Transcript
Speaker: Hey friends, welcome back to Artists of the Way.
Speaker: I'm John, the host.
Speaker: Today, we have an episode that I have been wanting to do pretty much since I started the podcast.
Speaker: I'm inviting back onto the podcast Jordan Na and Nate Nott Lock, both of them who have been on the podcast before.
Speaker: And the three of us are going to have a conversation about having played Jesus and what that exactly entails and what that's done to us in our spiritual life, what that experience was as a neighbor.
Speaker: I know quite a few people who've played Jesus.
Speaker: So when I started the podcast, I thought that would just be a really rich discussion to dissect.
Speaker: What is that experience like?
Speaker: How is that important to you?
Speaker: So how are you guys doing?
Speaker: Jordan, you're in person.
Speaker: You're in state.
Speaker: Yeah, this is my first in-person episode.
Speaker: What brings you back to state?
Speaker: A little thing called Godspell.
Speaker: What?
Speaker: That's the only reason he's back, not his family or anything.
Speaker: Just me.
Speaker: I'm back to be back in town and to kind of just reconnect with people after being gone for two years.
Speaker: That's going to be awesome.
Speaker: And also a little thing called Godspell.
Speaker: Which that at least helped give a time frame of how long I'll be back.
Speaker: Instead of being like...
Speaker: I'll just go.
Speaker: And then I don't know how long that at least was like, okay, two months.
Speaker: Yep.
Speaker: And that'll be nice.
Speaker: So nice.
Speaker: Nate, how's life?
Speaker: Why are you still in Michigan?
Speaker: I've been visiting for the past 30 years.
Speaker: But this is where my wife and child are frequently.
Speaker: So I see them sometimes.
Speaker: The old ball and shape.
Speaker: The old ball and shape.
Speaker: What can you do?
Speaker: So I wanted to have you guys on.
Speaker: I've had this idea for basically a year.
Speaker: Sorry to everybody who just heard me scooch my chair up awkwardly.
Speaker: I'm just so unprofessional.
Speaker: At least we talked about it.
Speaker: I like to draw attention to the awkward things.
Speaker: And Shay hates it when I do that.
Speaker: She's like, stop it.
Speaker: You don't need to do that.
Speaker: I definitely don't say that out loud when I'm in the car listening to it.
Speaker: And you say something like, you didn't need to do that, John.
Speaker: But it's so John.
Speaker: That's true.
Speaker: But I've had this idea about a year where I was like, I know a lot of people who've played Jesus.
Speaker: So I want to talk to some people about it.
Speaker: And we're all in Godspell.
Speaker: And we were talking just a little bit about your experience, Jordan.
Speaker: This is the three G's at Godspell.
Speaker: We're the Trinity on stage.
Speaker: Some of us are more transparent than others.
Speaker: I was trying to find a moment to make a joke that one of us is here because Jim Caviezel canceled.
Speaker: I'm representing Jim today.
Speaker: He told me what to say.
Speaker: That's Nate because he's playing Jesus.
Speaker: He hasn't played.
Speaker: You're in the middle of it, so you're here to also be a conduit for Jim Caviezel.
Speaker: That's right, who has past tense.
Speaker: Right.
Speaker: I could still get canceled for my role before I actually play him.
Speaker: Jim Caviezel is a speed dial away.
Speaker: Do phones still have speed dial?
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: They do.
Speaker: I'm pretty sure that's what just having a contact in your phone is.
Speaker: And like when you sign the number.
Speaker: Your speed dial is like one button.
Speaker: Right.
Speaker: But it used to be.
Speaker: But if you have a contact, it's now just one button and done.
Speaker: So basically everyone's on speed dial.
Speaker: But I'm a little melancholy now because everybody used to have a number in my phone.
Speaker: And now they don't.
Speaker: That's how it used to be with flip phones.
Speaker: Do you have personalized ringtones for anybody?
Speaker: There you go.
Speaker: I don't because I always leave it on vibrate.
Speaker: Do you personalize vibrations?
Speaker: No, although you can do that on the iPhone.
Speaker: You can set a pattern.
Speaker: You can kind of tap.
Speaker: I tried to do that at one point, and then I gave up because I'm a lazy person.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Anyways.
Speaker: Identify with that.
Speaker: This is going to be like an hour and a half long podcast just because we're going to keep going.
Speaker: Just make it a special episode.
Speaker: Be like, wonderful.
Speaker: It's an extended cut.
