The Bible and Music

In class today, we spent the majority of the time discussing Jesus Christ Superstar and its origin. There is a new live edition that is coming out on NBC with John Legend and Sara Bareilles that is to be performed on April 1st. I do not have a lot of background knowledge about this film and its context in the Bible, however I have heard it before and some information. One thing we discussed is how Judas, Jesus’ right hand man, has varying motives in texts and songs. There are positives and negatives that are displayed in Jesus Christ Superstar and the Gospel. A classmate discussed how he can be painted as a protagonist and villain. After watching a scene from the 2000 film of Jesus Christ Superstar for the first time, I came away thinking that Judas seemed deceitful. The scene we watched was when Judas was singing “Heaven on Their Minds,” which seems as Judas is warning and trying to look out of Jesus. However, it seemed in my opinion that Judas was mocking Jesus and doubted his works. One of the quotes in “Heaven on Their Minds” is when Judas asks, “Listen, Jesus, do you care for your race?” This question stuck with me because it is a harsh and bold one that almost reveals Judas doubt in his friend. This film and song will be debated for years to come, but the motives and actions displayed can be looked at in several ways.