¤ ¤
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The year 1632. The beautiful
remote town of Oberammergau
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nestled nearby in the Bavarian
Alps of southern Germany,
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quietly and securely isolated
from the turmoil and torment
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that ravages the rest of Europe.
A humble wood carver, Casper
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Schidler returns to his home in
Oberammergau from his labors in
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a nearby village. But unbeknown
to him and the other inhabitants
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of the town, he silently carries
with him the seeds of a calamity
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that will wreak havoc, terror
and destruction on Oberammergau
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and its people. Within a year
of this day about one quarter of
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the residents of the town will
be dead claimed by the dreaded
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plague, the Black Death.
This will give rise to an
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extraordinary covenant with God
that still resonates to this day
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¤ ¤
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On arriving at home in
Oberammergau, the farmer begins
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to develop a fever followed
by severe stomach pains and
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vomiting, early symptoms of the
Black Death or Bubonic Plague
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to give it its correct name,
caused by bacteria carried and
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spread by the bite of fleas,
the same fleas that feed on the
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blood of the infected black
rat. In the days to follow, the
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lymph nodes in his armpits,
groin and on his neck become
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hideously swollen, darkened by
the infected blood. The risk of
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exposure is ever present
as lesions rupture oozing the
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black pus. The pain
is unbearable till death
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overcomes. The Black Death
caused panic and terror in the
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Oberammergau community. Little
wonder. It was to claim nearly
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200 million lives over the
centuries that have ravaged
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human kind. With no known
treatment or cure for this
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plague, it seemed only a
matter of time before the entire
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population of Oberammergau would
be wiped out. Many of those who
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died between 1632 and 1633 are
buried here in the graveyard of
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the village church. Back then
with no end of the plague in
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sight the Oberammergau village
council of elders gathered in a
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state of total desperation in
this very church on the 27th of
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October 1633.
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¤ ¤ choir
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In a despairing last ditch
attempt to bring an end to their
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suffering, these town people
prayed for divine intervention.
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History doesn't record how the
idea came to them or whose idea
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it was, but somehow someone
came up with the idea of making
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a sacred covenant with God
here beneath the original church
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cross. This was the deal.
If God would spare the town of
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Oberammergau and its people from
the Black Death there and then,
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from that day
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forth the survivors and their
descendants would make a solemn
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commitment to reenact and
perform the passion of Christ
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once every 10 years for all time
in return for God's mercy and
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God's protection. The covenant
was made and from that day
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October 27th, 1633 not one more
villager in Oberammergau died
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or was ever again infected
by the Black Death. It's as if
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focusing on Christ's
death gave them life.
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¤ ¤ choir/chimes
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Today Oberammergau is home
to about 5000 people and this
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picture postcard town has become
famous throughout the world for
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a very special and
very infrequent event.
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¤ ¤ orchestra/voice
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¤ ¤
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Since the covenant made by
Oberammergau's elders back in
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1633 for well over three-and-a-
half centuries the towns people
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have faithfully performed
a reenactment of Christ's
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crucifixion, death and
resurrection once every 10 years
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Such is the importance and fame
of Oberammergau's once-in-a-
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decade reenactments that these
days they draw up to half a
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million from all over the world
to experience and witness the
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drama and spectacle of villagers
acting out the last week of
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Christ's life on
an open air stage.
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¤ ¤
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As dramatic and spectacular
as the Oberammergau Passion Play
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is the point is not just to
put on some entertaining theater
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to pull in the tourists. The
point is to touch lives with the
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story of Jesus. How the play
affects people and changes their
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perspectives is reflected in
the experiences of the actors
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themselves:
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Many people have the chance
to read and to learn and to talk
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about Jesus over a long time
accept His studies theologically
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for example.
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And like everyone here_
_so for me it was a gift to
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have the chance to learn so much
about Jesus and to get so close
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to Him. I soaked up the
words of Jesus and every day
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hear when we play
and learn something new.
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I noticed _.
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what was_. It's very
meaningful. Of course you get
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closer to Jesus and it
enriches my personal beliefs.
