Road to Resurrection

Our church fellowship annually puts on an elaborate play detailing the arrest, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Over the years I have had differing roles either on stage or behind the scenes.  One year I was cast as Jesus.  To say it was a challenge and a humbling experience would be an understatement.  Aside from prayerfully approaching the role and delivering my lines verbatim, the thing I strove for more than anything was realism.

Before the opening scene, people are allowed to roam freely through the marketplace, taking in the sights, smells, and tastes of the city of Jerusalem.  In years past there have been live animals, unleavened bread, and it is a perfect time to chat with Pharisees and even Roman guards.  The chatter of the marketplace is broken by a narrator, and then the temple guards bring Jesus before Caiaphas.  As I was being hauled up on stage, I could see the smiles and expectant looks of the people.  In that scene, one of the Pharisees was directed to slap Jesus on the face.  We worked time after time on it in practice because he struggled to bring himself to do it full-on.  The year before me the man acting as Christ was wearing a false beard so direct impact could dislodge the beard and create a humorous mistake, spoiling the mood.  Since my beard was real, I told the Pharisee to let me have it.

You would not believe the difference of the crowd from one year to the next.  The fake slap had no real effect on the audience.  But when the slap cracked full-force across my face, everyone's expressions in the audience changed.  It went dead silent.  We had their complete attention.  In the hush their minds were saying, "Wow.  That guy really got hit.  That wasn't fake!"  Over the nights of the performances people would ask about being scourged or slapped around.  It seemed amazing to them that an actor would allow people to beat on him.  Believe me, it was not severe at all.  Not a drop of my blood was spilled.  It could not even be compared to the brutal punishment that Christ actually endured.  One has to balance the physical punishment with the fact there are three performances, with Jesus rising from the dead at the end.  Jesus with black eyes and lips oozing blood would not be a comforting sight.

I admit I was incredulous by people's reactions.  I was sorry that people focused on the actor who was slapped around with kid gloves when they should have considered the implications of what Jesus actually did.  We were pretending while Jesus paid the ultimate price, once and for all.  He was not play acting, and neither were the Pharisees and Roman guards who literally maimed and tortured Him to death.  When the Romans would scourge a man, it was not uncommon for his internal organs to be exposed.  Considering all Jesus did for me, I wanted to lay to waste all those hygienic, tasteful paintings of the crucifixion scene.  The Passion of the Christ did well to do away with those misconceptions.

What is more surprising:  that an actor would allow someone to hit him, or the God become flesh allowed men to kill Him?  Instead of giving credit to a man for a realistic depiction, give glory to Jesus who endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.  That's God's glory.  Give Him all the glory now and forever!