This gospel song was written by someone who loved teaching children. Priscilla Owens was a Baltimore public school teacher for forty-nine years and was involved with the Sunday school at her church for fifty years. The Union Square Methodist Church was planning a special missions service for Sunday school. An exciting missionary song that could be sung by children as well as adults was needed.
Miss Owens was asked to write the song. She’d written poetry and prose on a wide range of topics, including Civil War ballads, religious verse, simple hymns, and Sunday school songs for children. Many of her works were published in the Methodist Protestant, the Christian Standard, and in Baltimore newspapers. The song she wrote for this occasion has been sung worldwide, proclaiming the message that “Jesus Saves.”
“Jesus Saves” was originally sung to a melody from Meyerbeer’s French opera, “Les Huguenots.” The song, as it’s known today, first appeared in “Songs of Redeeming Love” in 1882, and the enthusiastic melody was composed by William J. Kirkpatrick. Kirkpatrick was born in Ireland in 1838 but grew up in Pennsylvania. He became involved in the music-publishing business, composing and editing Christian songs. It’s believed that he published almost ninety songbooks with sales totaling millions.
“Jesus Saves” reminds the believer of the responsibility to share the message that only Jesus saves. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12). Sharing the message of salvation can be met with resistance, but Paul challenges the Christian: For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth (Romans 1:16). May this joyful song encourage Christians to share the news to everyone everywhere that Jesus saves. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10).
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