Even though Messiah tells the story of Jesus, whose birth, life, and death are recorded in the Bible’s New Testament, many of the lyrics come from the Old Testament, like this passage today from Psalms.
Even though Messiah tells the story of Jesus, whose birth, life, and death are recorded in the Bible’s New Testament, many of the lyrics come from the Old Testament, like this passage today from Psalms.
We usually associate Messiah with Christmas, but Handel wrote it to be performed at Easter. He drew the words of the songs from Scripture, choosing passages that tell the story of God sending Jesus to earth to redeem His people.
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Dr. Aletha
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Charles Jennens gave George Handel the lyrics to Messiah, verses primarily from Isaiah, Psalms, Paul’s letters to the early church, and Revelation.
“He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.
Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins!”
a church in Cuenca, Ecuador, photo by Dr Aletha
“But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.
All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.”
“Charles Jennens (1700-1773) was a wealthy English landowner and friend of George Frideric Handel (1685-1759). He was a a patron of the arts, skilled in music, literature, and the Bible, so he collaborated with Handel on some of his musical compositions.
Jennens gave Handel the lyrics toMessiah, verses primarily from Isaiah, Psalms, the Apostle Paul’s letters to the early church, and Revelation.
Messiah tells the story of Christ’s coming, His victory over sin and death, His defeat of His enemies, victorious return to earth and establishment of His kingdom, and the believer’s victory over death through His resurrection.”
Did you know Handel’s “Messiah,” usually linked to Christmas, was originally intended for Easter, drawing from Old and New Testament scriptures. Tdditionally, Handel’s father was a barber-surgeon, medieval surgeons also cut hair.
Join me in listening to RETURN a Lent devotional on the Dwell Bible app.(this is an affiliate link that helps this blog share the HEART of health).
Far from being rigid or legalistic, Lent is an invitation into the transformation of God’s renewing presence. It reminds us…that we can always return to the Lord and there find our true home and place of lasting peace.
RETURN, Dwell Bible app
Use these links to share the heart of health wherever you connect.
watercress words by Dr Aletha 