Events: Parables and Teachings Prophecy:"I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old." (Psalm 78:2) Summary: Jesus was the master teacher. On this day, He teaches the awaiting crowds at the temple and the mount of Olives
through sermons and parables. His powerful teachings on this day include the parable of the Ten Virgins, the
Widow’s Mite, and the Greatest Commandment, love one another. He also emphasizes the importance of serving
others: “Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto the one of the least of these my brethren, ye have
done it unto me.” (Matthew 25:40) Scripture Reading:
The Greatest Commandment: Matthew 22:35-40
Ye Have Done It Unto Me: Matthew 25:31-46
The Parable of the Talents: Matthew 25:14-30
The Parable of the Ten Virgins: Matthew 25:1-13
"The blessings of the temple are available to us all—young and old and everybody in between. It is in the temple that we remember who we really are and see with clarity who we really can become."
Events: Jesus Cleanses the Temple, Heals the Blind and Lame Prophecy:"Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people." (Isaiah 56:7) Summary: Three years prior to this Easter Week, Jesus Christ had cleansed the temple in Jerusalem and called it "my Father's house." On this day of Easter Week, Christ once again clears the temple of money changers but, in his role as Messiah, claims the temple as "my house." He teaches in the temple, and the blind and lame come to Him and He heals them. Scripture Reading: Christ cleanses the temple, heals blind, and teaches: Matthew 21:12-18; Mark 11:12-19; Luke 19:45-48
Seeing how upset Jesus was in the account of Jesus cleansing the temple and the depictions of this story in art always used to surprise me. But I've come to realize that he acted strongly because he felt so strongly that it is important to be respectful of sacred things.
This reverence for that which is sacred has guided how I learn about other religions, their books of scripture, their cultures, their dress. People of many religions are often mocked for their beliefs or their outward symbols of belief. Mormons, Muslims, and Jews alike. I want to be more careful when I speak of or observe another's beliefs, which they hold sacred. It IS important to be respectful of sacred things, things you deem to be sacred. It's also important to be respectful of things that others hold dear.
"It is fitting that during the week from Palm Sunday to Easter morning we turn our thoughts to Jesus Christ, the source of light, life, and love. The multitudes in Jerusalem may have seen Him as a great king who would give them freedom from political oppression. But in reality He gave much more than that. He gave us His gospel, a pearl beyond price, the grand key of knowledge that, once understood and applied, unlocks a life of happiness, peace, and fulfillment."
Event: Jesus's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem Prophecy:"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass." (Zechariah 9:9) Summary: Jesus Christ rides into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey, and is greeted by multitudes of people shouting Hosanna, waving palms, and laying down clothing and branches for Christ to walk on. They recognize Him as their King. “And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.” (Matthew 21:9) Scripture Reading:
Triumphal Entry: Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-44; John 12:12-36
Prophecy of Triumphal Entry: Zechariah 9:9
When I was in Jerusalem in November 2015, I walked the half-mile route down from the Mount of Olives on the way to the Old City of Jerusalem. Not only did it provide a stunning view of the city, but I was reminded of the significance of this place in biblical history.
From the Mount of Olives, you can see a green area, which is the Valley of Kidron—the site where King David first established Jerusalem. Most cities in Israel were founded around springs of water rather than defensible positions. King David established his city above the Gihon Spring in the Kidron Valley. This was also an area that didn't belong to any one of the 12 tribes of Israel, so it was a neutral place to locate the capital city of united Israel.
Olive Trees in Jerusalem. Photo by me.
In reading the four gospels in the New Testament, we know that the Mount of Olives, adjacent to Jerusalem's Old City up on a ridge to the east, played a significant role in his life. It served as a place of refuge for him. On Palm Sunday, fulfilling prophecy, Jesus descended the Mount of Olives on a donkey in a long procession which we have come to know as "the triumphal entry" into Jerusalem.
The road from Bethany to Jerusalem, down the Mount of Olives, is a steep descent and winds its way past a Jewish cemetery. These burial grounds have been used to lay to rest more than 150,000 Jewish faithful including important rabbis from the 15th to 20th centuries. They believed that when the Messiah returned, they would be closest to being resurrected so they could enter Jerusalem in triumph.
