the  s i l e n c e  of the  L a m b

Alan C Dougall ©1998-2001
www.startatthecross.net

What did you do when Jesus died?
A haunting question based on Matthew 27:27-46

Summary

A wooden cross appears on the scene and the crowd is left to imagine Jesus upon it. This is emphasised by "uniformed" men hammering real nails into the arms of the cross. Various passers-by from the crowd appear and "pay" their disrespects (i.e. mocking, ignoring, exploiting) as Jesus dies silently upon the cross. These people represent all of us who have effectively contributed to Jesus' death and His suffering, after He became one of us. Amidst all of the suffering, Jesus' parting words are one of mercy that disturbs our ignorance of Him, and turns us: firstly to reflect upon our lives; and then for us to turn and ask of Him: "What shall we do?"

The deliberate mixture of music and lyrics in the background enhances the contrast between our dismissive condescension and the significance of Jesus' final gracious response. The focus of the attention on Jesus and us is intensified by the contemporary music and settings. This helps to depict our present unwitting behaviour to others whom we find easy to make fun of or take advantage of. The opening scene is intended to be humorous and yet deliberately mysterious. However, the level of humour diminishes distinctly to avoid belittling the sufferings of Christ. A mood of sobriety overcomes the crowd when they begin to realise the seriousness of the situation: when they discover that they too have been "found out". The main twist in the drama is at the end when only a thief offers Jesus respect. That thief's role also acts as a thread throughout the whole drama, cajoling the crowd and the passers-by. This emphasises the change of heart at the end, when everyone has grown to consider him obnoxious. Silent freezes in each scene are used to enhance the message from the music, and also helps the timing. The use of a flowing dance at the end allows greater time and opportunity for the Spirit of God to move in each of us. As the dance subsides, someone may deliver a sharp short searching question to the remaining crowd "Before you walk away…" as a follow-up to Jesus' offer to us all.

There are four distinct groups of people who confront Jesus.

• Scene 1: Blasphemous mockers
  The "referee" and two "football players" play to win the spoils of their sport, oblivious of the importance of the event. They spit at the job in hand and desecrate the cross before hammering in the nails.
• Scene 2: "Ignorant" academics
  Two students discuss their latest fashions and (ignoring Jesus) they assess the value of religion. Then 2 smart professionals discuss the passing times and the prospects for their future careers.
• Scene 3: Exploiters and those easily misled
  A photographer and a reporter involve the crowd in the excitement. A journalist does a deal with a publisher. Newspaperman sell the paper to the crowd. Buyers from the crowd walk past, turning their back on Jesus and make fun of the article.
• Scene 4: Grasping thieving "criminals"
  A policeman drags two accused criminals to each side of the cross and raise their hands outstretched. Both criminals argue how they got into this mess and how they can escape. One "cheat" offers Jesus a bribe for a way out; the other "thief" accepts his punishment and offers Jesus respect.

Significant contributions have been greatly appreciated from all of the drama team players, especially to Alastair Forsyth, Tim Leavers and Stuart Chalmers for their assistance with the script. Acknowledgement must also go to Tom Hank's inspiring role in the film, "The Green Mile" which we have attempted to emulate in the final scene.  A licence for preparing and playing the copyright music has been obtained from Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL), Anton House, 1 Upper James Street, London, W1R 311G and permission is being sought from the individual record companies to allow extracts to be copied.