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Series Code: TIJ
Program Code: TIJ003109S
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00:37 The year 1632. The beautiful remote town of Oberammergau 00:41 nestled nearby in the Bavarian Alps of southern Germany, 00:45 quietly and securely isolated from the turmoil and torment 00:49 that ravages the rest of Europe. A humble wood carver, Casper 00:54 Schidler returns to his home in Oberammergau from his labors in 00:57 a nearby village. But unbeknown to him and the other inhabitants 01:01 of the town, he silently carries with him the seeds of a calamity 01:06 that will wreak havoc, terror and destruction on Oberammergau and 01:10 its people. Within a year of this day about one quarter of 01:15 the residents of the town will be dead claimed by the dreaded 01:19 plague, the Black Death. This will give rise to an 01:23 extraordinary covenant with God that still resonates to this day 01:28 ♪ ♪ 01:47 On arriving at home in Oberammergau, the farmer begins 01:50 to develop a fever followed by severe stomach pains and 01:54 vomiting, early symptoms of the Black Death or Bubonic Plague 01:59 to give it its correct name, caused by bacteria carried and 02:03 spread by the bite of fleas, the same fleas that feed on the 02:08 blood of the infected black rat. In the days to follow, the 02:14 lymph nodes in his armpits, groin and on his neck become 02:18 hideously swollen, darkened by the infected blood. The risk of 02:23 exposure is ever present as lesions rupture oozing the 02:27 black pus. The pain is unbearable till death 02:32 overcomes. The Black Death caused panic and terror in the 02:40 Oberammergau community. Little wonder. It was to claim nearly 02:44 200 million lives over the centuries that have ravaged 02:48 human kind. With no known treatment or cure for this 02:52 plague, it seemed only a matter of time before the entire 02:56 population of Oberammergau would be wiped out. Many of those who 03:01 died between 1632 and 1633 are buried here in the graveyard of 03:06 the village church. Back then with no end of the plague in 03:12 sight the Oberammergau village council of elders gathered in a 03:17 state of total desperation in this very church on the 27th of 03:22 October 1633. 03:23 ♪ ♪ choir 03:40 In a despairing last ditch attempt to bring an end to their 03:43 suffering, these town people prayed for divine intervention. 03:47 History doesn't record how the idea came to them or whose idea 03:51 it was, but somehow someone came up with the idea of making 03:56 a sacred covenant with God here beneath the original church 04:02 cross. This was the deal. If God would spare the town of 04:08 Oberammergau and its people from the Black Death there and then, 04:11 from that day 04:14 forth the survivors and their descendants would make a solemn 04:17 commitment to reenact and perform the passion of Christ 04:21 once every 10 years for all time in return for God's mercy and 04:27 God's protection. The covenant was made and from that day 04:34 October 27th, 1633 not one more villager in Oberammergau died 04:40 or was ever again infected by the Black Death. It's as if 04:45 focusing on Christ's death gave them life. 04:48 ♪ ♪ choir/chimes 05:01 Today Oberammergau is home to about 5000 people and this 05:05 picture postcard town has become famous throughout the world for 05:09 a very special and very infrequent event. 05:12 ♪ ♪ orchestra/voice 05:33 ♪ ♪ 05:41 Since the covenant made by Oberammergau's elders back in 05:44 1633 for well over three-and-a- half centuries the towns people 05:48 have faithfully performed a reenactment of Christ's 05:52 crucifixion, death and resurrection once every 10 years 05:56 Such is the importance and fame of Oberammergau's once-in-a- 05:59 decade reenactments that these days they draw up to half a 06:03 million from all over the world to experience and witness the 06:08 drama and spectacle of villagers acting out the last week of 06:12 Christ's life on an open air stage. 06:15 ♪ ♪ 06:24 As dramatic and spectacular as the Oberammergau Passion Play 06:33 is the point is not just to put on some entertaining theater 06:36 to pull in the tourists. The point is to touch lives with the 06:40 story of Jesus. How the play affects people and changes their 06:44 perspectives is reflected in the experiences of the actors 06:48 themselves: 06:50 Many people have the chance to read and to learn and to talk 06:54 about Jesus over a long time accept His studies theologically 06:58 for example. 07:00 And like everyone here_ _so for me it was a gift to 07:07 have the chance to learn so much about Jesus and to get so close 07:11 to Him. I soaked up the words of Jesus and every day 07:17 hear when we play and learn something new. 07:22 I noticed _. 07:23 what was_. It's very meaningful. Of course you get 07:27 closer to Jesus and it enriches my personal beliefs. 