The Passion Play

As part of our summer holiday Barbara and I attended the Passion Play in Oberammergau, in southern Germany. It is called a "Passion Play" because it shows the suffering and death of Jesus. The original meaning of the word "passion" was "suffering," although a so-called night of passion today is probably not a night of suffering!

The play covers the last week of Jesus' life from Palm Sunday to the Resurrection on Easter Day. It lasts about five-and-a-half hours beginning at 2:30 pm with an interval at 5:00 pm. Visitors then go to their hotels for dinner. The play resumes at 8:00 pm and finishes about 11:00 pm.

The stage is in the open air, although the audience is under cover. By the end of the play it is dark outside, with the stage lit up in a most effective way. It was a wonderful experience to be there, because in a more powerful way than even reading the story from the Bible, the play portrayed the horror and the suffering of the last week of Jesus' life. The play would give a sceptic a great deal to think about.

The first Passion Play took place in Oberammergau in 1634. The people of southern Germany had been struck down with a terrible plague. Although many of the villagers had died those who remained reflected not so much on their own suffering and loss of life. They remembered that Jesus had suffered and died on the Cross, so that those who trust in him need not fear, but enjoy eternal life. Although every family was affected by the plague, their sufferings were as nothing compared to the sufferings of Jesus.

In case anyone ever forgot Jesus' suffering the villagers made a solemn promise that they would perform the "Play of the Suffering, Death and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ" every ten years. After they made this promise the plague spread no further.

At Pentecost 1634, the villagers of Oberammergau fulfilled their promise for the first time, on a stage, which was erected in the village cemetery over the graves of the plague victims. Over the years and the centuries the play moved from the cemetery to a village theatre, and is now performed every ten years in years, which end with the digit "zero". This year the play began on 15 May and will continue five days each week until it finishes on Sunday 3 October – 102 presentations in total. With 5,000 people attending each day, over half a million people will see the play in 2010.

Three crosses were laid flat on the stage for the Crucifixion scene. We heard the sound of the nails being hammered into the wood and we saw the actor portraying Jesus with his beaten and blood soaked body being raised up on the Cross.

That was not the end of the play. The stage was in the open air. It was dark outside. The stage was lit up and the risen Jesus appeared in a pure white robe in front of Mary and the other women who had come to the tomb and also in front of the audience.

"I know that my Saviour lives," said Mary, "He is with us all the days until the end of the world. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices."

The choir then sings a hymn of praise. The actors' leave and the audience applaud a brightly lit empty stage. No curtain calls, no actors returning to acknowledge the applause. Our applause was all to God, for bringing light out of darkness and reassuring us in such a powerful way that cares and troubles are only for a time.

Since I returned from holiday I have heard about a number of church members whose health has been giving concern. May we all know as we travel into the unknown and the uncertainty of the coming winter season that the Lord goes with us and will work out his plan and purpose.

Yours in Christ’s service.