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So being on stage, being in
front of 5000 people and having
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the honor of playing such a big
role, so it changed a lot with
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me. I'm 25 years old and
there aren't that much people
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in my age that are
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just reading the Bible, just
went to church, just think about
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the whole history. And so it
changed me a lot. I talked to
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people that watched the play and
they said I have nothing to do
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with religious things and they
come out and say maybe I have to
00:08:04.41\00:08:09.68
think about it. Maybe I
have to learn more about it.
00:08:09.72\00:08:13.89
This is a play which is really
inspiring hope, should inspire
00:08:13.92\00:08:19.76
hope love, faith and
I think by this way of_
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by the committed actors.
There's a chance that I'm a
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care holder and I've
many guests from Great Britain
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and again and again
they tell me this was really
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important for my religious
experience because Jesus can be
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you can see he was a living
person and down to earth and
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was extremely interesting
relationship to his disciples
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and yeah and this is inspiring.
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This is one story that no matter
how hard the sceptics might try
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will never be erased from human
memory. Remember this is the
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story of the crucifixion of
Christ. It's the story of the
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murder of an innocent man and it
encompasses the ugliest side of
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human existence and the
incredible love that God has for
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the human race. Today let's take
a closer look at the crucifixion
00:09:26.19\00:09:30.63
of Christ and examine some of
the forces that were so intent
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on destroying him. Who exactly
were these people and why were
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so intent on killing a man that
the Bible says went about doing
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good?
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¤ ¤
00:09:46.72\00:09:54.52
(indistinct in German)
00:09:54.56\00:10:08.47
Well one of the first groups
to turn against Jesus was the
00:10:08.50\00:10:11.51
Sanhedrin, an important
government body in Jerusalem.
00:10:11.54\00:10:14.84
In the gospel according to Mark
there is the story where Jesus
00:10:14.88\00:10:19.48
is brought before his enemies
having been arrested by an
00:10:19.51\00:10:22.55
unruly crowd in the middle
of the night. And even though it
00:10:22.58\00:10:26.02
was technically illegal to carry
out those kinds of trials at
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night, the Sanhedrin began
the work of finding something to
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condemn Jesus with. Mark chapter
14 and verse 55 says this:
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Now let's focus carefully on
what we've just read. It said
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that the Sanhedrin was actually
looking for people who would
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testify against Jesus. They set
out to recruit people who held a
00:10:55.32\00:10:59.92
grudge against Jesus, people
who were against him from the
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beginning. They were supposed to
look for ways to compassionately
00:11:03.76\00:11:07.16
acquit a man on trial, innocent
until proven guilty. But that
00:11:07.20\00:11:11.87
night they actually
hired witnesses to give false
00:11:11.90\00:11:15.20
evidence. They already had
a guilty verdict in mind. They
00:11:15.24\00:11:19.57
just wanted to justify it,
to make a sure thing of Jesus'
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conviction. So the bribed
witnesses came forward charging
00:11:23.21\00:11:33.72
Jesus with all kinds of things.
They said he wanted to disrupt
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the laws of the land. But Jesus
had spoken of destroying the
00:11:36.89\00:11:40.40
temple and what they did was
take Jesus' own words and twist
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them to fit the supposed crime.
But the amazing thing was that
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through the accusations
Jesus kept completely silent.
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finally the frustrated high
priest asked him are you the
00:11:54.88\00:11:59.08
Christ. I Am Jesus said. Here's
what Mark said happened next
00:11:59.11\00:12:03.62
from Mark chapter
14 verses 63 and 64:
00:12:03.65\00:12:08.32
The odds were stacked against
Jesus. He didn't stand a chance.
