We typically enjoy Handel\u2019s Messiah <\/em>during Christmastime. After all, how often is it sung by church choirs in December or hummed in festive homes as Bluetooth speakers showcase its music? Rarely, if ever, do we hear the Hallelujah chorus in March. But did you know that Handel did not<\/em> write the Messiah as a Christmas offering?<\/p>\n\n\n\n You may know Messiah <\/em>combines Handel\u2019s exquisite music with Charles Jennens\u2019 erudite libretto (i.e. the sung text). However, you may not know this text covers the full gamut of Jesus\u2019s story arc: his birth, life, suffering, death, resurrection, ascension, and victorious second coming. Thus, the content of Messiah <\/em>is broadly Christological \u2013 not merely incarnational. In fact, the first performance of Messiah <\/em>happened not during Advent season, but during Eastertide. It was performed in Dublin on April 13, 1742, just 19 days after Easter. [1]<\/a><\/sup> Surely this was not an accident on Handel\u2019s part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In his Messiah<\/em>, the resurrection plays a vital but subtle role. Only one brief section is dedicated to Christ\u2019s resurrection. But as in Scripture, the resurrection of Christ is used as the joyful hinge upon which every blessing for God\u2019s people turns: from exile to freedom, from darkness to light, from death to life. Indeed, the whole Christian faith stands or falls with the bodily resurrection of Jesus. If not for the resurrection, there would be no vindication, ascension, and exaltation for Christ nor for His people (cf. 1 Cor. 15:14\u201319).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even musically, keen listeners will pick up on a striking transition. Until the resurrection is introduced, the music of Messiah <\/em>is almost entirely in a minor key. But when the resurrection is first examined, the music makes a happy transition. Calvin Stapert says that it\u2019s at this point \u201cthe full-blown A major of the aria \u2018But thou didst not leave\u2019 is like full sunlight after a long night.\u201d[2]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n How does Handel\u2019s Messiah <\/em>invite its listeners to understand and rejoice in Christ\u2019s resurrection? Let\u2019s reflect on this by first looking at the forest, before considering the trees. We will briefly review the resurrection theme in the broader context of Jennens\u2019 text. Then we will explore Jennens\u2019 particular use of Psalm 16 and 24 to highlight the resurrection, before concluding with reflections for the modern Christian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jennens\u2019 libretto is divided into three sections. Part 1 describes the birth and life of Jesus; part 2 revels in Jesus\u2019 suffering, death, resurrection, ascension, and exaltation; part 3 returns to themes of resurrection, though with an emphasis on the final resurrection of God\u2019s people. In particular, sections 31\u201333 speak via Scripture about Jesus\u2019 death, resurrection, and subsequent vindication and victory:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jennens\u2019 text devotes sections 22\u201330 to the suffering of Christ, exploring short bursts of mainly Old Testament texts, such as Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53. Nine pieces of music are dedicated to the suffering of Christ, while only one is dedicated to the death of Christ. This abrupt transition then quickly ushers in the good news of Jesus\u2019 resurrection by way of Psalm 16:10 and Psalm 24:7\u201310. The Messiah<\/em> takes no time to dig into the details of the earthquake, the burial, the guards, the angels, or the Mary\u2019s. Instead, Jennens prods us to ponder the resurrection through the anticipatory eyes of Psalms 16 and 24. Because these are psalms, they inspire worship and not just affirmation of supernatural events. As such, they are quite fitting for Handel\u2019s purposes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Messiah\u2019s<\/em> Use of Psalm 16<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Jennens\u2019 choice of Psalm 16 to introduce the resurrection is masterful, as this psalm is pregnant with meaning. His selection invites the thoughtful listener to not only consider David\u2019s original song, but to consider it in light of Peter\u2019s Pentecost sermon (Acts 2:24\u201327) and Paul\u2019s Antioch sermon (Acts 13:35).<\/p>\n\n\n\n In its initial context, David pens Psalm 16 to help his original singers to say \u201cyou are my Lord\u201d (Ps. 16:1\u20134) and then \u201cyou are my portion\u201d (Ps. 16:5\u20138). This commitment to God, which brings about this contentment in God, then results in a great confidence in God (Ps. 16:9\u201311). \u201cYou are my Lord\u201d and \u201cyou are my portion\u201d lead to this effusive, joyful outburst:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n my flesh also dwells secure.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n or let your holy one see corruption.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Why is David\u2019s body shaking with joy? David is confident that God won\u2019t let him waste away in hell. God has been David\u2019s refuge, portion, and counselor in this life (Ps. 16:1, 2, 5). This Psalm promises that He will be David\u2019s refuge, portion, and counselor forever<\/em>. It\u2019s this rock-solid conviction that brings him this body-shaking joy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Interestingly, the Apostles Peter and Paul both argued that David could not be talking about himself in Psalm 16:10. David is dead after all! His body has decayed somewhere in ancient Palestine. His muscles, skin, and tissue have rotted away and turned into dust.