07:34 So being on stage, being in front of 5000 people and having 07:38 the honor of playing such a big role, so it changed a lot with 07:44 me. I'm 25 years old and there aren't that much people 07:48 in my age that are 07:50 just reading the Bible, just went to church, just think about 07:56 the whole history. And so it changed me a lot. I talked to 08:00 people that watched the play and they said I have nothing to do 08:04 with religious things and they come out and say maybe I have to 08:09 think about it. Maybe I have to learn more about it. 08:13 This is a play which is really inspiring hope, should inspire 08:19 hope love, faith and I think by this way of_ 08:28 by the committed actors. There's a chance that I'm a 08:32 care holder and I've many guests from Great Britain 08:36 and again and again they tell me this was really 08:40 important for my religious experience because Jesus can be 08:44 you can see he was a living person and down to earth and 08:50 was extremely interesting relationship to his disciples 08:57 and yeah and this is inspiring. 08:59 This is one story that no matter how hard the sceptics might try 09:07 will never be erased from human memory. Remember this is the 09:13 story of the crucifixion of Christ. It's the story of the 09:17 murder of an innocent man and it encompasses the ugliest side of 09:22 human existence and the incredible love that God has for 09:26 the human race. Today let's take a closer look at the crucifixion 09:30 of Christ and examine some of the forces that were so intent 09:34 on destroying him. Who exactly were these people and why were 09:39 so intent on killing a man that the Bible says went about doing 09:45 good? 09:46 ♪ ♪ 09:54 (indistinct in German) 10:08 Well one of the first groups to turn against Jesus was the 10:11 Sanhedrin, an important government body in Jerusalem. 10:14 In the gospel according to Mark there is the story where Jesus 10:19 is brought before his enemies having been arrested by an 10:22 unruly crowd in the middle of the night. And even though it 10:26 was technically illegal to carry out those kinds of trials at 10:29 night, the Sanhedrin began the work of finding something to 10:33 condemn Jesus with. Mark chapter 14 and verse 55 says this: 10:45 Now let's focus carefully on what we've just read. It said 10:51 that the Sanhedrin was actually looking for people who would 10:55 testify against Jesus. They set out to recruit people who held a 10:59 grudge against Jesus, people who were against him from the 11:03 beginning. They were supposed to look for ways to compassionately 11:07 acquit a man on trial, innocent until proven guilty. But that 11:11 night they actually hired witnesses to give false 11:15 evidence. They already had a guilty verdict in mind. They 11:19 just wanted to justify it, to make a sure thing of Jesus' 11:23 conviction. So the bribed witnesses came forward charging 11:33 Jesus with all kinds of things. They said he wanted to disrupt 11:36 the laws of the land. But Jesus had spoken of destroying the 11:40 temple and what they did was take Jesus' own words and twist 11:45 them to fit the supposed crime. But the amazing thing was that 11:49 through the accusations Jesus kept completely silent. 11:54 finally the frustrated high priest asked him are you the 11:59 Christ. I Am Jesus said. Here's what Mark said happened next 12:03 from Mark chapter 14 verses 63 and 64: 12:24 The odds were stacked against Jesus. He didn't stand a chance. 12:30 They'd already crucified him in their minds before the trial 12:33 even began. That was the first blow specifically designed to 12:38 silence Jesus for good. But when you read the story carefully, 12:43 you'll discover that it wasn't just the religious leaders that 12:46 worked to destroy him. The tide of public opinion also turned 12:50 against Jesus in what seemed like a heartbeat. Some of the 12:54 people had marveled at Jesus' miracles and were captivated by 12:58 his teachings quickly and completely changed their minds 13:02 as they sensed the weight of opinion shifting against him. 13:05 (crowd shouting) 13:12 (high priest shouting) 13:15 According to the Bible Jesus was taken to Pilot where a large 13:20 was beginning to gather. The idea was that the Roman 13:23 governor would quickly rubber stamp the death sentence and 13:26 ratify the Sanhedrin's decision. But Pilot hesitated. Something 13:32 about the Son of God kept him from pronouncing the verdict 13:35 he'd made so many times before. And he decided that a good 13:39 flogging should be punishment enough. But after Christ's back 13:47 had been torn open by the Roman whip the unexpected happened. 