morning. In early usage, the choir would sing the sequence in Latin with the congregation following with a popular German folk song called leise.
Theological Context
This hymn reflects on the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross, as well as the glory of his resurrection. Christ’s rising from the grave is expressed through the “strong bands” of death being broken. In stanza two, a “strange and dreadful strife” is between the power of life and death, yet the victory is in life because death was “stripped of power”; the sting of death (1 Cor. 15:56) “is lost forever”. Stanza three refers to the “Paschal Lamb”, this term here used for Christ is representative of the animal sacrifice used at Passover in the Old Testament; where the blood of the lamb over the doorpost saved the Jews from destruction the, blood of Christ covers us and saves us from eternal damnation. Rejoicing continues because “Christ himself is the joy of all”; “the Sun” [considered a pun in English but not in German] both warms and lights us and “the night of sin is ended.”
So let us keep the festival
whereto the Lord invites us;
Christ is himself the Joy of all,
the Sun that warms and lights us.
By his grace he doth impart
eternal sunshine to the heart;
the night of sin is ended. Hallelujah!
In Worship
Though intended for the Easter season, I believe this hymn can be sung corporately at any time of the year as it is always appropriate to reflect and remember the ultimate sacrifice Christ made on Calvary. In the original German text there are seven stanzas, but once translated to English, it is more come the singing of five. The traditional organ setting as well as contemporary arrangements can be used in the worship setting; you will see examples of both below.
