Spit on. Struck. Slapped.

Listen HERE

There’s an awkward part of Handel’s Messiah where the alto sings, “Despised. Rejected,” over and over.

In that section, she also repeats, “He gave His back to the smiters, and his cheeks to them that plucked off the hair…”

It is always a little uncomfortable to think about Jesus having hair on his face. Perhaps it is because it is so earthy and everyday. 

As we listened to the Messiah this year, I wondered why Handel would have wanted to emphasize the rejection of Christ...