00:12:24.24\00:12:30.15
They'd already crucified him
in their minds before the trial
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even began. That was the first
blow specifically designed to
00:12:33.48\00:12:38.62
silence Jesus for good. But when
you read the story carefully,
00:12:38.65\00:12:43.56
you'll discover that it wasn't
just the religious leaders that
00:12:43.59\00:12:46.19
worked to destroy him. The tide
of public opinion also turned
00:12:46.23\00:12:50.37
against Jesus in what seemed
like a heartbeat. Some of the
00:12:50.40\00:12:54.40
people had marveled at Jesus'
miracles and were captivated by
00:12:54.44\00:12:58.27
his teachings quickly and
completely changed their minds
00:12:58.31\00:13:02.41
as they sensed the weight of
opinion shifting against him.
00:13:02.44\00:13:05.85
(crowd shouting)
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(high priest shouting)
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According to the Bible Jesus
was taken to Pilot where a large
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was beginning to gather.
The idea was that the Roman
00:13:20.50\00:13:23.37
governor would quickly rubber
stamp the death sentence and
00:13:23.40\00:13:26.77
ratify the Sanhedrin's decision.
But Pilot hesitated. Something
00:13:26.80\00:13:32.11
about the Son of God kept
him from pronouncing the verdict
00:13:32.14\00:13:35.04
he'd made so many times before.
And he decided that a good
00:13:35.08\00:13:39.38
flogging should be punishment
enough. But after Christ's back
00:13:39.41\00:13:47.52
had been torn open by the Roman
whip the unexpected happened.
00:13:47.56\00:13:51.63
Pilot came to the crowd and said
Do you want me to release him?
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Back in those days it was
customary to let one prisoner
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go each Passover season and
Pilot hoped they would choose
00:13:59.77\00:14:04.01
Jesus. But the crowd did the
unthinkable and asked for the
00:14:04.04\00:14:07.88
release of Barabbas, a man who
was convicted of murder. So what
00:14:07.91\00:14:13.01
do you want me to do with Jesus
Pilot asked. And then the Bible
00:14:13.05\00:14:17.32
records one of the most awful
moments in the history of the
00:14:17.35\00:14:20.56
human race. From Mark
chapter 15 verses 13 and 14:
00:14:20.59\00:14:27.06
Not only did the religious
leaders condemn Jesus to die but
00:14:39.71\00:14:44.18
a raging mob did too. And
symbolically in that mob we find
00:14:44.21\00:14:49.28
the whole of the human race
expressing their hatred for God.
00:14:49.32\00:14:53.19
On the day of the crucifixion
the odds were stacked against
00:14:53.22\00:14:57.86
Jesus. The government and
the people wanted him dead. But
00:14:57.89\00:15:12.57
there was still one more force
working against him, the weight
00:15:12.61\00:15:16.08
of the Roman empire. You see
the judges were corrupt and the
00:15:16.11\00:15:21.45
people were vicious. And
you would think some disciplined
00:15:21.48\00:15:24.65
Roman soldiers could put a stop
to the whole thing, but they
00:15:24.69\00:15:29.02
didn't. Instead they took the
easy way out, they let it happen
00:15:29.06\00:15:32.53
If executing Jesus could
smooth out a tense situation in
00:15:32.56\00:15:36.83
Jerusalem, then Jesus simply had
to go. And worse than that, the
00:15:36.87\00:15:42.67
Romans treated the whole thing
as some kind of sick and cruel
00:15:42.70\00:15:46.44
fun. Here's what Mark says
happened in Mark chapter 15
00:15:46.47\00:15:50.01
verses 16 to 18:
00:15:50.05\00:15:52.18
It was Roman soldiers who
blindfolded Jesus. It was Roman
00:16:06.29\00:16:16.10
soldiers who hit him on
the head, spat on him and then
00:16:16.14\00:16:20.51
taunted him. It was Roman
soldiers who put the beams of
00:16:20.54\00:16:22.94
wood on Christ's back. It was
Roman soldiers who led him to
00:16:22.98\00:16:26.82
the place of the skull, Golgotha
It was Roman soldiers who nailed
00:16:26.85\00:16:31.55
him to the cross and lifted
it up and waited for him to die.
