Again, the antiphon helps us to understand who the “long-expected Jesus” is, what his roles are and which prophecies he came to fulfil. It echoes verses familiar to many of us from the Hebrew Bible as well as the New Testament.
O Key of David and sceptre of the House of Israel.
You open and no one can shut,
you shut and no one can open.
Come and lead the prisoners from the prison house,
those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.
The first part of this little introduction poem comes from the Book of Isaiah chapter 22, verse 22: “I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.” The “key” is a term referring to authority, just like the sceptre. In fact, the Good News Translation puts it this way: “He will have the keys of office; what he opens, no one will shut, and what he shuts, no one will open.” But these words may also echo with you if you are used to reading or listening to the New Testament, because these words have been picked up again in the Book of Revelation, in the letter written to the angel of the church of Philadelphia: “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of the One who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.” (Rev 3:7-8). In the Christian Church, we often use these words as words of comfort and reassurance: The door that Jesus has opened into God’s favour and presence is one that no one can shut, even when we find our own strength failing at times.
The second part of the antiphon refers to the words of Isaiah 42:7 which is part of the Servant Song passage and speaks about a Chosen One in whom God delights, someone who will bring justice to the nations, who will not cry out, nor be harsh, but will give justice, life and light to all peoples. God will make this coming someone “a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open the eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.” (v7) It has been the tradition of the Christian church to equate this Servant with Jesus of Nazareth, and the miracles that Jesus performed during his earthly ministry match the signs listed in this and similar passages.
In fact, when John the Baptist had been imprisoned, and he sent some of his followers to ask Jesus if he really was the Messiah, Jesus’ own reply combine very similar signs: “The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.” (Matthew 11:5) With Christ’s resurrection, the captives were released from their bondage to slavery to sin and light broke into the dungeon as Wesley’s great hymn “And can it be…” also captures.
The question to us all then is whether we believe that Jesus is this Chosen One. If we do, then we can trust that the open door is truly open and the key and the sceptre and the lordship over us has changed from darkness to light, and each day, we get to consent to that afresh and practice life in accordance with the law of love.