Mommie, Did It Hurt Jesus?
By Aristea Zekios

On Saturday, March 23, 2002, children from the St. Luke Church School attended a passion play staged by the First Church of the Nazarene in Lemont, Illinois. The children's rapt attention led to the comments that adult parishioner Aristea Zekios observed that night-Ed.

"Why did it get dark and what was the big noise (thunder) when Jesus died?" "That ('piercing' nails) doesn't hurt this guy, right? But it did hurt the real Jesus, right?" These were some of the questions asked by Joan and Madeline Betsanes (ages 6 and 5) as they witnessed the Passion play at the First Church of the Nazarene.

Nicholas and Alex Lisowski (ages 7 and 4) wanted to know why Jesus let those people crucify Him. They also asked, " If those people knew He was God, why did they do that to Him?" When 4-year-old Rebecca Dauro saw Jesus dead body placed in a tomb, she turned to her mother and pleaded, "But I want to see Jesus again!"

It was interesting to watch the reaction of these children as they witnessed the live 1½-hour portrayal of the events leading to Christ's crucifixion with the ultimate victory of His resurrection. Like them, I sat glued to my seat. A humorous song by the three prideful Pharisees made me laugh, but seeing Christ on the cross sent chills throughout my body. Like Rebecca, I wanted to see Jesus again, alive and well.

The passion play reminded me of our walk through Holy Week, which will be here shortly. On Palm Sunday we will proclaim Christ as King and Lord as we sing, "Hosanna in the Highest!" Then we enter a solemn week of services that lead us to His Crucifixion and burial.

I can still visualize the services that I experienced as a child. They left a lasting impression on my mind and soul. What a blessing it will be for our children to experience the beauty and pageantry of the Holy Week services!

Looking ahead, I will probably become a child again like Rebecca waiting to see Jesus at His glorious Resurrection. I can't wait to proclaim, "Christ is Risen!"