I’m Writing a Passion Play!

And I couldn’t be more excited by the challenge. Why is it a challenge?

First of all, it’s a musical, and needs to be about 50 percent music. That means the time on stage is cut in half, so I’m permitted fewer words . . . unless I put them into a song. Fortunately, the group in Memphis I’m writing for has talented musicians, so I’m writing lyrics and handing them over to musical experts. (I knew all those hours as a music major would be useful one day . . .)

The Passion Play set

Secondly, LOTS of people have seen a passion play, either live or on TV, so I want to create something different. Hard to come up with different when it’s a very familiar story with certain set events. (I’m feeling grateful THE CHOSEN hasn’t covered these events yet, or people might think I was stealing their ideas . . .)

Thirdly, the words “passion play” are a hot button to Jewish folks, and I’m worshipping these days at a Messianic synagogue. But, as the Lord would have it, the other day after our service I asked for prayer about this project, and the people said that our rabbi just HAPPENED to have written a book about distortions common to passion plays, and the book has suggestions to counteract the often prevalent notion that all the Jews in Jerusalem were vengeful, murderous people . . . I left that night with a copy of the book and have already implemented it.

So I am truly enjoying this project! I’m sandwiching the work in between drafts of my current novel, but a little time away from a work often gives fresh perspective, so that’s good.

I finished the first draft last week, and I’m taking my rabbi and his wife to lunch next week to get their perspective on it. When dealing with the Jewish Messiah and a story about Jewish people, I figured it would be helpful to get insights from Jewish scholars.

Here’s an example of something new I’ve learned: The Triumphal Entry took place on the 10th day of Nisan, the day when Jewish families were to choose their passover lamb. They would take it home, care for it, and examine it until the 14th of Nisan, when the lamb would be sacrificed as long as it had not been found blemished or defective. (By the way, the lamb did not have to be pure white. We often hear it had to be “without spot or blemish,” but the “spot” referred to scabs, etc, not color.)

Sheep and lambs on pasture

On that same day, the tenth of Nisan, Yeshua, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, entered Jerusalem and gave the people an opportunity to choose Him. And from that tenth day until the 14th, He was tried and tested before becoming our perfect, sinless sacrifice for sin.

Amazing, isn’t it?

Have you ever seen a passion play? What was your impression? What touched you the most? And if you can get to Memphis, why not come to see this one?