Christ’s Last Week : Using “Jesus Christ Superstar” to Tell the Story

Before Day One



Traditionally, the last seven days in the earthly life of Jesus are called Holy Week. It covers the time between his triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday) through the last supper he shared with his disciples (Maundy Thursday) and his crucifixion (Good Friday) right up to his resurrection (Easter). And on each of these days, we’ve traditionally had special services, with each one reminding us of what happened to Jesus and teaching us some truth that we might apply to our own lives. Now, this is the kind of thing Christians have done for almost two thousand years.

Of course, this year is unique. Right now we’re in the middle of a pandemic that’s severely limited our movement and our ability to get together. And even though a lot of Christians are “zooming” or “drive inning” their services, it’s not the same. I mean, at the moment, we’re just not able to gather for worship, and that certainly makes 2020 different. And for me personally, this is the first time in thirty-five years that I haven’t been serving a congregation. And even though this has felt weird, it feels down right wrong as we approach Easter. I think we can safely say that this is new territory for us all.

And because it’s so very different, we’re going to do something I’ve never done before. We’re going to look at Christ’s last week day by day. And we’re going to use the musical Jesus Christ Superstar to guide our journey. In other words, during the next seven days, I’ll be using scripture, brief commentaries and songs to help us better understand what Jesus faced during his last week. Now that’s the plan, and when we’re finished, I hope we all have a better grasp of what actually happened and are better able to celebrate his resurrection, even though we’ll be doing that in a different way this year. I’ll be taking the clips from the 2000 version of the musical and using The Message (MSC) for the scripture passages.

Of course, the musical didn’t begin with the triumphal entry. There are five songs that set the stage. Now some of these are grounded in scripture, while others are based on what could be called logical assumptions. For example, although it’s not articulated in the Bible, I think it’s reasonable to assume that, as they approached Jerusalem, some of the followers of Christ might have become concerned about the direction his mission was moving. I mean, while at the beginning he was healing, casting out demons and performing miracles, the mission had taken a darker turn. And instead of offering clear principles that could be immediately applied or teaching with clever parables, Jesus had begun to focus on two themes. First, he’d been talking a lot about how difficult following him was going to be. “Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, ‘Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for?’” [Mark 8:34-37, MSG] Now this must have seemed really strange coming from a guy who healed cripples and feed five thousand. And second, he’d started intentionally to downplay his accomplishments so that he could dwell on something else. “He then asked, ‘And you—what are you saying about me? Who am I?’ Peter gave the answer: ‘You are the Christ, the Messiah.’ Jesus warned them to keep it quiet, not to breathe a word of it to anyone. He then began explaining things to them: ‘It is necessary that the Son of Man proceed to an ordeal of suffering, be tried and found guilty by the elders, high priests, and religion scholars, be killed, and after three days rise up alive.” He said this simply and clearly so they couldn’t miss it.’” [Mark 8:29-32, MSG] You see, as they approached Jerusalem, the mission was changing, becoming less crowd-pleasing and more spiritual. Therefore, although it’s not in the gospels, I think the feelings expressed by Judas just might be on the mark when he sang “Heaven On Their Minds.”

Of course, since we know the end of the story, we understand why Jesus was talking about his own suffering. And outside of some believers who’ve been taught that following Jesus is a way to get health and wealth and happiness, I think most Christians recognize that applying Christian principles isn’t a cake walk, because it involves suffering and demands self-sacrifice. Still, the question about how these new lessons might apply to average people, well, I think this was the kind of quandary expressed in this song sung by his disciples, “What’s the Buzz?”