00:16:31.59\00:16:36.62
It was Roman soldiers who
made sure that the Sanhedrin got
00:16:36.66\00:16:40.00
their man. It was Roman soldiers
who made sure that the voices of
00:16:40.03\00:16:44.80
the crowd prevailed and
the might of the Roman empire
00:16:44.83\00:16:49.27
finally thrust this spear into
Jesus' side. On the cross, you
00:16:49.30\00:16:59.31
see the Son of God condemned to
die by the people he created. He
00:16:59.35\00:17:03.35
was crushed by the power
of Rome and left utterly alone
00:17:03.39\00:17:07.06
rejected by us for his
righteousness and seemingly
00:17:07.09\00:17:11.53
rejected by heaven because
of our sins. But the thing that
00:17:11.56\00:17:15.83
really draws us to the cross
is that it isn't the end of the
00:17:15.86\00:17:21.44
story. Jesus came back from
the impossible, back from death
00:17:21.47\00:17:24.31
itself. Three powerful forces
conspired to destroy him but he
00:17:24.34\00:17:29.58
ended up defeating them
all. First he took on the
00:17:29.61\00:17:37.12
irresistible force of the Roman
empire and a Roman guard was
00:17:37.15\00:17:41.62
posted at the entrance to the
tomb where Jesus was buried and
00:17:41.66\00:17:45.66
this was a squad of really tough
disciplined soldiers. They were
00:17:45.69\00:17:50.07
men who knew that they
would pay with their lives if a
00:17:50.10\00:17:52.97
prisoner got away. And more
than that, a Roman seal had been
00:17:53.00\00:17:57.81
placed on the stone that covered
the tomb so anybody who broke
00:17:57.84\00:18:01.64
that seal would have to face
the wrath of Caesar himself.
00:18:01.68\00:18:05.31
In other words, the Roman empire
was making sure that the body of
00:18:05.35\00:18:10.75
Jesus of Nazareth stayed exactly
where they put it in the tomb.
00:18:10.79\00:18:15.99
But according to Matthew, here's
what happened on that Sunday
00:18:16.02\00:18:19.59
morning:
00:18:19.63\00:18:22.03
That might have been the best
guarded tomb in history, but
00:18:42.95\00:18:48.19
Jesus walked right out of it.
The seal flew off the stone and
00:18:48.22\00:18:51.76
the guards went into shock. They
were so afraid they became as
00:18:51.79\00:18:56.00
stiff of corpses. A resurrected
Christ walked right past the
00:18:56.03\00:19:00.84
best the Roman army had to offer
Even the most horrifying method
00:19:00.87\00:19:05.41
of execution imaginable wasn't
enough to stop the Son of God.
00:19:05.44\00:19:09.24
But Jesus wasn't finished yet.
He had to defeat the power of
00:19:09.28\00:19:13.42
the Sanhedrin and to let them
know that they were completely
00:19:13.45\00:19:16.79
powerless against God. So when
the soldiers came to tell them
00:19:16.82\00:19:21.19
that the body had disappeared
they turned as white as sheets.
00:19:21.22\00:19:25.66
It just wasn't possible. How in
the world did it happen? If the
00:19:25.69\00:19:30.87
public found out that Jesus
was missing it might turn public
00:19:30.90\00:19:34.30
opinion against them. So they
came up with a story. Handing
00:19:34.34\00:19:39.51
the soldiers a big bag of hush
money they said: Listen, here's
00:19:39.54\00:19:43.45
what you're going to say. The
disciples came by last night and
00:19:43.48\00:19:47.88
stole the body while you guys
were sleeping. Now perhaps that
00:19:47.92\00:19:51.39
was the best they could do. But
if you think about it, there's a
00:19:51.42\00:19:54.89
big hole in that story because
how in the world would the
00:19:54.92\00:19:58.69
soldiers know that's what
happened if they were sleeping?