Speaker: We're going to frame it as we're doing an extended episode about Jesus.
Speaker: And then they're going to be like, half of this episode is the entire speed up.
Speaker: But we've all played Jesus, and we're all together working on Godspell, and I wanted to just hear some of your experience doing it with... Oh my gosh, I forgot the name.
Speaker: Piercing Word.
Speaker: And I'm curious kind of what's going on with you.
Speaker: So I just kind of wanted to sit down, the three of us, and...
Speaker: Talk about what that's been like.
Speaker: So first, what was the project that you guys played Jesus in or are playing Jesus in if one of you is playing Jesus currently?
Speaker: Could be one of us.
Speaker: Could be anyone of you in this room.
Speaker: Surprise, surprise.
Speaker: John is actually playing Jesus in his own production of God's Word.
Speaker: I have.
Speaker: I've kicked Nate out.
Speaker: You just need a placeholder until it's showtime.
Speaker: Nate is there so I can watch it.
Speaker: Actually, Nate.
Speaker: The way you did this was kind of heretical, so...
Speaker: So for the sake of the church, I need to stop it.
Speaker: Can I at least sit in your director's chair?
Speaker: No.
Speaker: Not with the amount of heresy you were throwing on stage, mister.
Speaker: So Nate, what are you playing Jesus in?
Speaker: It's Godspell.
Speaker: Ever heard of it?
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: So yeah, so I'm going to be playing Jesus if we get there.
Speaker: If we get there.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: It's okay.
Speaker: It's not like the director's in the room with you right now.
Speaker: I know.
Speaker: What's unique about that show and that take on Jesus in your perspective?
Speaker: Well, it's just like a different than any other part to play, right?
Speaker: Oh, yeah.
Speaker: Because, okay, this is a real person, historical, who's currently alive.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: And who is like the perfect person and who's your God.
Speaker: And you're trying to not make him something that he's like not, which is like, of course,
Speaker: We're never really going to do because we can't be him.
Speaker: Right.
Speaker: No matter how hard we try.
Speaker: So whatever I do is just going to be some fading facsimile of it.
Speaker: But hopefully there's enough there to like help people have a visual.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: And put some flesh on what's usually just words.
Speaker: Like a healthy version of what an icon in theory was of like, they can look at this to reference it.
Speaker: Right.
Speaker: Right.
Speaker: And yeah, so my, one of my approaches has been, um,
Speaker: I've been impacted by a book about Jesus called Gentle and Lowly, where it talks about how the one place where Jesus talked about his own heart was where he said, come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Speaker: Take my yoke upon you, for I am gentle and lowly at heart.
Speaker: So the one time...
Speaker: described his own heart, he could have said anything like I'm high and exalted, I am joyful, but which he is, but what he chose to say is I am gentle and lowly, which is very unexpected.
Speaker: But the book then breaks down like
Speaker: Why that's a great thing that our God is gentle and lowly and he's gentle towards us.
Speaker: And so trying to have some of that in mind while playing the character.
Speaker: And then also I was really impacted by listening to you talk about how when you played Jesus and, um,
Speaker: Because I remember you talking about like as you look at your fellow like the disciples, these are like, oh man, these are people who I made and I just love them so much.
Speaker: And like the idea that you talked about, I'm just stealing your part of the show.
Speaker: So John, do you want to go like...
Speaker: Nate's going to, Nate is the representative for both Jim Caviezel and me, and I'm going to go have lunch with Shay.
Speaker: So, you know.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: But just like the idea of looking at, at people and like,
Speaker: I just love you.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: And so I think that's a big thing for me.
Speaker: That is cool.
Speaker: I feel like that was, I'm hearing you like have a couple keywords that it feels like are kind of unifying for your vision of how you're, uh, the aspects of Christ that you're representing.
Speaker: And I feel like that was true for me too, where it was like, like you said, he's so much more than anything I can portray.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: But yeah,
Speaker: I can do my best with what I have and what God made me to reveal part of him and whatever of him is in me.
Speaker: And so what I ended up latching onto was like,
Speaker: I think loving creator, those were not the words that I necessarily named then, but in retrospect, like those were my two things of like, this is my creation.
Speaker: I get to enter it and play around and get to actually, like I know them, but now I get to physically be present with them.
Speaker: That's exciting.
Speaker: And I love them so much.
Speaker: I think the most powerful thing for me connected to that was when I was thinking about his crucifixion, because my Jesus...
Speaker: Or the Jesus I portrayed.
