Messiah

Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God. (1 Corinthians 8:1-3 ESV).

Perhaps the most famous of all Christmas music is Messiah by George Frideric Handel. Actually, Charles Jennins, who was likely a believer, wrote the text for Messiah. Handel, who was not a believer, was commissioned to write the music for Messiah. Handel donated much of his time and money to the needy, even talked about God’s guidance during a sword fight. Perhaps he was a deist or maybe a believer who lived for himself and not the Lord; however, he did not show a Christ-like attitude in his behavior. He had many arguments with his singers, had a hot temper, and was known to go into long bouts of depression, liked to consume lots of food and drink, swore like a sailor in three different languages, and was very boastful.

Handel was the king of opera and had made most of his money from opera. Handel was hesitant to give up Italian opera even when he began to lose money on it. His opera company suffered great financial loses but still he churned out new operas adding ballet and hoping the public would have a change of heart. When it didn’t, he gradually became depressed and reclusive, strolled the dark streets at night and remaining locked inside his house during the day. Eventually his health began to suffer. After a minor stroke and a mental collapse, he took a short leave of absence and traveled to a French spa where he hoped to be revitalized by the waters. It seemed to work. Handel returned with renewed energy but once again he applied that energy to opera. His last two operas had only three performances, finally he had to surrender to the truth—opera was out.

Now in his 50s, Handel began to think more and more about working in other forms—especially the English oratorio. He sometimes used English writers for his inspiration, including the poet John Milton. When he was 56 Handel decided to concentrate fully on oratorios and give up opera all together. At that time, oratorios were often biblically based. Handel’s decision to write oratorios came in part from an invitation from the Duke of Devonshire who was the King’s representative in Ireland. The Duke asked Handel to compose something for Dublin for a benefit for the poor. The assignment was just what Handel needed to bring him out of his doldrums and help get over his attachment to the unpopular Italian opera form. Handel responded to the Duke by promising an oratorio. The oratorio he said would be called Messiah. He already had the idea for Messiah because his friend Charles Jennins had given him the script (or labreto) for it. Now he would create the music. Although most of Handel’s oratorios were based on stories from the Bible, Messiah is an exception. It was based solely on quotations.

Handel’s friend Charles Jennins gathered these quotes from the Bible and then Handel chose the ones that worked best with the music. Messiah contains no story or dramatic action, but through the quotes, Handel illustrated the founding of Christianity in songs that tell of the prophecy of Christ’s coming, his birth, his life, death and resurrection. He said it was easy that Jennins had chosen quotes and put them in such an order that they were musical to begin with. In all his future correspondence with Jennins, Handel always referred to his masterpiece as "Your Messiah."

How tragic for him to have known so much about the birth and life of Christ, and yet, never to have known HIM. It serves as a clear lesson to us that we ought not to choose knowledge ABOUT Christ over knowledge OF Christ.