This Palm Sunday, I had the privilege of taking in a live depiction of a modern interpretation of the events leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus. It was a beautiful production with music, costumes, and professional actors giving incredible performances.
By which I mean I saw Jesus Christ Superstar. For those not familiar, it is a Broadway play with rock music about the last week of the life of Christ, beginning a bit before the triumphal entry. I had a lot of interesting thoughts while watching this production, and I thought I’d share a few here.
Before I get into my individual thoughts, I should probably clarify a few things. The lyrics for this show were written by Tim Rice, who is not Christian and as such does not hold to the deity of Christ. This show was not meant to be a literal retelling of the Bible, but an exploration of the emotions surrounding the events described. I know the original story like the back of my hand, I could go picking apart every little “this is in the Bible, this is not”, but quite honestly that’s not what I went for and not what I want to do. I am aware of the Biblical inaccuracies, but I chose to go into this intending to “take the best and leave the rest.” And I think that this show’s best was really good.
Okay, disclaimer out of the way, I really enjoyed the show. The choreography was incredible and the cast gave very moving performances. Aesthetically, there was a really interesting fusion of what we associate with “the Jesus look” with a modern punk-rock glamor. Jesus had a man bun, people. A man bun! I also loved the music, I’m a fan of orchestra-rock fusions in general.
Two scenes gave me thoughts that I would like to share, and they really relate to the same thing: the humanity of Jesus. I guess that makes sense for a show written by a person who thinks of Jesus as just a man. But there is still an important point to be made, that Jesus was indeed fully human. The information in the Bible is limited, so we don’t know exactly what Jesus was feeling with his very human body and very human emotions a lot of the time.
The first scene that stuck out to me was the cleansing of the temple (appropriately called “The Temple”). First of all, mad props to the chorus, they did an amazing job. They were holding crosses as they danced, which considering that Jesus hadn’t died yet, makes no sense. But the point I think the director was going for was showing how the modern “money changers in the temple” wave around their religion like some kind of prop to peddle their products, programs, and personalities. And they deserve a high-pitched “GET OUT” from a man with a killer voice.
But the second half of the scene has just as much power. Jesus is helping those who ask. And boy, do they ever ask. Everyone wants a piece of Him. Jesus, heal me. Jesus, my child needs you. Jesus, feed me. And Jesus is helping, but…right now He’s a man, and there is only one of him. The crowd is overwhelming Him and begging him to fix every one of their problems.
Did Jesus get frustrated because he couldn’t help everyone? The ultimate Love is crammed into this finite mind and body that can only do so much. I know many normal humans get frustrated when they see needs they can’t meet, how much more would that sting for Jesus? One who knew what it was like to be omnipotent, suddenly feeling so limited. Even knowing God’s ultimate plan, his compassionate, human heart must have hurt for the pain he witnessed. I know we think of Jesus as one that is powerful because of His miracles and ability to forgive sin, but He gave up so much in becoming human.
The second scene I want to mention is my favorite, and it is a common one: “Gethsemane.” This is the defining moment for any Jesus actor. Literally a spotlight, one man, and a beautiful song. If you are reading my blog, odds are you know the original story, so I won’t go into too much detail.
As this actor wailed the agony in the garden, I had a thought. Did Jesus wake up that morning with a sore back? Had he tossed and turned? Did he grind his teeth? Jesus knew what was coming, and he knew it was approaching fast. When I’m about to do something even mildly uncomfortable (like a root canal or a long car trip), I have trouble sleeping. And that’s not even in the same ballpark as taking on the sins of the world in one of the most painful methods of execution ever invented. How his hands must have shook as he begged God for any possible way out.
The Gethsemane scene is just so...human. It’s Jesus in the fullness of his humanity in what is effectively his last private conversation with the Father. And the climax includes an element of “get on with it before I lose my nerve” that feels so true to a human experience. It’s not important to include in the Bible, so we don’t know if, in the preceding weeks, Jesus woke late in the night and stared out the window. We don’t know if one of the disciples noticed him trying to stretch out sore shoulders from a disturbed sleep. His human body had to show the toll of time and stress, just like anyone else’s. And as he knelt in Gethsemane, did he have a sore back? From carrying the weight of God’s plan or from a sleepless night, He could only take so much.
And He did indeed take so much. So much in such a limited form. And I am so grateful this Holy Week that He did. I would encourage anyone to at least listen to “Gethsemane,” even if the show isn’t your thing. It gave me some good meditation on the humanity of Christ, a lovely backdrop to the glow of His deity.
It’s a real pity that the writer of this play didn't believe Jesus was the Son of God, because that could have added a beautiful aspect of Truth to this play.
Love it, hate it, or somewhere in between, Jesus Christ Superstar is a play with a lot of impact. I found it very thought-provoking and it put me in a good headspace as we move to Good Friday. But the best part of the real story is that it doesn’t end there. The best is yet to come.
Happy Easter, He is Risen!
