There I’m stood, waiting, in a crowd, a wide space open before us, a few women talk animatedly in the open. But we can’t hear everything they’re saying, and as their voices disappear a wave of quiet falls over us all. My friend turns to look the other way, I begin to follow her gaze and see, like the gentle movement of water, the faces of those surrounding me turning with hers, their eyes focusing on one central point. But what are they looking at? What can they see?
And then the same vision that holds their gaze fills my own. I see him. In clothing of vibrant white, stood calm and triumphant, I see him risen. I reach out for the attention of another friend and I point towards the scene. I see in his face the same wonder that I felt on my own. I am part of the crowd, we are the audience, and the wide space is the stage, the actors before us recall the profound moments of Christ’s resurrection in ‘The Passion of Jesus‘.
It was a gloriously sunny day, as though the weather had joined the celebration and memory of Good Friday. When we arrived at ‘The Passion of Jesus’ in Trafalgar Square, the crowds were already waiting. I looked around for our friends from church and finally saw them, sat on the ground amongst the quickly developing audience. We wouldn’t be able to join them, but that was ok, the important thing was that we were here together and that we had the privilege of seeing events of the Gospel recalled before us.
And so we became part of the crowd, our view somewhat obscured. But this brought the experience more to life. It was as though part of the crowds that followed Jesus and listened to his teachings, part of the crowd that called praise as he entered Jerusalem. And, as a sobering fact, it was as though we were part of the crowd that watched his crucifixion, perhaps even the crowd that called for it.
And this realisation reminded me again of what it meant to be a Christian, of what it meant to admit that we have done wrong, that we were sinners and that we had turned away from God. And in admitting this, having the faith to trust that in Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, moments that brought themselves to life before us, he took our sins away so that we may be forgiven by God.
The play was amazing. The script was a work of art, intertwining teachings from throughout the Gospels and placing them in the setting and the context of the latter period of Jesus’ life. Together, the actors, the audience, everyone involved, there was a sense of unity.
We were seeing the character of Jesus, not just the events of the Gospel but His love and the way in which he touched the lives of those who followed him. It was as though a community had developed in the heart of London, brought together by the memory of the events that were performed before us.
As a Christian, I believe that Jesus was raised from death, and that in his resurrection we have assurance that his sacrifice in our place has been accepted by God, and that death has truly been overcome.
The Lilies of the Field 