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.

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]

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]

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).