In the Master's Hand

In the Master’s Hand

It is amazing to see how an artisan can take rough block of wood and make it something beautiful. I really appreciate the work, talent, and practice that goes into woodworking, whether cabinetry or furniture or just art. People have learned to take a rough piece of wood, or pieces of wood, and turn them into something beautiful. Some people use that talent to make wonderful instruments, and I want to tell you a bit of a story about the history behind an instrument.

The story starts with a man named Antonio Stradavari, who lived from the year 1644 to 1737. He learned how to make stringed instruments, and the instruments he made are in the highest demand, and fetch the highest prices. There are somewhere between 600-700 known Stradivarius instruments around today, and when they are sold, it is for millions of dollars. While part of this is limited supply and demand, since the number of Stradivarius instruments made by Antonio will not increase, these instruments have some quality to them that produce such a rich sound, that many musicians would give their right arm to have one. Of course, if they did give their right arm to have one, they would not be able to play it, so that would be a little ironic.

The question that musicians have tried to answer for decades is “Why?” why do these instruments sound so good? What was the secret of Antonio Stradivarius? Of course, he is dead, and can’t tell the secret, and apparently never shared it with anyone. Some say it is the density of the wood he used, since there was at that time what was called the little ice age, where trees in Europe had stunted growth and denser wood. Others say it is in the design, but modern copycats don’t get the same result. Some say it is the unique lacquer that was used. But one musician who owns one says that it is a thousands things that come together to make this instrument so special. And every one of these unique masterpieces of woodworking started as a rough piece of wood.

I want to tell you the story of one particular Stradivarius violin, which is currently in regular use by one the superstars of classical music of our time, a man named Joshua Bell. As many Stradivarius instruments have a name, this violin is called the Gibson ex-Huberman Stradivarius. Bell bought the violin for just under 4 million. He had to sell the Stradivarius he already owned for over 2 million to purchase the Huberman Stradivarius. It isnt the cost that is of interest, though. Money is never as valuable as a good story.

This instrument has a rich history. In a town called Czestochowa (chest a cove a), Poland, in the late 1800s, was a boy named Bronislaw Huberman. He lived among the many Jews of Poland, and at a young age, he learned to play the violin. It was clear early on that he would become a virtuoso performer. A man gave a very precious gift indeed to young Huberman, a Stradivarius violin.

When Huberman was just nine years old, his name reached the ears of the composer, Johannes Brahms, who had written a very difficult piece called “concerto for violin”. It was so difficult to play that not even the best players in Europe could do justice to the piece. In fact, musicians said it wasn't a concerto for violin, but against the violin. Brahms was told of young Huberman, who was said to be skilled enough to play the piece, but was dismissive. He didn't believe a nine year old could possibly play the piece, but he was talked into going to Poland to hear the boy. He sat at the back of the concert hall so that if the young musician annoyed him, he could slip out. He begrudgingly sat while the intro to the piece was played by the orchestra, ready to be bored or angered. When Huberman began to play, Brahms’s eyes were filled with tears. He was so moved by the performance.

Huberman became the biggest celebrity in Europe 100 years ago, and was the most glamorous artist. Being Jewish, he was called the “Yiddle with the Fiddle”. Huberman put such emotion into his music that tears would stream down his face as he played. He was achieving every success in life a musician could want. And then came Adolf Hitler. Huberman’s hometown in Poland was one of those places where the evil of the Nazis was fully realized. Tens of thousands of Jews from his community were killed or driven off, and the beautiful synagogue where he and his parents had worshiped was burned down by the Nazis. As throughout the history of the Jewish people, there was a sense of always being ready to move, and so one Jewish man said of the violin that it “is such a Jewish instrument. You can run away with it. You can’t run away with a piano.”

