Supporting Cast

Supporting Cast It is the season of high drama when we acknowledge great performances on stage and screen. I'm not talking about the Oscars, but about the drama of The Passion of our Lord according to Mark. The Gospel story parades a long list of supporting characters who have their moment on the stage, then fade as the story moves forward to its terrible and wonderful conclusion. Here then are the nominees for best supporting cast member in order of appearance. "They", the nameless two disciples who Jesus sends ahead of him to prepare for the Passover meal. They did as they were instructed and set the stage for the entry of the King. They may be the same two disciples who go ahead to prepare the upper room for the Last Supper. The twelve. Witnesses and participants in the Last Supper, they find that they cannot hold the stage without their leader. Instead, they scatter but come back together later as The Apostles and establish the church on earth. Peter. Whose own story plays out alongside that of Jesus'. We cheer on his bravado and suffer his shame. In the end, we find that he is a lot like us. James and John (with Peter). This threesome looks to be the very best of the disciples. But they fall asleep at a critical moment and miss their cue to watch and pray. Judas. The betrayer. No one wants to play this role. He would be the foil to Jesus, his antagonist. But it ends badly for Judas and no pity saves him from disgrace. Young man wearing nothing. A cameo role without words. But there's something haunting about his swift exit from the Garden. Could it be that we too would like to run away and hide? The Chief Priest. Head of the Loyal Opposition party. He uses his official entitlement to mask a dark merciless heart. See the character of Joubert in Les Miserable for the encore. Servant girl. A small role with a huge impact. All she does is tell the truth, and Peter crumbles. Pilate. The one character who could potentially turn the plot around. But he fails his Big Moment and no one applauds when he leaves the stage. Barabbas. The scape goat. Selected for his brawn and frightening attitude, he is instead a pawn. Not an actor, but the one acted upon. The soldiers. They mill around looking important. They have great costumes, but they are poor dressers. Simon of Cyrene. Plucked from the audience he turns out to be a real find. He and Jesus share an intimate moment together. His is the last real act of kindness Jesus knows before the crucifixion. Chief Priests and Teachers of the Law. Our chorus. They might have pronounced the truth about the drama they witnessed, but instead repeat the lies. Man with a sponge. Is that charity or ridicule he brings to his role? The Centurion. In Shakespeare's great tragedies, there's always the king who comes in at the end to offer a benediction. The Centurion does that here, and speaks the truth for all time, "Surely this man was the Son of God." Joseph of Arimathea. A stage hand who comes in when the lights are darkened and finds that the drama is not yet over. In fact, he brings the lights back up. Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of Joses, and Salome. Overwhelmed, overwrought, they only want to come and cry. Imagine when they find Jesus waiting for them. You and I. We the audience are asked to participate. We may be critics or patrons. Season ticket holders or first-timers. What's sure is we cannot watch and be unaffected. May you have a blessed Holy Week.