Speaker: My Jesus.
Speaker: My Jesus.
Speaker: I'm getting like Gollum.
Speaker: My Jesus.
Speaker: You're precious.
Speaker: Time to knock me.
Speaker: He is my precious.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: He's everybody's precious.
Speaker: But...
Speaker: There's a point in a song where he looked ahead at what was coming in Jerusalem, which was Atlanta in our production, because it was Cotton Patch Gospel.
Speaker: I guess I'm answering the question now.
Speaker: I'm now answering my own question.
Speaker: Which I was going to ask you, because I was trying to remember.
Speaker: Do you want to ask me?
Speaker: Yeah, John, what was your Jesus from?
Speaker: It was from Cotton Patch Gospel.
Speaker: Wow.
Speaker: So that is basically Godspell if they were hillbillies.
Speaker: It was basically in the South.
Speaker: So it was interesting.
Speaker: I had a Southern accent the whole time.
Speaker: And to this day, if I start a Southern accent, which I've now made the mistake of doing, I could get stuck in it the entire night.
Speaker: Okay, but there's something about the Southern accent that it's just like so easy.
Speaker: You're doing less work.
Speaker: And so if you do it a lot, it's really easy to just sit in.
Speaker: But I'm gonna get out of it now.
Speaker: I had that with my show too where it's Southern.
Speaker: It's nice.
Speaker: It's nice to talk that way.
Speaker: The title is... No, a different... He's taking a lot from my performance.
Speaker: It's very subtle.
Speaker: More of a feeling.
Speaker: Subtly Southern.
Speaker: I'm Southern in mine too.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Jesus is just a southern guy.
Speaker: But he was always looking ahead at what was coming.
Speaker: And that just kind of hung over him.
Speaker: And so I was like, I'm going to go in my basement and enact this in my brain so I have a really clear picture.
Speaker: And about halfway through that, my brain just projected all of my closest friends and family's faces on the people that were lynching Jesus.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: And I was like, ouch, that hurts a lot.
Speaker: And the worst was in the triumphal entry.
Speaker: I bumped my mic.
Speaker: In the triumphal entry.
Speaker: I would, I was like riding in a wheelbarrow.
Speaker: I was handing out flowers to people and I handed one out to one of my best friends, Megan, who then would be one of the people that would accuse Jesus and say he needs to die.
Speaker: And so we had this really sweet moment and every time I would hand it, I was like, I know exactly what's about to happen in half an hour.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: And that's hard, but I love you and here's this flower, but ouch.
Speaker: So it was, it was interesting.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Jordan, what was the, what was the, the thing?
Speaker: What was your project?
Speaker: You know, the thing was, uh, yeah.
Speaker: So I was in a production of, uh, passion, the musical, which is an original, uh, show by, um, piercing word, which is a ministry in, uh, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Speaker: Um, um,
Speaker: Yeah, it's the story of Passion Week.
Speaker: I guess not Passion Week, because we start at the Passover supper.
Speaker: Okay.
Speaker: And then it finishes with the resurrection and the ascension of Jesus.
Speaker: Mm-hmm.
Speaker: So it's like that short, I guess it's not short time frame because, you know, there's the three days and then there's, you know.
Speaker: It's only a three day long show.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: It's a short time, but it feels like a short time.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: We always like that's always like the end of a long play about.
Speaker: I mean, it was a 50 minute show.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: But yeah, so I think the unique thing about that show particularly is that just like all of Piercing Words other shows, it's all scripture.
Speaker: Everything that's spoken is something that's spoken in Scripture.
Speaker: Or not spoken, but something that's written in the Bible.
Speaker: Taken straight from the ESV is the scripture.
Speaker: The real Bible.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: I think that's the King James Bible.
Speaker: We'll be right back.
Speaker: No, yeah.
Speaker: So...
Speaker: Yeah, so everything that was said, everything that was sung, because it was a musical, was scripture.
Speaker: And we didn't just use, like, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Speaker: I think that's the powerful thing of using.
Speaker: There's Gospel of Thomas.
Speaker: There's God.
Speaker: The Judas one.
Speaker: There's the extended.
Speaker: Mary Magdalene.
Speaker: Yeah, no.
Speaker: The unique thing about my Jesus was he was Mary.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: And I played him.
Speaker: Yikes.
Speaker: So.
Speaker: I'm great at derailing my own podcast.
Speaker: You really are.
Speaker: We don't have to feel bad about this.