Huberman was at the peak of popularity when Hitler was coming into power. He saw some of the writing on the wall about Hitler. as Hitler was rising, some bad signs were there for the Jewish people. Many who considered Germany their own country found themselves becoming second class citizens, and it would only get worse. Hitler ordered at one point that Jews could not be part of any kind of entertainment, including music. Huberman was concerned that these many musicians would soon be put to death in Germany and other occupied places of Europe, so he started using his influence to get some out.

The way he did it was to start the Palestine Philharmonic. In this way, he was able to hire many Jewish musicians and get them out of danger. He also knew that the ones he chose would be saved, and the ones he could not hire would probably die, so he would audition them with his back to them, so that the decision would be based upon talent alone. He was always haunted by the knowledge that he played a part in picking who would live and die.

Many of those he hired begged him to help their relatives as well, and he had compassion and brought many of them to Palestine as well. All told, he saved over 800 Jews by bringing them to Palestine. This was a very expensive undertaking, so he went to New York to have a concert to raise funds at Carnegie Hall. During the concert, he was using his second violin, and the Stradivarius was in his dressing room. While he played, the violin was stolen. It would not be seen again for 50 years.

The day after Christmas in 1936, the Palestine Philharmonic had their first concert. 3,000 tickets were printed, all of them sold quickly. The orchestra consisted of some of the best musicians in the world. The conductor of that first concert was the best Conductor in the world at that time, Arturo Toscanini, who had left Italy after refusing to play for the fascist Mussolini, and between him and Huberman, this concert was a message to Hitler and the fascists that people would stand against them. By the way, the Palestine Philharmonic still exists today, although it is now known as the Israeli Philharmonic.

But what happened to that violin? Well, after it was stolen, the man who had it was a musician who would play nightclubs and parties, and kept his secret hidden for many years, but as he sat in prison dying of cancer, he confessed about the origins of the instrument and Llyods of London, which had paid out an insurance policy years before, sold it at auction for 1.2 million. This was in the late 1980s. Eventually, it was sold, as I mentioned earlier, to Joshua Bell, and there is just a little bit more to this story.

You see, Joshua Bell is Jewish as well, with roots connected to that old synagogue in Czestochowa, Poland; the one the Nazi’s burned down. But when the Berlin wall came down, and the Jewish people who had not been to their hometown since being driven out in WW2 came back, upon the spot where that synagogue once stood, the Polish people had built a concert hall. And Joshua Bell, who now owns the Huberman Stradivarius, went to that concert hall, and in the same place as the young 9 year old Huberman had played the most difficult concerto for violin for the great composer Brahms, Joshua Bell, who also had tears in his eyes while he played, performed the same composition on the same instrument over 100 years later. For some of the Jewish people who were still around and remembered the painful past of the war, this was a broken circle closed once again, and a reminder that in this world, light still overcomes darkness.

And as Joshua Bell now tours the world, delighting audiences with his skill and love for music as he plays the ex Huberman Stradivarius, I thought perhaps you would like to hear what it sounds like. So here is Joshua Bell performing “Silent Night”, accompanied by the Young People’s Chorus of New York City. This Jewish musician, playing his very Jewish instrument, which has itself a very Jewish history, I think you will enjoy.

(Joshua Bell “Silent Night”)

Antonio Stradivarius indeed was an artisan of the highest quality, and those who have played his instruments have been musicians of the highest quality. Many people can take a hunk of wood and do something with it, but few can make it a truly beautiful piece as Stradivari did. And few can play it like Huberman did and like Joshua Bell does today, and few can direct the orchestra through the difficult music of Brahms and the other great composers as Tuscunini did during that first concert of the Palestine Philharmonic on the day after Christmas in 1936.

It is enough that any of these men were able to do one thing well, whether Stradivarius the artisan, or Huberman or Bell the violinists, or Tusconini the conductor, or Brahms the composer. But God Himself is perfect in all of these. He is the artisan who took the rough wood of the manger, and made it the temporary holding place of the only perfect gift the world has ever received, and who also took the rough wood of the cross, and made that, one of the ugliest symbols ever known, into a precious and beautiful symbol to those who understand its meaning. He is the musician who puts music into the hearts of people, and whose song of love stretches through eternity, and He is the conductor of the heavenly choir, and also the composer, who has not only written the perfect score, but also assembled the orchestra and the players who would be part of his perfect symphony of love, which in this season we reflect on, giving thanks, and hopefully, sharing His love. He is also the rescuer, who snatches those He saves from certain death.

