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ANOTHER VISIT TO HANDEL’S STUDY #4

SURELY HE HATH BORNE OUR GRIEFS

Comedian Steve Allen once brought the house down at a convention of the Religion Communications Congress back in 1990.  “They don’t write songs the way they used to,” he told the Nashville crowd of several thousand writers and PR pros.  He then proceeded to read word-for-word the lyrics to a rock-and-roll hit entitled “Satisfaction” by the Rolling Stones.  Which, if you remember that particular thumping song, doesn’t exactly have the deepest message in the world.  It’s pretty much —

“I can’t get no . . . I can’t get no . . . I can’t get no . . . satisfaction.  No, no, no.  Hey, hey, hey, that’s what I say.”

And so on, et cetera.  And no doubt you and I can remember some song on the radio from WHATEVER generation that just repeated the same mindless refrain over and over AND OVER again.  And someone jokes: “I wonder what’s the name of THAT one?”

Well, today as we return to Handel’s Messiah, and think to ourselves, “Now there’s some REAL music,” it’s kind of interesting that even composer George Frederick Handel, powdered white wig and all, included a song here that just repeats the same ONE line a total of THIRTY times!  A simple seven-word line . . . and the sopranos, then the altos, and then the tenors and basses just keep repeated these seven words over and over 30 times.

Right in the middle of this great classic oratorio, is a very special trilogy of songs: numbers 24, 25, and 26.  And all three of these choruses come from the Old Testament, out of the inspired prophecy of Isaiah, chapter 53.  And I want to say right here as we begin considering this music together, that Handel can be forgiven for the repetition of Number 25: “And With His Stripes We Are Healed.”  More on that in a moment.

First, though, let’s open up our Bibles and read right from the three verses where Handel got his lyrics.  Isaiah 53, verses 4-6:

“Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.  But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities:  the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on HIM the iniquity of us all.”

You know, every time I read these three verses, I know that music lovers IMMEDIATELY have The Messiah infuse their minds and their souls.  Which is something very precious and almost miraculous about this particular piece of music.  There’s something intangible about the songs in this oratorio that bring the Bible to life.  And of course, the source verses from The Messiah are found all through the Word of God, from Psalms and Job and Isaiah and the Old Testament prophets like Haggai and Malachi, and then from the Gospels, Romans, Hebrews, and the “Hallelujah Chorus” in the book of Revelation.  So Messiah aficionados, as they prayerfully read the Bible each day, often have these sudden goosebump moments where tears spring into their eyes — “Yeah, there’s another one!” — and the memories of music and deep meaning work together in a kind of spiritual synergy.

But friend, even if you can’t tell one note from another, and every song sounds to you like “The Star-Spangled Banner,” these three verses in Isaiah are still powerful medicine for us here at Christmas time.  Because THIS IS THE GOSPEL MESSAGE RIGHT HERE!  Notice with me again, as we look at these verses.

“Surely He hath borne OUR griefs, and carried OUR sorrow.”

In the Clear Word paraphrase, it adds this:

“He WILLINGLY bore our griefs.”

Then in verse five:

“He was wounded for OUR transgressions, He was bruised for OUR iniquities: the chastisement of OUR peace was upon HIM; and with HIS stripes we are healed.”

Maybe you hear these verses about the cross and it makes you want to jump ahead to 2001 and next April 15, which is Easter Sunday.  But I would suggest to you that right here at Christmas time, as we think about gifts — especially UNDESERVED gifts — these verses tell it all, don’t they?  Jesus Christ came down here — He didn’t have to, but He came down here — and He took our STRIPES, our PUNISHMENT, the chastising, the crown of thorns WE should have gotten, the nails in His hands that should have been in OUR hands, the cross on Calvary that should have said L - O - N - N - I - E, my name in the nameplate at the top, and yours too, friend.  He took all of that for us, and then in its place gave us the gift of eternal life.

Now, for just a moment, let’s look at Song #25, and that one line that Handel repeats thirty times.  Over and over again, he reflects the Christmas message of Isaiah 53:5: “And with His stripes we are healed.”  And do you know something?  Here at Christmas, I think I need to HEAR that message thirty times, maybe even a HUNDRED and thirty times.  “And with His stripes we are healed.”  Friend, it’s because Jesus came to this planet as a baby and then gave His life for you and for me that we are healed this December.  Gifts and presents and decorated malls and the exhilaration of the cold winter air won’t do it; lights and Christmas trees and even Christmas choirs can’t heal you.  A good sermon next Sabbath or Sunday can’t heal you; even the happiest Christmas reunion with your family can’t heal the wreckage that’s in your soul and mine.  But the stripes of Jesus, the blood He shed on that cross . . . it heals us.  Nothing else in this universe heals except for the stripes that were laid on Jesus.  And so I say to the Christmas choir: “Sing it over and over again to me.  ‘And with His stripes we are healed.’”

Jesus wasn’t born in a manger just to get His picture on Christmas cards.  Friend, He came here at CHRISTMAS to do what we celebrate at EASTER.  He came here to go to Calvary and take those stripes.  What a tragedy if here in December we MISS the very event that Christmas is MEANT to lead us to accept!

The history books tell us that Handel, as a 35-year-old musician, established himself as a court composer and conductor in Hannover, Germany.  But even before the year was over, he took off for London on an extended leave of absence, leaving behind some unhappy sponsors.  A year later, after being back in Hannover for just a short time, he flew the coop a SECOND time, and this time stayed away for YEARS.  Now he was really in trouble.

And you know, it was even worse that he thought . . . because in 1714, three years later, his former employer, the Elector of Hannover, became King George I of England.  And here Handel was right under the new king’s nose in downtown London!  Talk about trouble!

But, a year later, at a royal dinner party on the River Thames in 1715, it’s said that Handel performed his famous F major suite from Water Music, perhaps his second best piece of all time.  And King George I decided to forgive Handel for his flightiness, for his two leaves of absence, to wipe the slate clean and accept this repentant musician again.  Handel, of course, went on to write some of the best music ever composed, including The Messiah in the year 1741.

It’s a wonderful thing to be forgiven by the king, isn’t it?  To be accepted in His royal palace once again, to be restored.  Friend, that’s the message of Christmas here in 2000.

Listen with us now as Richard Westenburg directs the Musica Sacra choir in “Surely He Hath Borne Our Griefs.”

SURELY HE HATH BORNE OUR GRIEFS   2:21