[4]<\/a><\/sup> So Peter in Acts 2:24\u201327 contends that David must have been speaking of His descendant Jesus, who did not stay in the tomb nor experience decay. Peter states in Acts 2 that David was a prophet who knew God would raise up a descendant of his who would sit on the throne. So somehow David saw in his own life a pattern, a type of One to come. He had an expectation that the promised King would live out the fulfillment of Psalm 16:10.[5]<\/a><\/sup> It\u2019s not only David that would be raised one day; there would be Another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jennens could have chosen for his soprano to sing \u201cI am the Resurrection and the life\u201d (John 11:25) or \u201cFor as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive\u201d (1 Cor. 15:22) or a host of other appropriate texts. But instead he shrewdly chose a passage that not only prophecies of the Greater David\u2019s resurrection, but bids us to consider our own preservation. Jennens likely had two resurrections in mind: Christ\u2019s and Christ\u2019s Bride. Psalm 16 invites us to consider both. Jesus would be both the firstfruits of the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:23) and the firstborn of God\u2019s new creation (Col. 1:15). We who are united to him are the second crop and the second born. So Christians who sing Psalm 16 may glory in their eternal preservation, on the basis of Christ\u2019s preservation. More on this later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Messiah\u2019s<\/em> Use of Psalm 24<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Like a dam finally bursting, the entire chorus bursts forth in loud response to Ps. 16:10 with Ps. 24:7\u201310:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lift up your heads, O ye gates; <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n and the King of glory shall come in. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Who is this King of glory? <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Lord strong and mighty, <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n the Lord mighty in battle.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n The celebratory nature of this chorus makes it the culmination of the resurrection scene. Mark Roberts comments that \u201cnow all of heaven is being summoned to receive the risen Christ into glory.\u201d[6]<\/a><\/sup> According to Roger Bullard, this chorus \u201chymns the resurrection of Messiah, the Anointed One.\u201d[7]<\/a><\/sup> Ps. 24:7\u201310 depicts a vindicated King, returning from battle victorious. Is this not what Peter announced at Pentecost? \u201cLet all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified\u201d (Acts 2:36). Psalm 24 reminds us that Easter is not only about resurrection; it is also about vindication. Easter teaches that the cross will turn into the crown, for Christ first and then all who are in him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n David\u2019s original readers would have understood Psalm 24\u2019s as fitting a liturgical occasion, perhaps bringing to mind the celebration of David bringing the Ark of Covenant back to Jerusalem (cf. 2 Samuel 6). In antiphonal manner, the procession makes declarations while the doorkeepers of the city respond. Among all of Messiah<\/em>\u2019s choruses, Handel wrote this one uniquely as a call-and-response, which suitably corresponds to the structure of Ps. 24:7\u201310.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Who is this King of Glory? It is the Lord! Centuries later, after Jesus\u2019s resurrection he would be welcomed back to heaven, vindicated and victorious. Our King of Glory returns from his victory over Satan, sin, and death.[8]<\/a><\/sup> He has exchanged his cross for a crown. His resurrection ratifies that all the assertions he made about himself\u2014assertions that led to his unjust slaughter\u2014are true. So he comes home to his heavenly city as the triumphant, celebrated King of Glory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this way, Jennens use of Psalm 24 on the heels of Psalm 16 is brilliant. He understands the storyline of Christ. Jesus\u2019s life counts only if he is crucified for sinners. Jesus\u2019s death matters only if he is resurrected. And Jesus\u2019s resurrection is of great consequence because it vindicates him and his, proving his authority and displaying his glory. No wonder Handel dedicates the full choir to sing the glories of this King.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like David, we too can exclaim, \u201cmy whole being rejoices!\u201d The thrilling wonder of singing Psalm 16:10 in Messiah <\/em>is that it reminds us that the ultimate source of our infallible protection is Jesus\u2019s resurrection. Since Jesus is forever preserved, so we too who are in Christ are forever preserved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Christian, do you hear the resounding blessing of this? It is not ultimately your efforts, your spiritual accomplishments, your church attendance, or your relational investments that will ensure you make it to the Celestial City. Psalm 16:9\u201310 teaches us that the final guarantee of our eternal safety is Jesus\u2019s resurrection. Because Jesus was raised, one day we will be raised. Because Jesus was preserved, we will be preserved. Because Jesus enjoys God\u2019s presence, one day we too will enjoy the fullness of His presence (Ps. 16:11).