13:51 Pilot came to the crowd and said Do you want me to release him? 13:55 Back in those days it was customary to let one prisoner 13:59 go each Passover season and Pilot hoped they would choose 14:04 Jesus. But the crowd did the unthinkable and asked for the 14:07 release of Barabbas, a man who was convicted of murder. So what 14:13 do you want me to do with Jesus Pilot asked. And then the Bible 14:17 records one of the most awful moments in the history of the 14:20 human race. From Mark chapter 15 verses 13 and 14: 14:39 Not only did the religious leaders condemn Jesus to die but 14:44 a raging mob did too. And symbolically in that mob we find 14:49 the whole of the human race expressing their hatred for God. 14:53 On the day of the crucifixion the odds were stacked against 14:57 Jesus. The government and the people wanted him dead. But 15:12 there was still one more force working against him, the weight 15:16 of the Roman empire. You see the judges were corrupt and the 15:21 people were vicious. And you would think some disciplined 15:24 Roman soldiers could put a stop to the whole thing, but they 15:29 didn't. Instead they took the easy way out, they let it happen 15:32 If executing Jesus could smooth out a tense situation in 15:36 Jerusalem, then Jesus simply had to go. And worse than that, the 15:42 Romans treated the whole thing as some kind of sick and cruel 15:46 fun. Here's what Mark says happened in Mark chapter 15 15:50 verses 16 to 18: 16:06 It was Roman soldiers who blindfolded Jesus. It was Roman 16:16 soldiers who hit him on the head, spat on him and then 16:20 taunted him. It was Roman soldiers who put the beams of 16:22 wood on Christ's back. It was Roman soldiers who led him to 16:26 the place of the skull, Golgotha It was Roman soldiers who nailed 16:31 him to the cross and lifted it up and waited for him to die. 16:36 It was Roman soldiers who made sure that the Sanhedrin got 16:40 their man. It was Roman soldiers who made sure that the voices of 16:44 the crowd prevailed and the might of the Roman empire 16:49 finally thrust this spear into Jesus' side. On the cross, you 16:59 see the Son of God condemned to die by the people he created. He 17:03 was crushed by the power of Rome and left utterly alone 17:07 rejected by us for his righteousness and seemingly 17:11 rejected by heaven because of our sins. But the thing that 17:15 really draws us to the cross is that it isn't the end of the 17:21 story. Jesus came back from the impossible, back from death 17:24 itself. Three powerful forces conspired to destroy him but he 17:29 ended up defeating them all. First he took on the 17:37 irresistible force of the Roman empire and a Roman guard was 17:41 posted at the entrance to the tomb where Jesus was buried and 17:45 this was a squad of really tough disciplined soldiers. They were 17:50 men who knew that they would pay with their lives if a 17:53 prisoner got away. And more than that, a Roman seal had been 17:57 placed on the stone that covered the tomb so anybody who broke 18:01 that seal would have to face the wrath of Caesar himself. 18:05 In other words, the Roman empire was making sure that the body of 18:10 Jesus of Nazareth stayed exactly where they put it in the tomb. 18:16 But according to Matthew, here's what happened on that Sunday 18:19 morning: 18:42 That might have been the best guarded tomb in history, but 18:48 Jesus walked right out of it. The seal flew off the stone and 18:51 the guards went into shock. They were so afraid they became as 18:56 stiff of corpses. A resurrected Christ walked right past the 19:00 best the Roman army had to offer Even the most horrifying method 19:05 of execution imaginable wasn't enough to stop the Son of God. 19:09 But Jesus wasn't finished yet. He had to defeat the power of 19:13 the Sanhedrin and to let them know that they were completely 19:16 powerless against God. So when the soldiers came to tell them 19:21 that the body had disappeared they turned as white as sheets. 19:25 It just wasn't possible. How in the world did it happen? If the 19:30 public found out that Jesus was missing it might turn public 19:34 opinion against them. So they came up with a story. Handing 19:39 the soldiers a big bag of hush money they said: Listen, here's 19:43 what you're going to say. The disciples came by last night and 19:47 stole the body while you guys were sleeping. Now perhaps that 19:51 was the best they could do. But if you think about it, there's a 19:54 big hole in that story because how in the world would the 19:58 soldiers know that's what happened if they were sleeping? 20:02 And furthermore, what Roman soldier would ever admit to 20:06 sleeping on duty. And even more than that, how would they ever 20:10 explain the people who had actually seen Jesus after his 20:17 resurrection. The Apostle Paul actually tells us that Jesus 20:19 actually appeared to a whole series of people right after the 20:22 resurrection and that was something those people would 20:25 about for the rest of their lives. Here's what Paul says: 20:50 Jesus appeared in the flesh to all these people. He talked to 20:54 them, he ate with them, he touched them and they touched 20:59 him. So there was no way the Sanhedrin was going to be able 21:01 to convince them that Jesus was still dead. And so in his most 21:06 glorious moment Jesus completely reversed the plot against him by 21:10 the rulers. But there was still one force that had to be 21:14 reckoned with. It was the voices of the angry mob that had called 21:17 for his execution. And Jesus tackled the court of public 21:29 opinion through the teaching of his disciples. In Acts chapter 2 21:41 Peter was standing in the courtyard of the temple just 21:44 weeks after the crucifixion. He's speaking to a large crowd 21:48 that is gathered for the day of Pentecost and he reminds them of 21:52 some of the Old Testament prophecies that predicted the 21:54 Messiah. And then he answers these words found in Acts 21:58 chapter two: 22:22 On this day, even though he'd once failed Jesus, Peter was 22:28 fearless. He stood up to the crowd and told them, You are 22:32 responsible for the death of Jesus but now he's alive. 