Eucharist and Ecstasy in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony
Our Lord, He who was born into a manger, into a feeding trough used for animals to eat and drink from, spoke these provocative and scandalous words:
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.”
This teaching, a stumbling block to rigid evangelicals and foolishness to our secular world, was in the back of my mind this weekend while listening to a live performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in Downtown Phoenix.
Historically acclaimed as among the greatest symphonic orchestrations ever written, Beethoven had composed it after being “profoundly deaf for nearly a decade.” But beyond that little tidbit of cocktail trivia, I was completely unfamiliar with the political or poetic significance of it- that is, of course, until I Googled it. After reading about the composition of the symphony, I learned that Beethoven, in the final movement, quotes with a choir a piece penned by the German playwright and poet Friedrich Schiller, the ‘Ode to Joy.’
Upon reading an English translation of the poem I was struck by one particularly beautiful and captivating line, one that reminded me of Christ in the feeding trough; Schiller writes that “Ecstasy was given to the worm / And the cherub stands before God.”
At Jesus’ birth, as recounted in the second chapter of Luke, we are told that “suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” The cherubim, upon Christ’s nativity, are found standing before God, singing praises to Him. But why this sudden cause for exultation and excitement? Because God offered himself for us, as true food and true drink. The Psalmist laments that “I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people.” And God answers his lament, as he does ours, by offering ecstasy to the worm.
Amadeo, this is the Good News! That we who are but worms before God are offered ecstasy, this morning, as we prepare to partake of that scandalous meal that was offered for our salvation. Let us not ignore this teaching. Let us not explain it away with our sophisticated theologies. Rather, let us give thanks for it, and sing with the heavenly host “Glory to God in the highest!”
“The Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”