But even with their doubts and confusion, the followers of Jesus continued to go toward Jerusalem. And just outside the city, they stopped at a home in Bethany, a town located on the southeastern slope of the Mount of Olives, less than 2 miles from Jerusalem. And even though it was called the home of Simon the Leper in Mark and Matthew and of Lazarus in John, something remarkable happened to Jesus. “Jesus was at Bethany, a guest of Simon the Leper. While he was eating dinner, a woman came up carrying a bottle of very expensive perfume. Opening the bottle, she poured it on his head. Some of the guests became furious among themselves. ‘That’s criminal! A sheer waste! This perfume could have been sold for well over a year’s wages and handed out to the poor.’ They swelled up in anger, nearly bursting with indignation over her. But Jesus said, ‘Let her alone. Why are you giving her a hard time? She has just done something wonderfully significant for me. You will have the poor with you every day for the rest of your lives. Whenever you feel like it, you can do something for them. Not so with me. She did what she could when she could—she pre-anointed my body for burial. And you can be sure that wherever in the whole world the Message is preached, what she just did is going to be talked about admiringly.’” [Mark 14:3-9, MSG] Now this encounter is put to music in the song, “Strange Thing Mystifying.”

Of course, we might be uneasy with the extravagance of the gift and downright uncomfortable with what Jesus said about the poor. But I don’t think we should take this story as literal nor his comment as absolute. In other words, I think anyone who uses this story to justify a callous attitude toward the poor is intentionally ignoring our Lord’s repeated calls to show love, especially to the poor and the weak. Remember, in just a few days, Jesus will say this to his disciples:
“When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why:

I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.’

“Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’

“Then he will turn to the ‘goats,’ the ones on his left, and say, ‘Get out, worthless goats! You’re good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why? Because—

I was hungry and you gave me no meal,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
I was homeless and you gave me no bed,
I was shivering and you gave me no clothes,
Sick and in prison, and you never visited.’

“Then those ‘goats’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn’t help?’

“He will answer them, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.’

“Then those ‘goats’ will be herded to their eternal doom, but the ‘sheep’ to their eternal reward.” [Matthew 25:34-46, MSC]

No, this isn’t about justifying an attitude we know that God will judge harshly. Instead, it’s all about what Jesus will face. You see, the woman in Bethany was doing what Jesus had been talking about. She was preparing him his burial, something that we know will happen in Jerusalem. And even though I don’t see any indication of a more physical expression of love, this conflict didn’t split the disciples; therefore, they must have come to the awareness expressed in the song, “Everything’s Alright.”

Of course, the peace Jesus and his followers might have experience outside the city wasn’t shared by the leadership who were literally inside the walls. You see, they were doing what religious leaders often do, to see anyone outside their established group and any idea outside their limited control as a threat. Of course, for the Jewish leadership, this wasn’t new. It went back to the very beginning of Jesus’s ministry. And as the following story shows, the action that triggered their initial opposition was surprising to say the least. Mark wrote, “Then [Jesus] went back in the meeting place where he found a man with a crippled hand. The Pharisees had their eyes on Jesus to see if he would heal him, hoping to catch him in a Sabbath infraction. He said to the man with the crippled hand, ‘Stand here where we can see you.’ Then he spoke to the people: ‘What kind of action suits the Sabbath best? Doing good or doing evil? Helping people or leaving them helpless?’ No one said a word. He looked them in the eye, one after another, angry now, furious at their hard-nosed religion. He said to the man, ‘Hold out your hand.’ He held it out—it was as good as new! The Pharisees got out as fast as they could, sputtering about how they would join forces with Herod’s followers and ruin him.” [Mark 3:1-6, MGC] You see, they hated Jesus, but not because he’d done something evil. No, they hated him because he had the audacity to break their law in order to do something good.

And sadly, I think that’s still the case and not just among the religious establishment. You see, those who’ve sold their soul to the Law, any law, they’re going to see mavericks and renegades as dangerous. And dangerous people and messages need to be silenced, right? They should be shoved to the side and ignored. And if that doesn’t work, they should be denigrated and attacked. But if the person and message continue, well, those leaders may need a more permanent solution their problem, maybe like the one expressed in the song, “This Jesus Must Die.”

And with that, we’re at the point where Jesus is ready to enter Jerusalem. But we’re not ignorant, are we? We know all the players: Jesus who’s moving toward his purpose, Judas who’s concerned, disciples who are confused, and those pseudospiritual legalists who know exactly what to do in order to protect themselves.