This past year, my family had the privilege of traveling with St. Luke’s to Italy and Germany, which ended with attending the Oberammergau Passion Play. The play is put on every ten years by citizens of a small town in Germany. This tradition started in 1633 and we were able to see the 42nd installment of the play, which is a five-hour performance – all in German. The play walks through the final week of Jesus’ life as he enters Jerusalem through the Passover meal, trial, and crucifixion, and ends with the resurrection. During the play, besides seeing the life of Christ, there were choir numbers along with what they called Living Pictures. These pictures included actors illustrating an Old Testament story that connected Jewish history to what Jesus was going through during that section of the story.
One of the things this Passion Play brought out that I think many times we overlook is the fact that Jesus was a Jew. He was from the lineage of David and grew up in the synagogue as a faithful Jew. The play did a good job of highlighting the various things that a Jew would do during the final week of His life.
Jesus spent much time in Jerusalem, not only in His ministry, but in His childhood. It was in Jerusalem that He was circumcised and consecrated to the Lord. We would also read about when Jesus was 12 years old, His family had traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover, which I’m assuming they did most years. Mary and Joseph started back to Nazareth and realized Jesus was not with the family caravan. The scripture says that when His parents found Him after three days, He was in the temple. Luke 2:46-47 says; After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.
The Passion Play was eye-opening for me and made me think about Jesus in a different light. I had always seen Him as the Son of God, but realizing that He was also a faithful Jew who was connected to the religious leaders in Jerusalem, changed my perspective. Seeing how Jesus was arrested and crucified from the viewpoint of someone who knew Him personally really brought home the message that He died for each one of us. If you get a chance to see the Oberammergau Passion Play, I would highly recommend it. It’s an experience that will stay with you.
Brent Manning, Director of Communications
