Finally we come to the central reason for the Passion Play and its proper title "Re-enactment of our Lord's Passion". Every scene is centred on Jesus and the actions leading to the conclusion of his primary mission on Earth. For three years he travelled around Jerusalem and surrounding districts with his apostles and other disciples and followers, teaching, healing and explaining how God loves his people - all people.
Jesus regularly had to use parables and examples using the regular people around him at the time to explain the principles and get the ideas through to everyone, especially his disciples. It wasn't easy as they - and us now - all tend to get stuck in our thinking and trapped in thinking about the world, limiting our thoughts to the here and now and material world, forgetting how God is real and impacts our lives.If you are able to read the gospels in a synchronised format, (such as The Gospel Story by Ronald Knox) where all four of the witnesses's gospels are collated into sequential order, you can see the build-up of pressure as Jesus faces opposition from the Temple authorities.
His continual teaching and leading by example gradually soaks into the understanding of the apostles. This will only really be clear after the Resurrection, Ascension and descent of the Holy Spirit, but the time has now arrived for Our Lords' Passion.
The final arrival into Jerusalem has Jesus hailed as the Son of David and a Messiah and Saviour and more. The apostles are very pleased as this matches their hopes. But the following week shows them the flimsy nature of popular support. It tends to disappear as fast it arises.
At the last supper, Jesus explains everything, including foretelling of his arrest and execution. St John records everything in much detail, but most of the apostles still don't fully understand.
Even when Jesus has his final prayers before the coming arrest, his closest disciples can't stay awake for an hour, they are so exhausted by the day's events.
After the arrest, Jesus is once more alone, abandoned by his friends and supporters. But that is part of his plan. He didn't want any of his friends to be arrested for his sake at this time.
He is tried and convicted of blasphemy by Caiaphus and the Sanhedrin. He is beaten and abused and thrown into the Temple prison before being taken to Pilate for execution.
Pontius Pilate tries to avoid executing Jesus by first passing him to Herod, attempted to trade Jesus for a criminal Barrabas and finally scourging Jesus with no execution. But to no avail. The crowd is unruly and threatens unrest and possible uprisings as have already happened recently.
Pilate felt it was easier to give them what they want and save the trouble.
The scourging led to abuse and belittlement, mocking him as a king with a crown of thorns, cloak and sceptre. Knowing it was all false, Jesus endured the mockery and abuse.
Pilate condemns Jesus to death by crucifixion and makes him carry his own cross to Golgotha, the hill on which crucifixions happen.
Jesus meets many on the way to the end, his mother Mary, Simon of Cyrene, Veronica and the women of Jerusalem. He falls three times but makes it to the place of crucifixion.
Upon the cross he faces more abuse by the priests and crowd and even by another criminal who was crucified beside him.
He sees the crowd watching, knowing this is all part of God's plan for their redemption, even if they don't know it.
Finally Jesus dies after announcing the accomplishment of what needed to be done.
Then all waited for the third day (Friday is the first, Saturday the second and Sunday morning the third) when the women and then apostles discover the empty tomb and encounters with the risen Jesus occurred throughout the area.
The scourging led to abuse and belittlement, mocking him as a king with a crown of thorns, cloak and sceptre. Knowing it was all false, Jesus endured the mockery and abuse.
Pilate condemns Jesus to death by crucifixion and makes him carry his own cross to Golgotha, the hill on which crucifixions happen.
Jesus meets many on the way to the end, his mother Mary, Simon of Cyrene, Veronica and the women of Jerusalem. He falls three times but makes it to the place of crucifixion.
Upon the cross he faces more abuse by the priests and crowd and even by another criminal who was crucified beside him.
He sees the crowd watching, knowing this is all part of God's plan for their redemption, even if they don't know it.
Finally Jesus dies after announcing the accomplishment of what needed to be done.
Then all waited for the third day (Friday is the first, Saturday the second and Sunday morning the third) when the women and then apostles discover the empty tomb and encounters with the risen Jesus occurred throughout the area.
Thank you to everyone who participated in making the Re-enactment of Our Lord's Passion (Passion Play) on Good Friday at the Shrine of Our Lady of Mercy such as great event.
The actors, support crew and the crowd all participate in making the event a very immersive reliving of the historical account of the Passion of Jesus.
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