<\/p>\n\n\n\n In fact, our confidence today can be even greater than David\u2019s when he wrote Psalm 16. What David saw far ahead of him, we see in our rearview mirrors. We apprehend clearly today what David saw only hazy on the horizon. So Christian, let the message of Psalm 16:10 sung through the stunning music of the Messiah <\/em>redound in your soul. In the face of trouble, heartache, grief, and even death, believe on the basis of an empty tomb that God will not abandon you to the grave. Death will not be the end of our relationship with God. It was not the end for Jesus; it will not be the end for those who are in Christ.[9]<\/a><\/sup> Now that\u2019s something to sing about!<\/p>\n\n\n\n So therefore, at Christmastime when you hear Handel\u2019s Messiah, <\/em>do not forget the resurrection as Psalms 16 and 24 are sung. Let Messiah <\/em>remind you of your eternal preservation and righteous vindication. Because of Christ\u2019s empty tomb, we will be raised, preserved, vindicated, and validated. Remember that after his cross, he received the crown. That is our path as well. Let Messiah <\/em>stir you up to join the chorus of the redeemed, declaring the historic resurrection of our Lord and the future resurrection of his Church\u2014a truth that Handel will pick up in Part 3 of his oratorio.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" While we enjoy Handel’s Messiah at Christmastime, the Easter message of Christ’s resurrection is beautifully woven into its biblical selections.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17345,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"While we enjoy Handel's Messiah at Christmastime, the Easter message of Christ's resurrection is beautifully woven into its biblical selections.","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[32,12,1814,38],"tags":[823,187,662,102,1460,58,257,661],"scripture-reference":[],"post_folder":[],"ppma_author":[1604],"class_list":["post-17343","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-concise","category-december-2024","category-theme","tag-christ","tag-christmas","tag-easter","tag-gospel","tag-handels-messiah","tag-lordship-of-christ","tag-messiah","tag-resurrection"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/suthianathan-article-scaled.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-01-13 11:51:51","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"authors":[{"term_id":1604,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"godwin-sathianathan","display_name":"Godwin Sathianathan","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/godwin.jpg","url2x":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/godwin.jpg"},"author_category":"","job_title":"","church_city_state":"","last_name":"","first_name":"","church_site":"","user_url":"","description":"Godwin Sathianathan<\/b> is the Lead Pastor of Faith Evangelical Free Church (Cincinnati OH). Previously he served at churches in Massachusetts and Michigan. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Godwin also earned an MDiv from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary and a ThM from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He enjoys training pastors in expository preaching through the Charles Simeon Trust. Godwin and his wife, Jeni, have been married since 2008 and have four children."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17343","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17343"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17343\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17361,"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17343\/revisions\/17361"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17345"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17343"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17343"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17343"},{"taxonomy":"scripture-reference","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/scripture-reference?post=17343"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=17343"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=17343"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}1. See Mark D. Roberts, <\/span>An Unexpected Easter Masterpiece<\/a><\/em>.<\/span><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
2. Calvin Stapert. <\/span>Handel\u2019s Messiah: Comfort for God\u2019s People <\/em>(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2010)<\/span>,<\/span> 119.<\/h6>\n\n\n\n
The Resurrection in Messiah\u2019s <\/em>Fuller Context<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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3. The full text of Handel\u2019s <\/span>Messiah <\/em>can be found in Chase Rea\u2019s \u201c<\/span>Interactive Edition of Handel\u2019s <\/a>Messiah<\/a>.<\/em>\u201d<\/span><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
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4. Jim Johnston, <\/span>Psalms: Rejoice the Lord is King <\/em>(Chicago: Crossway, 2015), 173.<\/span><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
5. Jim Hamilton, <\/span>Psalms Volume 1: Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary <\/em>(Bellingham: Lexham Academic, 2021), 217.<\/span><\/h6>\n\n\n\n\n
6. Mark D. Roberts, <\/span>An Unexpected Easter Masterpiece<\/a><\/em>.<\/span><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
7. Roger A. Bullard, <\/span>Messiah: The Gospel According to Handel\u2019s Oratorio <\/em>(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1993), 63.<\/span><\/h6>\n\n\n\n8. Hamilton, <\/span>Psalms<\/em>, 306.<\/span><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
Rejoice in Christ\u2019s Resurrection and Vindication<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
9. Johnston, <\/span>Psalms, <\/em>253\u2013254.<\/span><\/h6>\n\n\n\n