Imagine is Stradivarius had looked at the hunk of wood that was to become the Huberman violin and rejected it because it was rough. No, he saw the potential, and carefully crafted it into a master piece. Imagine if that masterpiece had never found its way into the hands of the virtuoso performer, Huberman, and later, Joshua Bell. Imagine if Brahms had never written his many masterpieces, which that instrument played to bring peace and joy to so many through the power of the music. Imagine Tusconini had thought of his safety first and played propaganda music for Mussolini instead of going to Palestine to direct the Philharmonic there.

We can be thankful that each character in this story played their part. God has written His story, but it is still being played out. And each of us has a part in His story, for good or for bad. We may think of ourselves like that rough piece of wood. The Master Artisan sees what we will become, but we may be too shortsighted to see for ourselves. We may think we are too rough to be shaped into anything beautiful, much less useful. But Stradivari did not look at the hunk of wood as it was, but at what its potential was.

And God wants us to see that He is the Master Artisan who can see perfectly into the future and knows what a masterpiece each of us can become. The blocks of wood that Stradivarius fashioned into the ex Huberman violin did not have a choice. They were at the mercy of the hands of the master. But God does give us a choice. He gives us the choice to believe in Him, He gives us a choice to allow Him to chisel away those rough places and make us into something beautiful. The way He has chosen to do this is through those two symbols, both made of rough wood. Both seemingly unfit for any use of a higher nature. The Manger and the Cross. The manger, where, in humility, the Principle of the Symphony of love would first appear, as a helpless baby. He was so humble that he allowed other humble people to have starring roles in this, the first act.

Mary, who bore what appeared to be shame, being pregnant though not yet married. She was given a key role. Joseph, who would, for a time, be given charge as father of One who was accustomed only to a Heavenly Father. Keepers of sheep, and probably others who were so humble they aren't even mentioned in the story, but who, nonetheless, were a part of it.

The other object made of rough wood, the cross, was seemingly the final act. There, in humility once again, the Principle of the Symphony breathed what seemed to be the last note, and the audience of the day thought the show was over. They began to prepare to go back to their normal business of life. But the Master Artisan, who also was the conductor and the composer of this symphony, had not yet finished the performance. He had an encore in mind.

In the encore, the Principle player went from humble and helpless, to the conquering hero. The symphony was not over yet, and is not over yet, but the music in heaven will be sweet, my friends! For eternity, we will be part of God’s song. I’ve heard people say before that sounds boring, I can’t imagine just singing for eternity. But if you ever have a chance to hear the kind of music that was played by that orchestra of world-class musicians, directed by the world’s best conductor that Christmas in 1936, you would know what it is like to enjoy music so much that you never want the concert to end, and God’s symphony is going to be infinitely better than that!

To form the symphony in Palestine, the musicians went through great difficulty. Huberman had his precious Stradivarius stolen. Many of the musicians escaped death in Europe to be there. Many knew that old friends and even some family had not made it. In spite of this, that concert was a joyful event, a victory of sorts, against the evil in the world. For the Christian, that eternal concert will likewise be one of joy and victory, and many of us will have passed through some painful and difficult times in life. We will all know of family or friends who didn't make it to the concert.

The story of Jesus began before time began, but this time of year we celebrate his Advent, his coming into the world. So I want to close this message with the story that should still cause us to be in awe and wonder at the love of God, and then to read just a hint of what the next act holds for those who love Jesus.

Luke 2:1–21 ESV

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And 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!” When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

And there is another encore to come!

Revelation 21:1–7 ESV

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

Numbers 6:24–26 (ESV)

Numbers 6:24–26 ESV

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.