But Christ's followers knew of his divinity and believed him to be the Messiah. Palm Sunday commemorates the day of Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. We call it Palm Sunday because of the palm fronds and leaves that were laid out before him on his path to Jerusalem, a custom symbolizing victory. He was greeted by multitudes of people shouting Hosanna and waving palms. They recognized him as their King. This set in motion the events leading to His Atonement, Crucifixion, and Resurrection.
"Every attempt to reflect upon the Atonement, to study it, to embrace it, to express appreciation for it, however
small or feeble it may be, will kindle the fires of faith and work its miracle towards a more Christlike life. It is an
inescapable consequence of so doing. We become like those things we habitually love and admire. And thus,
as we study Christ’s life and live His teachings, we become more like Him."
~Tad R. Callister
For years, I have felt that the commercialization of Easter, with its chocolate bunnies and egg hunts, was lacking in terms of howI want to celebrate Easter and springtime. Springtime brings with it a feeling of new birth. Baby animals, eggs, tulips, and fresh grass all add to this feeling of newness. And Easter is about Jesus Christ, his life, atonement, crucifixion, and his resurrection, a new birth.
To capture this feeling, I've decided to take time to study the last week of Christ's life during Holy Week leading up to Easter Sunday this year. I've found various suggestions and guidelines online and plan to share my thoughts each day during Holy Week. And I'd love to hear what you do to commemorate the events of the last week of Christ's life during this week.
"Some experiences simply do not translate. You have to go to know."
~Kobi Yamada
Oberammergau, Bavaria, Germany.
There are almost no words to describe how wonderful it was to be in Oberammergau, a picture-perfect village nestled in the verdant Bavarian Alps, in southern Germany, and go to the Passion Play on closing night of its 2010 run.
As you may likely know, The Passion Play occurs every ten years in Oberammergau, as a result of a promise Oberammergauers made with God in 1633. Experiencing the effects of the Thirty Years' Ward and the Plague, and already having lost almost half their village population to it, they made a promise with God to put on a "passion play" every ten years depicting the Passion of Christ (His life, suffering, crucifixion, and resurrection) if Oberammergau would be spared. They indeed survived, and the first Passionsspiele in Oberammergau was performed in 1634, in the old Church yard.
The tradition continues nearly four centuries later, having brought millions to Oberammergau, a town which is now inextricably bound to The Passion Play. The world-renowned production is cast only with residents of the village, who look forward to this event for ten years and spend an entire year rehearsing. Even more time is likely spent by the men growing out their hair and their beards. The nearly 1000(!) performers all meet the strict requirements of being born in Oberammergau or having lived there for more than 20 years. There were so many people on stage that we wondered if there was anybody else left in town. (Apparently there were, since the population was 5,204 as of December 2009.)
The regular performances at ten-year intervals have only been interrupted a few times due to WWII, economic hard times, as well as additional performance runs commemorating anniversary years, such as 1934 (300-year anniversary) and 1984 (350-year anniversary). The past three runs (1990, 2000, and 2010) have all been directed by the same director, Christian Stückl.
In 2000, the greatest reform of the script since 1860 occurred in an effort to eliminate much of the anti-Semitic overtones, which were endorsed and encouraged by Adolf Hitler. According to Wikipedia, the following changes were made:
changing some of the high priests' names from Old Testament names to newer New Testament-era names such as Demetrios, Alexander, or Bacchides;
the role of the Temple traders has been reduced;
the character "Rabbi" has been eliminated and his lines given to another character;
Jesus has been addressed as Rabbi Yeshua;
Jesus speaks fragments of Hebrew in the play;
Jews have been shown disputing with others about Judaism, not just about Jesus;
Pilate has been made to appear more tyrannical and some revision of lines was done to reflect that;
Jesus' supporters have been added to the screaming crowd outside Pilate's palace;
removing the line "His blood is upon us and also upon our children's children" (from Matthew 27:25), and "Ecce homo" (Behold the man);
Peter, when questioned by Nathaniel regarding abandoning Judaism replies, "No! We don't want that! Far be it from us to abandon Moses and his law"; and
at the Last Supper Jesus recites the blessing over the wine in Hebrew.