00:19:58.73\00:20:02.43
And furthermore, what Roman
soldier would ever admit to
00:20:02.46\00:20:06.74
sleeping on duty. And even more
than that, how would they ever
00:20:06.77\00:20:10.91
explain the people who had
actually seen Jesus after his
00:20:10.94\00:20:17.25
resurrection. The Apostle Paul
actually tells us that Jesus
00:20:17.28\00:20:19.38
actually appeared to a whole
series of people right after the
00:20:19.41\00:20:22.42
resurrection and that was
something those people would
00:20:22.45\00:20:25.29
about for the rest of their
lives. Here's what Paul says:
00:20:25.32\00:20:29.39
Jesus appeared in the flesh to
all these people. He talked to
00:20:50.35\00:20:54.82
them, he ate with them, he
touched them and they touched
00:20:54.85\00:20:59.22
him. So there was no way the
Sanhedrin was going to be able
00:20:59.25\00:21:01.76
to convince them that Jesus was
still dead. And so in his most
00:21:01.79\00:21:06.33
glorious moment Jesus completely
reversed the plot against him by
00:21:06.36\00:21:10.93
the rulers. But there was
still one force that had to be
00:21:10.97\00:21:14.34
reckoned with. It was the voices
of the angry mob that had called
00:21:14.37\00:21:17.77
for his execution. And Jesus
tackled the court of public
00:21:17.81\00:21:29.28
opinion through the teaching of
his disciples. In Acts chapter 2
00:21:29.32\00:21:41.46
Peter was standing in the
courtyard of the temple just
00:21:41.50\00:21:44.67
weeks after the crucifixion.
He's speaking to a large crowd
00:21:44.70\00:21:48.30
that is gathered for the day of
Pentecost and he reminds them of
00:21:48.34\00:21:52.47
some of the Old Testament
prophecies that predicted the
00:21:52.51\00:21:54.58
Messiah. And then he answers
these words found in Acts
00:21:54.61\00:21:58.21
chapter two:
00:21:58.25\00:22:00.15
On this day, even though he'd
once failed Jesus, Peter was
00:22:22.24\00:22:28.81
fearless. He stood up to
the crowd and told them, You are
00:22:28.84\00:22:32.21
responsible for the death
of Jesus but now he's alive.
00:22:32.25\00:22:36.95
According to the Bible, the
people were cut to the heart.
00:22:36.99\00:22:41.32
It finally sunk in that they'd
killed God's Son and so they
00:22:41.36\00:22:44.33
screamed out, What are we
going to do? That day about 3000
00:22:44.36\00:22:53.00
people put their faith in Jesus
Christ, about the same number
00:22:53.03\00:22:56.77
of people this theater seats.
A crowd that had once called for
00:22:56.81\00:23:01.14
Jesus' death now called for
Jesus' mercy. They became part
00:23:01.18\00:23:06.11
of a growing movement that would
turn the world upside down for
00:23:06.15\00:23:10.42
the kingdom of God. Today those
voices are still telling the
00:23:10.45\00:23:14.02
story. Jesus has conquered the
grave. The Sanhedrin couldn't
00:23:14.06\00:23:19.43
stop him, the crowds couldn't
stop him, the Roman Empire
00:23:19.46\00:23:23.83
couldn't stop him and even
death itself couldn't stop him.
00:23:23.87\00:23:28.50
And why did Jesus do it? The
answer is very simple. He did it
00:23:28.54\00:23:33.78
for you. He wanted to close the
impossible gap between God and
00:23:33.81\00:23:39.11
the human race. He wanted
to find a way to redeem you and
00:23:39.15\00:23:43.52
restore you to
the kingdom of God.
00:23:43.55\00:23:46.19
¤ ¤
00:23:46.22\00:23:56.30
As he hung on the cross, it
wasn't just the nails that held
00:23:56.33\00:23:59.37
him there. It was actually his
overwhelming love for you. And
00:23:59.40\00:24:04.01
because Jesus overcame against
all odds, he can offer you a
00:24:04.04\00:24:08.04
better life. You might
feel as if the winds of life are
00:24:08.08\00:24:12.08
whipping you senseless, as if
you can't possibly face another
00:24:12.11\00:24:16.15
challenge or another day.
