I Can't Get Those Song Lyrics Out of My Head!!!!

I watched a movie a couple of days ago that I had never seen, and now the theme song stuck in my head. I can't get it out. I don't know how many times since the movie ended I have broken out singing, "Jesus Christ, who are you? What have you sacrificed? " And what's more I've really been thinking about images and ideas presented in the movie. One idea in particular has been recurring almost as often in my mind as the song lyrics.

Jesus Christ, Superstar came out as a rock musical in the 70s. It was performed on stage, first I think on Broadway. But my wife and sister saw it in Houston. Back in those days I was not going to church nor serving God is a do now, but for some reason I would not go see the musical. It all sounded so irreverent to me. It was a line I just couldn't cross at the time. And even now it is not something I had decided I wanted to watch, rather I was surfing the channels on a holiday weekend, looking for something that was not a college football bowl game. The movie version had just started when I found the channel on which it was playing, and curiosity caused me to stay for a little while. I stayed with it to the end.

I'm not sure at all what Andrew Lloyd Webber had in mind when he produced this play, and I don't pretend to be a performance critic at all. Some of the images presented reminded me something of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. But the longer I watched the deeper the impression I had that one concept it had dead on, was the fact that no one really understood Jesus as they should. Those who rejected and despised him in the play thought he was a threat to their power and prestige. And even those who were most drawn to him had misguided ideas about his purpose. Everyone on both sides was only interested in what they believe they can gain from him.

Back in the day when some of the cuts from the soundtrack made the pop charts, I could sing along with the words to "I Don't Know How to Love Him." But in watching the play and seeing first Mary Magdalene, then Judas sing those lyrics in context, they took on a new perspective, and reinforced my growing impression.

Of course I believe that the concept is still extremely true today. Most people really don't know who Jesus is and what he sacrificed for people who are completely unworthy. And we all still want our own way and, all too often, even those of us who say we're followers are most interested in what we can gain from him, rather than responding to him properly.

As we start a new year, I'm not sure I want to get the song out of my mind!