22:36 According to the Bible, the people were cut to the heart. 22:41 It finally sunk in that they'd killed God's Son and so they 22:44 screamed out, What are we going to do? That day about 3000 22:53 people put their faith in Jesus Christ, about the same number 22:56 of people this theater seats. A crowd that had once called for 23:01 Jesus' death now called for Jesus' mercy. They became part 23:06 of a growing movement that would turn the world upside down for 23:10 the kingdom of God. Today those voices are still telling the 23:14 story. Jesus has conquered the grave. The Sanhedrin couldn't 23:19 stop him, the crowds couldn't stop him, the Roman Empire 23:23 couldn't stop him and even death itself couldn't stop him. 23:28 And why did Jesus do it? The answer is very simple. He did it 23:33 for you. He wanted to close the impossible gap between God and 23:39 the human race. He wanted to find a way to redeem you and 23:43 restore you to the kingdom of God. 23:46 ♪ ♪ 23:56 As he hung on the cross, it wasn't just the nails that held 23:59 him there. It was actually his overwhelming love for you. And 24:04 because Jesus overcame against all odds, he can offer you a 24:08 better life. You might feel as if the winds of life are 24:12 whipping you senseless, as if you can't possibly face another 24:16 challenge or another day. But today Jesus asks you to take 24:21 heart. Even the grave couldn't stop him and by holding his 24:26 nail-scarred hand, you can face just about anything too. Today 24:31 you can make a comeback. You can make a comeback from divorce 24:35 You can make a comeback from cancer. You can make a comeback 24:39 from financial disaster. Even if your life is falling apart, you 24:44 can go through the worst and come out with flying colors. 24:48 With Jesus you can have new hope Maybe the crowd has turned 24:53 against you. Maybe the government has let you down. 24:56 Maybe those who were supposed to protect you have done just 25:00 the opposite. Don't forget that Jesus faced all that too and he 25:05 promises to turn all the tables one day soon. You see this old 25:10 world is not going to last forever in its present condition 25:13 The promise of God is that He will one day personally wipe 25:18 away your tears and give you a better life in a world where 25:23 these things don't happen anymore. And on that day, you'll 25:26 finally see Jesus face to face and you'll be able to thank him 25:30 in person for what he did at the cross for you. 25:33 ♪ ♪ 25:46 If you'd like to know more about Jesus and Passion Week and what 25:49 it really means for us as well as the positive changes it can 25:54 bring to our lives, then I'd like to recommend a free gift 25:57 for you for all our Incredible Journey viewers today. It's the 26:02 easy to read booklet, The Story of Redemption. This booklet is 26:07 our gift to you and is absolutely free. I guarantee 26:11 there are no costs or obligations whatsoever. 26:14 So take this wonderful opportunity to receive the free 26:19 gift we have for you today. Phone or text us at 26:25 0436333555 in Australia or 0204222042 in New Zealand 26:33 or visit our website TiJ.tv to request today's free offer and 26:39 we'll send it to you totally free of charge and with no 26:43 obligation. Write to us at: 26:57 Don't delay. Call or text us now If you've enjoyed today's 27:04 journey to Oberammergau and the story of Passion Week then be 27:08 sure to join us again next week when we will share another of 27:12 life's journeys together. And now I'd like to invite you to 27:17 join me as we pray. Dear Father in heaven, thank you 27:21 for overcoming all those obstacles for us. Thank you for 27:25 conquering even death itself. We want to place our bruised 27:29 lives in your hands. We want you as our hope and our future, so 27:35 we accept the gift of Christ's pardoning grace, the gift of 27:38 Christ rising from the grave for us and the gift of his living a 27:42 sinless life for us. Thank you for making us part of this great 27:46 reversal of fortune and thank you for making us part of your 27:50 resurrected life. We know that right now you're preparing 27:55 heavenly mansions for us and we eagerly anticipate the day that 28:00 we shall inhabit them and spend eternity with you. In Jesus' 28:03 name. Amen. |
Revised 2020-06-02