A phenomenal experience last night, as Les and I went to see Jesus Christ Superstar at the Echo Arena (a late birthday present - thanks family!) I was totally gripped by the whole performance, amazed at the power and the energy, and deeply moved by the story. I've seen it on stage once before, years ago, and am acquainted with many of the songs. After all, it's been around since 1969! Interestingly JCS was released as an album before it was a stage show. Lloyd Webber, who wrote the music, was only 21 at the time. It's hard to believe that, when it first came out, it was regarded as blasphemous by some Christians, who opposed it vehemently, not least because it finishes with the Crucifixion - there is no resurrection. Somehow, they seemed to miss the point: this was a representation of the Gospel story, not the whole truth.
Cleverly, the setting for this performance is the global economic crisis, and the Occupy! movement. Jesus' disciples come from the ranks of the protesters outside an unidentified government building. From the beginning, revolution was in the air and the message of Jesus was one that naturally threatened authority, both political and religious. He drew people around himself, eager for his 'good news' of love and empowerment for the weak, the sick and the powerless; he shows himself indifferent to the opposition of the state. You could tell it was written by young men! He was always controversial, and a key figure in the show is Judas - an anguished and desperate man, who is disillusioned in the end by Jesus. Like everyone else in the story, Judas just doesn't 'get Jesus'. ('What's it all about', sings Mary Magdalene.)
The most powerful moment in this production is Jesus in Gethsemane, wrestling with God (a truly amazing performance by Ben Forster) as he finally surrenders himself to death. Humanity and divinity in conflict, and resolved only by surrender. Goodness, it seems, must sacrifice itself in order to triumph. The final scene in this production is the kind of shrine that we see nowadays, when a community or nation mourns - as we first experienced when Princess Diana died. A huge outpouring of grief, guilt, love and sorrow.
It made me think how tame sometimes is our presentation of the 'good news'; how ineffective the church in commending the power of God's love, proclaming the arrival of a new world order under the sovereignty of the now risen and ascended Lord Jesus Christ. Perhaps it is because we are unwilling to sacrifice ourselves. Perhaps we are more interested in self-preservation. How does one - how do I - recover that sense of a divine, cutting-edge mission which brings good news?
I have been driven back to the Gospel, and spent a couple of hours reading Mark this morning. It's interesting how often (in Tom Wright's translation, which I read for freshness) the words 'astonished' or 'amazed' or 'afraid' occur in reaction to Jesus' words and actions. How often is there any kind of reaction to what the Church does? Is that about social indifference to the Gospel in our culture, or our failure to connect?
The Gospel of Mark begins: 'This is where the good news starts...'; it ends 'They (the disciples) went out and announced the message everywhere...' There is an obvious connection between the message Jesus brought (and died for) and what the Church is about (and dies for?) I'm not sure we always 'get it' - 'get Jesus'.
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