Passion vs Passionate

What do you think of when you hear passion or passionate? Do you first think of a love scene in a movie? Maybe you think of someone who's so crazy about their work or hobby that when the subject is brought up that's all they talk about.

When I was a preteen my dad was stationed in Germany and we went to see the famous production called the Passion Play. It happens every ten years for a set season in the town of Oberammergau, a beautiful town in the Bavarian Alps. The play is based on the life and death of Jesus and takes two days to watch. It was all in German, but I could figure out what was happening by watching. It's quite something. The whole town shuts down to perform the play.

Now that's being passionate about a play. Why do they put so much effort into a story that most churches tell in an hour program once a year? I'll tell you why.

In the 1600's when whole villages were dying off due to an epidemic of the plague, the village people got together and prayed for God's protection. They promised God if He would spare them they would present the story of Jesus in their village every ten years. The village was spared. And, except for a few wars they have kept to this time frame and continue the tradition of the Passion Play.

I never questioned why it was called the Passion Play, but thought it odd. What is passion? Why name a story about Jesus Passion?  It's a strange word actually. Merriam-Webster's definitions for passion include strong feelings that might lead in a dangerous direction, a strong romantic feeling, the sufferings of Jesus, emotional reactions and just plain suffering. Some of these are older definitions but are still listed.

I like what Jewish Jewels said in their newsletter for November. The love God has for us is so great that it is a passion. He is passionate about having us with Him for eternity. Jesus has so much love for us that He suffered for us - first he put himself under the law by being born to a woman, then ended his hard work on earth by being put through an unjust trial, then humiliated by having his clothes stripped off, then publicly beaten during his humiliation, then killed in the most horrible public way.

Are you passionate enough about anyone that you would do these things? Especially, when at anytime in that process you can stop what was being done to you? It's like a grown man allowing his toddler children to beat him up when at anytime he could swing his arm and knock all of them down then place them in time out or send them to their rooms. You get the idea.

I for one am glad that Jesus had that much love and desire for man that he came to live among us. As we near the celebration of his birth let's all remember just how much he endured for us because of his passion for us.