“How strange!,” Mary exclaims as she wonders why Jesus and the disciples have unexpectedly left after she and her friends served them the Passover meal. “Who can fathom his ways? We should know that by now,” responds Salome, the mother of James and John. As the darkness sets in on this once festive evening, a cloud of confusion descends upon the hearts and minds of the women in Jesus’ inner circle.
Thus, Lori Jones’ The Healing begins. Lori, the mother of four children and the wife of yours truly, wrote her first full length play early last year. For a second consecutive year, our church, Lighthouse Community Baptist, will put this dramatic production on in celebration of the Holy Week this Maundy Thursday, April 5th, and Good Friday, April 6th, at 7 pm.
The Healing is a unique look at Jesus’ message and ministry through the lens of the women who followed him. Most Christians are familiar with Peter’s denial and Judas Iscariot’s betrayal in the story of Christ’s Passion. But, few have looked closely at the role women played during the last 24 hours of Jesus’ life.
Although Jesus called men to be The Twelve Disciples, this does not diminish the integral role women played in Jesus’ ministry. As Lori read the Gospel accounts, she was struck by the followers who were there for Jesus at the end and the ones who were not. With the exception of the beloved disciple, John, it was only females who were there to support Jesus during the crucifixion. Lori says, “The fact that you find the women around the Cross shows me the constancy and devotion that they’ve no doubt demonstrated throughout the grueling hours since the Last Supper.”
Mary of Jerusalem’s home, the one that hosts the Last Supper, provides the setting for the one hour play. Throughout the long night following Jesus’ arrest and trial, these faithful, but shaken women comfort one another as they recount miracles they witnessed Jesus perform. The dramatic production shifts back and forth from the home where the women are gathered to the scenes of Jesus’ most compassionate healings. In doing so, the women console themselves at the thought that Jesus has everything under control despite their misgivings about the present circumstances. The women reason that if Jesus can heal a man born blind or raise a 12-year-old girl from the dead then he can handle the Jewish authorities.
The Healing begins with Jesus and his disciples leaving Mary’s home and it ends with Mary and her companions at the foot of the Cross. As Lori explains, “The ultimate healing takes place on the Cross. As Isaiah 53:5 says: “’But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.’”
Lighthouse Community Baptist Church is located at 22 Pequot Trail in Pawcatuck. The Healing will be presented this Maundy Thursday, April 5th, and Good Friday, April 6th, at 7 pm. The public is invited for this free production. The church is providing childcare during and light refreshments following both performances.
