We typically enjoy Handel’s Messiah 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 write the Messiah as a Christmas offering?
You may know Messiah combines Handel’s exquisite music with Charles Jennens’ erudite libretto (i.e. the sung text). However, you may not know this text covers the full gamut of Jesus’s story arc: his birth, life, suffering, death, resurrection, ascension, and victorious second coming. Thus, the content of Messiah is broadly Christological – not merely incarnational. In fact, the first performance of Messiah happened not during Advent season, but during Eastertide. It was performed in Dublin on April 13, 1742, just 19 days after Easter. [1] Surely this was not an accident on Handel’s part.
1. See Mark D. Roberts, An Unexpected Easter Masterpiece.
In his Messiah, the resurrection plays a vital but subtle role. Only one brief section is dedicated to Christ’s resurrection. But as in Scripture, the resurrection of Christ is used as the joyful hinge upon which every blessing for God’s 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. 15:14–19).
Even musically, keen listeners will pick up on a striking transition. Until the resurrection is introduced, the music of Messiah 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’s at this point “the full-blown A major of the aria ‘But thou didst not leave’ is like full sunlight after a long night.”[2]
2. Calvin Stapert. Handel’s Messiah: Comfort for God’s People (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2010), 119.
How does Handel’s Messiah invite its listeners to understand and rejoice in Christ’s resurrection? Let’s 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’ text. Then we will explore Jennens’ particular use of Psalm 16 and 24 to highlight the resurrection, before concluding with reflections for the modern Christian.
The Resurrection in Messiah’s Fuller Context
Jennens’ libretto is divided into three sections. Part 1 describes the birth and life of Jesus; part 2 revels in Jesus’ suffering, death, resurrection, ascension, and exaltation; part 3 returns to themes of resurrection, though with an emphasis on the final resurrection of God’s people. In particular, sections 31–33 speak via Scripture about Jesus’ death, resurrection, and subsequent vindication and victory:
- 31. Accompagnato (tenor)– “He was cut off out the land of the living: for the transgressions of thy people was he stricken.” (Isaiah 53:8)
- 32. Air (tenor)– “But thou didst not leave his soul in hell; nor didst thou suffer thy Holy One to see corruption.” (Psalm 16:10)
- 33. Chorus– “Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.” (Psalm 24:7–10)[3]
3. The full text of Handel’s Messiah can be found in Chase Rea’s “Interactive Edition of Handel’s Messiah.”
Jennens’ text devotes sections 22–30 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’ resurrection by way of Psalm 16:10 and Psalm 24:7–10. The Messiah takes no time to dig into the details of the earthquake, the burial, the guards, the angels, or the Mary’s. 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’s purposes.
The Messiah’s Use of Psalm 16
Jennens’ 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’s original song, but to consider it in light of Peter’s Pentecost sermon (Acts 2:24–27) and Paul’s Antioch sermon (Acts 13:35).
In its initial context, David pens Psalm 16 to help his original singers to say “you are my Lord” (Ps. 16:1–4) and then “you are my portion” (Ps. 16:5–8). This commitment to God, which brings about this contentment in God, then results in a great confidence in God (Ps. 16:9–11). “You are my Lord” and “you are my portion” lead to this effusive, joyful outburst:
Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let your holy one see corruption.
Why is David’s body shaking with joy? David is confident that God won’t let him waste away in hell. God has been David’s refuge, portion, and counselor in this life (Ps. 16:1, 2, 5). This Psalm promises that He will be David’s refuge, portion, and counselor forever. It’s this rock-solid conviction that brings him this body-shaking joy.
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] So Peter in Acts 2:24–27 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] It’s not only David that would be raised one day; there would be Another.
4. Jim Johnston, Psalms: Rejoice the Lord is King (Chicago: Crossway, 2015), 173.
5. Jim Hamilton, Psalms Volume 1: Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary (Bellingham: Lexham Academic, 2021), 217.
Jennens could have chosen for his soprano to sing “I am the Resurrection and the life” (John 11:25) or “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive” (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’s resurrection, but bids us to consider our own preservation. Jennens likely had two resurrections in mind: Christ’s and Christ’s 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’s 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’s preservation. More on this later.
The Messiah’s Use of Psalm 24
Like a dam finally bursting, the entire chorus bursts forth in loud response to Ps. 16:10 with Ps. 24:7–10:
Lift up your heads, O ye gates;
and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors;
and the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
the Lord mighty in battle.
The celebratory nature of this chorus makes it the culmination of the resurrection scene. Mark Roberts comments that “now all of heaven is being summoned to receive the risen Christ into glory.”[6] According to Roger Bullard, this chorus “hymns the resurrection of Messiah, the Anointed One.”[7] Ps. 24:7–10 depicts a vindicated King, returning from battle victorious. Is this not what Peter announced at Pentecost? “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified” (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.
6. Mark D. Roberts, An Unexpected Easter Masterpiece.
7. Roger A. Bullard, Messiah: The Gospel According to Handel’s Oratorio (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1993), 63.
David’s original readers would have understood Psalm 24’s 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’s choruses, Handel wrote this one uniquely as a call-and-response, which suitably corresponds to the structure of Ps. 24:7–10.
Who is this King of Glory? It is the Lord! Centuries later, after Jesus’s 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] He has exchanged his cross for a crown. His resurrection ratifies that all the assertions he made about himself—assertions that led to his unjust slaughter—are true. So he comes home to his heavenly city as the triumphant, celebrated King of Glory.
8. Hamilton, Psalms, 306.
In this way, Jennens use of Psalm 24 on the heels of Psalm 16 is brilliant. He understands the storyline of Christ. Jesus’s life counts only if he is crucified for sinners. Jesus’s death matters only if he is resurrected. And Jesus’s 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.
Rejoice in Christ’s Resurrection and Vindication
Like David, we too can exclaim, “my whole being rejoices!” The thrilling wonder of singing Psalm 16:10 in Messiah is that it reminds us that the ultimate source of our infallible protection is Jesus’s resurrection. Since Jesus is forever preserved, so we too who are in Christ are forever preserved.
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 16:9–10 teaches us that the final guarantee of our eternal safety is Jesus’s resurrection. Because Jesus was raised, one day we will be raised. Because Jesus was preserved, we will be preserved. Because Jesus enjoys God’s presence, one day we too will enjoy the fullness of His presence (Ps. 16:11).
In fact, our confidence today can be even greater than David’s 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 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] Now that’s something to sing about!
9. Johnston, Psalms, 253–254.
So therefore, at Christmastime when you hear Handel’s Messiah, do not forget the resurrection as Psalms 16 and 24 are sung. Let Messiah remind you of your eternal preservation and righteous vindication. Because of Christ’s 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 stir you up to join the chorus of the redeemed, declaring the historic resurrection of our Lord and the future resurrection of his Church—a truth that Handel will pick up in Part 3 of his oratorio.
