Bach is back ∙∙
Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead. – Matthew 28:7
John 11:47-53
47 Then the leading priests and Pharisees called the high council together. “What are we going to do?” they asked each other. “This man certainly performs many miraculous signs.
48 If we allow him to go on like this, soon everyone will believe in him. Then the Roman army will come and destroy both our Temple and our nation.”
49 Caiaphas, who was high priest at that time, said, “You don’t know what you’re talking about!
50 You don’t realize that it’s better for you that one man should die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed.”
51 He did not say this on his own; as high priest at that time he was led to prophesy that Jesus would die for the entire nation.
52 And not only for that nation, but to bring together and unite all the children of God scattered around the world.
53 So from that time on, the Jewish leaders began to plot Jesus’ death.
Not long after his death, Johann Sebastian Bach was largely forgotten. His music and reputation fell into obscurity, known only to a handful of music experts.
In 1823 (or possibly 1824), Felix Mendelssohn’s grandmother, Bella Salomon, presented him with a gift that would alter the course of his life: a copyist’s manuscript score of J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. This was Mendelssohn’s first encounter with the total score. The St. Matthew Passion is one of Bach’s most profound, expansive, and fabulously conceived works. For Mendelssohn, it was nothing short of a revelation. Bach’s Passion is among the most deeply spiritual compositions ever written.
The score captivated Mendelssohn’s imagination, compelling him to ensure the entire St. Matthew Passion was performed. On March 11, 1829, Mendelssohn conducted it for the first time in a century.
Johann Sebastian Bach believed in the resurrection. In his Mass in B minor, the “Crucifixus” ends with low register voices symbolizing Christ’s descent into the grave, followed by a chorus that bursts forth in joy to represent the resurrection.
Johann Sebastian Bach, a child of the King, was resurrected to history by Felix Mendelssohn, another one of the Father’s children.
Every note Bach wrote was dedicated to Christ. Throughout his manuscripts, two cryptic abbreviations appear: “I.N.J.” for “In Nomine Jesu” (In the Name of Jesus) and “S.D.G.” for “Soli Deo Gloria” (Glory to God alone).
Some magnificent individuals have undoubtedly been inadvertently lost to history, only to be rediscovered and restored to their rightful place. For others, however, deliberate attempts were made to erase and destroy all traces of their lives and influence.
The resurrection of Johann Sebastian Bach is reminiscent of a far more critical resurrection.
REFLECT & PRAY
The word of God is filled with dramatic ironies.
Father thank You that your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the Resurrection and the Life.
INSIGHT
John 11 recounts the story of Lazarus’s death and his miraculous resurrection by the Lord Jesus Christ. This event marks the last and most incredible miracle that Jesus publicly performed during His time on Earth, serving as the climax of all the signs and wonders the apostle John presented to demonstrate who the Lord Jesus Christ was.
John 20:30-31
30 Therefore, many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;
31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.
This miraculous resurrection led many Jewish people, including some of the leaders, to believe.
John 11:45 Therefore, many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw what He had done, believed in Him.
Throughout history, jealousy, rivalry, ambition, the desire for control, blind spots, fear, disdain, ignorance, and outright hatred have driven people to commit vicious and atrocious acts against one another.
The Jewish leaders who did not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ grew even more alarmed. They were fearful and jealous of the potential repercussions this miracle worker might bring. Thus, they convened and deliberated, ultimately deciding to neutralize the threat He represented.
John 11:47-53
47 Then the leading priests and Pharisees called the high council together. “What are we going to do?” they asked each other. “This man certainly performs many miraculous signs.
48 If we allow him to go on like this, soon everyone will believe in him. Then the Roman army will come and destroy both our Temple and our nation.”
49 Caiaphas, who was high priest at that time, said, “You don’t know what you’re talking about!
50 You don’t realize that it’s better for you that one man should die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed.”
51 He did not say this on his own; as high priest at that time he was led to prophesy that Jesus would die for the entire nation.
52 And not only for that nation, but to bring together and unite all the children of God scattered around the world.
53 So from that time on, the Jewish leaders began to plot Jesus’ death.
This was utter madness. If the Lord Jesus Christ is the Resurrection and the Life, possessing the power to raise people from the dead, why would they believe they could kill Him and He would remain in the grave?
“Unbelief, however, cannot remain static any more than belief. By nature, it is progressive. The unbelief of the Jewish leaders had long ceased to be a polite incredulity of the claims of Jesus. His works were too numerous, too real, and too wonderful to be ignored or dismissed with contempt. Unbelief was compelled to declare its true nature, which was selfishness.”
“When Caiaphas said, ‘If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation,’ he conceded the cogency of Jesus’ arguments and the actuality of His miracles. On the other hand, he and the hierarchy feared risking the place of privilege and comfort that the Roman government, much as they hated it, had given them.”
“At the council following this miracle, there was a definite concerted agreement to dispose of Jesus by fair means or foul. The enmity which had made previous sporadic attempts to trap Him in speech or to capture Him now settled upon a policy of exterminating Him” (Tenney).
You know the rest of the story. He was arrested, tried, and, of course, found guilty. He was handed over to the Romans to be executed by crucifixion. He died and was buried. They believed they were done with Him once and for all. Indeed, they thought it was finished. Problem solved! But they did not account for the Resurrection.
After three days, He rose from the dead, appeared to many over a period of 40 days, and ascended to heaven. The Lord Jesus Christ was back!
Now, seated at the Father’s right hand, He will soon come back once again as Messiah and King of Israel. He will sit on the throne of David and rule and reign for a thousand years.
Come, Lord Jesus (Revelation 22:20)!
“I. N. J.” – “In the Name of Jesus.”
“S. D. G.” – “Glory to God alone.”
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 3-08-2
© Dr. H 2024
Dr H Reflections 