The composition of Messiah, the complete 260-page oratorio, began on August 22, 1741, and was composed in just 24 days, when Handel finished the final orchestration on September 14, 1741. Handel composed Messiah without getting much sleep or even eating much food. Today’s offertory is a short movement from the last part of that monumental masterpiece.

Surely, He Has Borne Our Griefs is one of the most dramatic choruses in the work. It starts with this piercing, dotted introduction which continues throughout the accompaniment. I feel that sharp rhythm represents the driving nails at of the crucifixion. Taken from Isaiah, the text is the epitome of self-revelation. After the centurions had killed Jesus, and the earthquake came, they said, “Surely He was the Son of God!”

It’s not until after we destroy relationships, our joy, and parts of our life that we realize what we’ve done. We create ripples in the universe, unknowingly. That might be another way of interpreting these jagged rhythms. With our tempers, compulsions, and addictions (all rooted in fear) we destroy. Jesus was put to death because people feared him. It’s not until we see the aftermath of our fearful behaviors that we realize the full extent of our creative powers as humans, even if those creative powers destroy and tear apart. The centurions didn’t consciously know what they were doing. Jesus knew. He said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

This movement is gut wrenching. It’s not only Jesus’ story, but the story of what he came to save us from. It reminds me of those times in my own life when I tore people down, belittled them, pushed them away, and turned them into a problem; then, I realized the destruction of my own ego and felt like a monster. This is what sin does. The ignorant, egoic mind lashes out, it engages in fearful and compulsive behaviors, and it creates drama. It’s not until we realize the err of our ways, through suffering, that we find awakening and ultimately relief in surrendering. You’ll hear the surrender in the choral parts as the lines become smoother, juicer, and tangier. These gorgeous dissonances feel like the pangs of holding on, the ego’s favorite thing to do. But relief is ultimately in surrender, as Jesus taught.  

Jesus was the epitome of surrender, thus showing us what power really is. It wasn’t the nails and the violence that contained power, as the accompaniment suggests. It’s in how to forgive. The pangs of dying to self and the musical tension illustrates these principles in this movement. He taught us the Truth, but the truth is a bit abrasive at first. The world is hurting, and we don’t have enough self-awareness to realize we’re hurting ourselves.

Surely, the divine lives in each of us. Each person in your life reflects that, even those who seem problematic. We don’t know what we are doing to each other. The way out is deeply contemplating who you are and seeing yourself in others. Jesus realized who he was, one with the Father. Our victory is this unitive knowledge and surrender of the ego. If only the world could see that same oneness Jesus saw, union with The Highest. Can you hear the torment in this anthem? The world doesn’t have to be this way. Jesus showed us that by totally submitting and letting go, our ultimate purpose and crowning victory in this life and the life of the world to come. Soli deo Gloria!