In the second episode of the BBC1 drama The Passion, tension is mounting all round. The disciples begin to urge Jesus to turn back as he has done enough now. Caiaphas and the Temple Guard try to persuade Judas to betray Jesus, as he is putting the whole stability of Judea at risk. Pilate is under pressure to keep the peace and gets a visit from his own Prefect, who wants the Passover festival stopped. As the tension grows, we are drawn to the questions held uppermost in the film: ‘Who is this man Jesus?’; ‘What has he come to do?’
In this dramatic retelling of the last week in the life of Jesus of Nazareth, we hear Jesus declare that he is going to die and be raised again: the disciples are confused. A prostitute pours expensive oil on Jesus’ feet: they are even more confused. Other followers are frightened, though they want to stay with Jesus; they realize all the tensions are coming to a head.
There is talk of sacrifice all around, and we know this will mean not just the lambs in the Temple, but Jesus himself. Jesus is seen as a revolutionary, a blasphemer and one who would destroy the Temple. It is time to get rid of him, says the High Priest.
And the message that is causing all this tension and confusion is a simple one: love, and the closeness of the love of God.
