And he shall Purify the Sons of Levi
That they may offer into the Lord an offering in righteousness. (Malachi 3:3)
Reflection:
To me the quick tempo, and the dynamic that starts quiet and builds, takes on the character of anxious whispering in a crowd that becomes a shout. This Messiah will set Israel right, starting with the "Sons of Levi," AKA the temple priests. This may not be Handel's intention, but to me it foreshadows the kind of urgent, hushed conversations that must have begun right after Jesus turned over the money changing tables in the temple.
Like the image of refiner's fire from yesterday, being purified hurts. It requires confrontation and truth-telling. It requires willingness to let go of our own self-interest and defensiveness. And sometimes it requires suspending our notions of niceness, politeness and decorum. If being nice could have purified this world, Jesus would not have been mailed to a cross.
Prayer: Jesus, purify me, and purify this world. And give us the strength to receive it as a gift.
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