Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you are here to do.”

(Mathew 26:50)

Derived from a music album by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, the musical Jesus Christ Superstar complicates the debate of Judas to a new level. First put on stage in 1971 in Britain, this unprecedented combination of Bible story and rock music retells the last six days before Jesus’s crucifixion from the perspective of Judas. The portrayal of the psychological dimensions of Judas asks the audience to consider the real reason behind Judas’s betrayal.

Unlike in the Bible, morality is blurred in this musical production. Instead of a pure villain, Judas is placed in the grey area. The thorough reflection on Judas’s character further pushes the public to ruminate on the over-simplified labels they put on religious figures.

“Listen, Jesus, to the warning I give.”

Whereas the Gospel of Mark begins with Jesus’ teaching, the musical starts with a warning from Judas to Jesus. Seeing the rapid growth of followers, Judas starts to worry about things getting out of Jesus’s control. Unlike in the Bible, Judas is completely separated from the followers. Detached from the celebrating crowd, Judas is always observing the celebrating parade when they belt out “Hosanna.” He appears more thoughtful and less fervent about the whole parade, which plants the seed of skepticism inside him.

He also sees Jesus critically and he remembers the time when their purpose was only to save people from suffering and when Jesus is called a man not a martyr. Being aware of the changes and increasing demands from the people, he warns Jesus that “every word [he] say[s] today gets twisted round some other way.” Here we see Judas seeing further into the future and the potential danger of their activities.

 “I came because I had to, I’m the only one who saw.”

According to the original text, Judas “went to the chief priests in order to betray [Jesus] to them (Mark 14:10).” Webber and Rice throw out one of the most concerning but underdeveloped questions in the Gospels: why? From the limited information we get out of the Bible, Judas is “destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled (John 17:12).” Why is he the one who betrays Jesus? What is special in Judas among the other disciples?

In the Bible, the disciples “did not understand what [Jesus] was saying (Mark 9:30).” In the musical, Jesus speaks to his followers that “you see the truth, but you live a lie.” However, in the musical, Judas weeps when Jesus sings “to conquer death, you only have die.” Although not able to fully understand the intention of God’s arrangement, Judas starts to understand Jesus’s “ambition” and the necessity of his betrayal. This controversial situation is brought up in the musical by Judas asking Jesus what would happen if he does not go and betray Jesus? While the question remains unanswered, Judas’s strugglings are presented to the audience for them to ponder on this perplexing situation.

“Does he love me too?”

If you consider the betrayal as a crucial part of Jesus’s sacrifice, then you might wonder, is the betrayer also part of God’s plan? Inspired by Bob Dylan’s song “With God on Our Side,” Tim Rice wrote down the thought-provoking lyrics in Judas’s solo “Judas’ Death.” In this song, Judas expresses his complex feelings towards Jesus and his confusion about the mission.

Since Judas is portrayed as an evil person who “consented and began to look for an opportunity to betray” Jesus when the chief priests and officers “agreed to give him money,” people usually forget about his capability to have other emotions (Luke 22:5-6). The musical presents Judas as a more multifaceted character than the Bible does, therefore provides a new direction for the audience to think about Judas and his relationship with God. One wonders how strong and twisted this love is, out of which Judas is willing to betray Jesus, knowing that the betrayal will cause his eternal condemnation.

“Everytime I look at you I don’t understand.”

Very little is said about Judas’s death in the Gospels, which is elaborated on in the musical. After Judas commits suicide, he comes back to Jesus and interrogates Jesus about his own identity. The song “Superstar” asks many questions, not only by Judas, but also by people over generations, trying to understand Jesus and his sacrifice. In this song, Judas is transformed from the sinner to the general public.

Ethan Kwok’s post “The Problem with Noah’s Ark” explores Julian Barnes’s story The Stowaway, in which the multivalent personalities of Noah are discussed. Like Judas, Noah’s single-dimensional representation in the Bible fails to depict his complicated personality in depth. Barnes’s story moves beyond the surface and dives into the different layers of biblical story and Noah’s characteristics. Jesus Christ Superstar too, makes Judas jump out of the frame of the Bible. Going beyond inquiring about his or Jesus’s identity, Judas speaks up for all who are burdened by the labels put on them.