Sunday, May 14, 2017

Thoughts

It's been a long time since I posted on this blog. Lent came and went, despite the fact that I planned to post periodically during that time. But I'm back now, and on summer vacation, and ready to start posting again. Starting with some thoughts I had.

I'm sitting here listening to Jesus Christ Superstar, which is a great musical despite being somewhat off theologically. The songs are incredible, but if you're looking for a theology lesson, look elsewhere. If you don't know, the musical ends with the death of Jesus, which is so not the end of the story. Because of this, there are christians who don't like the musical, which I respect. However, if you know the true story, and you know that death doesn't defeat Christ in the end, I don't see anything wrong with listening to the musical and enjoying the music. Some of the songs are beautiful; "I Don't Know How to Love Him," in particular, in which Mary Magdalene explains that her love for Jesus is unlike anything she's ever felt before, and how completely He has changed her life.

My main purpose in this post, however, is to talk about one line that stood out to me as I listen again for the first time in a long time. The line comes first in "Everything's Alright," and again in the reprise. Both songs are interactions between Jesus and Mary Magdalene. The line in the first song is Mary telling Jesus to take a break and relax, and she says: "And we want you to sleep well tonight. Let the world turn without You tonight..." In the reprise, Jesus says "And I think I shall sleep well tonight, let the world turn without Me tonight..."

What stood out to me about this line is the absolute impossibility in this line. Mary urges Jesus to take a break, but in reality, He can't. The world literally can't turn without Him, even for one night. We cannot exist without Him; not for one minute, let alone a whole night. As much as I'm sure Jesus got tired, and wanted to take a night off, He can't.

And we are so lucky, because Jesus loves us enough to never leave us, even when He was tired, when He wanted to take a break, or when He was so afraid of death He started sweating blood. He has never left us, and He never will.

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