s not alone in this interpretation of Handel’s masterpiece.
Although I believe Marissen is mistaken in his view that Handel was specifically targeting Jews in Messiah, and that he had in mind specifically the fall of Jerusalem, I believe he is correct in identifying a serious religious issue that is posed for contemporary audiences by the explicitly—not to say aggressively—Christian character of this justly famous work. I do not believe it is possible to abstract its musical qualities from the religious point of its libretto. Its confessional thrust is part and parcel of the meaning of this work of musical art. To gloss over its overtly Christian message is to do injustice to both Handel and his masterpiece.
Instead, I believe we have to acknowledge that Handel’s Messiah represents the scandal of the gospel, namely the claim that Jesus Christ is the only Saviour of the world, a Saviour who brooks no rivals or competitors. Psalm 2 is right when it predicts that the Lord’s Anointed will one day be victorious over all who resist his claims. This is both a hard and a glorious truth.
During the upcoming Christmas season I will have no difficulty standing up when the choir sings the “Hallelujah.” But my heart will ache for those who take understandable offense at its uncompromising message.