But today Jesus asks you to take
00:24:16.18\00:24:21.49
heart. Even the grave couldn't
stop him and by holding his
00:24:21.52\00:24:26.49
nail-scarred hand, you can face
just about anything too. Today
00:24:26.53\00:24:31.73
you can make a comeback. You
can make a comeback from divorce
00:24:31.77\00:24:35.40
You can make a comeback from
cancer. You can make a comeback
00:24:35.44\00:24:39.44
from financial disaster. Even if
your life is falling apart, you
00:24:39.47\00:24:44.71
can go through the worst
and come out with flying colors.
00:24:44.75\00:24:48.58
With Jesus you can have new
hope Maybe the crowd has turned
00:24:48.62\00:24:53.62
against you. Maybe the
government has let you down.
00:24:53.66\00:24:56.02
Maybe those who were supposed
to protect you have done just
00:24:56.06\00:25:00.40
the opposite. Don't forget that
Jesus faced all that too and he
00:25:00.43\00:25:05.67
promises to turn all the tables
one day soon. You see this old
00:25:05.70\00:25:10.61
world is not going to last
forever in its present condition
00:25:10.64\00:25:13.58
The promise of God is that
He will one day personally wipe
00:25:13.61\00:25:18.31
away your tears and give you
a better life in a world where
00:25:18.35\00:25:22.98
these things don't happen
anymore. And on that day, you'll
00:25:23.02\00:25:26.55
finally see Jesus face to face
and you'll be able to thank him
00:25:26.59\00:25:30.13
in person for what he
did at the cross for you.
00:25:30.16\00:25:33.36
¤ ¤
00:25:33.40\00:25:46.81
If you'd like to know more about
Jesus and Passion Week and what
00:25:46.84\00:25:49.81
it really means for us as well
as the positive changes it can
00:25:49.84\00:25:54.15
bring to our lives, then I'd
like to recommend a free gift
00:25:54.18\00:25:57.49
for you for all our Incredible
Journey viewers today. It's the
00:25:57.52\00:26:02.26
easy to read booklet, The Story
of Redemption. This booklet is
00:26:02.29\00:26:07.56
our gift to you and is
absolutely free. I guarantee
00:26:07.60\00:26:11.57
there are no costs or
obligations whatsoever.
00:26:11.60\00:26:14.44
So take this wonderful
opportunity to receive the free
00:26:14.47\00:26:18.97
gift we have for you
today. Phone or text us at
00:26:19.01\00:26:25.11
0436333555 in Australia
or 0204222042 in New Zealand
00:26:25.15\00:26:33.46
or visit our website TiJ.tv to
request today's free offer and
00:26:33.49\00:26:39.89
we'll send it to you totally
free of charge and with no
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obligation. Write to us at:
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Don't delay. Call or text us
now If you've enjoyed today's
00:26:57.81\00:27:03.99
journey to Oberammergau and the
story of Passion Week then be
00:27:04.02\00:27:08.82
sure to join us again next week
when we will share another of
00:27:08.86\00:27:12.36
life's journeys together. And
now I'd like to invite you to
00:27:12.39\00:27:17.43
join me as we pray. Dear
Father in heaven, thank you
00:27:17.47\00:27:21.50
for overcoming all those
obstacles for us. Thank you for
00:27:21.54\00:27:25.27
conquering even death itself.
We want to place our bruised
00:27:25.31\00:27:29.68
lives in your hands. We want you
as our hope and our future, so
00:27:29.71\00:27:34.98
we accept the gift of Christ's
pardoning grace, the gift of
00:27:35.02\00:27:38.32
Christ rising from the grave for
us and the gift of his living a
00:27:38.35\00:27:42.52
sinless life for us. Thank you
for making us part of this great
00:27:42.56\00:27:46.70
reversal of fortune and thank
you for making us part of your
00:27:46.73\00:27:50.60
resurrected life. We know
that right now you're preparing
00:27:50.63\00:27:55.17
heavenly mansions for us and we
eagerly anticipate the day that
00:27:55.20\00:28:00.11
we shall inhabit them and spend
eternity with you. In Jesus'
00:28:00.14\00:28:03.95
name. Amen.
00:28:03.98\00:28:06.35