The spectacular colors, music, staging, and costuming of the Passion Play all contributed to its stunning and breathtaking presentation. The stage is open to the elements, while the audience is shielded. Although the weather was beautiful, though just a tad chilly, the night we were there, I've been told that these seasoned actors have performed (and rehearsed) in all types of weather conditions.
The Passion Play stage before it started.
Opening up the play, as well as acting as narrators throughout, was a choir dressed in white robes and hats. They were simply stunning to watch. I couldn't believe how close in height they all were. In fact, they were so uniform in dress and size, that it was almost distracting, since I was looking for the flaw or the one that didn't look like he or she belonged. They were seamless. Their voices were beautiful and their movement across the stage -- so fluid.
Narration was provided through song by the choir, who would often break their straight line, separating at the middle and smoothly moving in two lines, diagonally flanking the inner stage, just as the curtains were lifting to reveal what were called "Living Images." These images were recognizable stories from the Old Testament posed by live actors who remained completely motionless for up to a minute. They were intended "to aid in theological analysis" according to our program. Bright color schemes dominated these images and really invoked a passionate, meditative feeling as you observed and listened to the choir narration.
Living Image: Paradise Lost.
Living Image: The Feast of Passover before the Exodus from Egypt.
Living Image: Moses leads the Israelites through the Red Sea.
(You can tell this was a rehearsal because they are not all in costume.)
Living Image: The Violent Attack at the High Place of Gibeon
My goodness, the vibrancy of those colors was just incredible! Really, they were breathtaking.
Part One (Acts I-V) began at 2:30 in the afternoon and finished at around 5:15 in the evening, at which time there is a three hour dinner break. All six of us (Fred, Linda, Sarah, KDJ, Andrew, and I) strolled back to our Bed & Breakfast to eat dinner and take a quick cat nap, in preparation for Part Two (Acts VI-XI), which began at 8:00 in the evening and ended sometime around 11:00 that night. We had prepared a "picnic" dinner that morning in Stuttgart, so we could just eat at our B&B, since we knew that the 5000+ audience members would also be dining in tiny Oberammergau.
Oh and remember from my previous posts, how Andrew is seven years old? Yeah, he was SO incredibly well-behaved for probably the youngest Passion Play attendee ever. During the second half, Sarah allowed him to bring his Nintendo DS to play under a blanket when he got a little bored. Incredibly, he watched the majority of the whole thing, but this is what he looked like when he was taking a break.
Sarah and Andrew at the Passion Play.
The rest of us.
As I mentioned before, it was closing night, which meant that the bows included both casts, the musicians, and the director and lasted for a good twenty minutes or so and we were allowed to take pictures. The major roles were double casted, which is certainly understandable since they did over 100 performances this year. Watching the 1000 people filter on stage for the bows and then remain there, not wanting to leave, I was reminded of that "closing night" letdown or post show withdrawal and depression. And to think... these Oberammergauers have performed this for five months, and prepared for it about a year before that! And we're not talking about a performance of Oklahoma! either. This is the Passion of Christ. How incredibly moving and life-changing this experience must be for all of them and what a privilege to be involved.
Closing Night Bows.
Passion Play in Oberammergau, Germany. 3 October 2010
The play was performed in German, with some Hebrew, so we were able to follow along in our "textbook" in English. Reading the actual words in English was nice, but if you knew the basic story of Christ's life, it was very easy to follow along and know what was going on. The actors were incredibly, dare I say it, passionate. Despite knowing that this is a world-renowned production in its 41st run, I was truly shocked with the intensity and reality of the acting. There was simply no way, in my mind, that anyone could have left that theater without being completely emotionally moved. I was changed. I gained a much deeper appreciation for Christ's Atonement from watching this portrayal of His life and death. These 2010 Oberammergauers certainly paid excellent tribute to their ancestors from 1634 and to their Savior, Jesus Christ. Just spectacular!
It's already on my calendar for 2020!
And now, if you still don't feel like you were there, watch this:
Stay tuned for more photos of Oberammergau and the breathtaking Bavarian Alps.
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Photos of the crowd surrounding Jesus on the donkey, the choir,
and the Living Images were all found online in a Google search.
If attribution is needed, feel free to contact me.