Speaker: No, I don't.
Speaker: But one of the key elements that was important in this show, and it was in the set design, was
Speaker: We toured, so it was very minimalist.
Speaker: We'd set up in like 10 minutes, which was great.
Speaker: But we had these banners that had prophecies about Jesus on them from...
Speaker: Leviticus or Exodus?
Speaker: Moses.
Speaker: And then stuff from Isaiah and then stuff from the Psalms.
Speaker: That's cool.
Speaker: Because even in the Gospels, it talks about how...
Speaker: Everything written about him, now I'm going to start quoting my lines, everything written about him in the Psalms, in the law of the prophets and the Psalms came true.
Speaker: And so that was kind of the whole point of the show and things that we were able to highlight because we were using scripture, but we weren't just using what was in that portion of the story.
Speaker: We were using stuff from Psalms and Psalms.
Speaker: from the law and from those things.
Speaker: So we were quoting those things and using narration from other things.
Speaker: So, um, yeah, so it was a very small five person cast.
Speaker: I looked out, I was just Jesus.
Speaker: That was it.
Speaker: All I had to do.
Speaker: Um, the other cast members played, uh, so we had three men and one woman.
Speaker: So she played everybody.
Speaker: Oh gosh.
Speaker: Um, and then, you know, they played,
Speaker: everybody else disciples and Pharisees and guards and yeah all that stuff so yeah there was a great cast but the you kind of stole a lot of what I wanted to talk about there's only so much to say about Jesus yeah no just he has a great experience and like it was really cool to see
Speaker: not just the scripture of the gospel, like the actual story, but kind of using the rest of scripture to point to Jesus, which is what the point of it is.
Speaker: Was there something for you as like a person or like the personality or how you were portraying that character that was kind of a unifying idea for you?
Speaker: Yeah, I mean, there's a lot of things.
Speaker: Just like we were saying, there's so much to Jesus that I think everyone who's ever portrayed him is like, I've got to focus on one thing.
Speaker: Because he's an eternal being.
Speaker: There's just so much to him.
Speaker: Because it's Jesus, but also in extension, God.
Speaker: There's just so much to him.
Speaker: And I think that seems really daunting at first when you're like, hey, you're going to play Jesus.
Speaker: And you're like, no.
Speaker: Because I know that's impossible.
Speaker: My focus is holding the universe together, particularly the molecules of this leaf.
Speaker: Jordan, why did you come to rehearsal with this leaf all the time?
Speaker: I had to keep it together.
Speaker: Keep it together, man.
Speaker: I got to hold everything in one hand.
Speaker: But yeah, there's just so much to the character of Jesus.
Speaker: it feels weird saying the character, the personality, the person of Jesus that we're portraying.
Speaker: Um, and there's so much that we can't portray.
Speaker: It's just this finite lame being that we are.
Speaker: Uh, we're so lame and we're trying to be the non lame guy.
Speaker: Um, but one of the things I think, uh, cause I also struggled with because it's, um, you started talking about it.
Speaker: I was like, Oh, I'm going to touch on that too.
Speaker: Was, um,
Speaker: going through the motions of like, cause normally when you're doing a show, like you kind of have to just focus on that moment and forget all the things you've heard, not forget, but like block all the things you've heard later in the show because you're like, that hasn't happened yet.
Speaker: I can't make decisions based on that.
Speaker: But it's so different with Jesus.
Speaker: You're like, I know everything.
Speaker: Which it's nice that you go through a rehearsal process that makes playing Jesus slightly easier because you're like, oh, I know everything that's going to happen.
Speaker: Then you're like, how do I do that?
Speaker: And still make it interesting.
Speaker: So not just floating around serenely like, hmm.
Speaker: And that was a problem I ran to a little bit in rehearsals and I'd get notes about.
Speaker: And they were just like, you know, things are kind of just...
Speaker: You're just letting it happen.
Speaker: There wasn't a lot of emotion.
Speaker: So I got a note that was like... That's okay.
Speaker: It's going to be fine.
Speaker: It's all going to work out.
Speaker: Guys, it's good.
Speaker: You're up on the cross.
Speaker: Just give me... Three days, man.
Speaker: It's going to be amazing.
Speaker: It's going to be fine, you guys.
Speaker: I know I'm bleeding from every orifice right now, but... But our director... Plus the middle.
Speaker: The director of... Oh, no.
Speaker: The...
Speaker: I'm just going to keep going.
Speaker: The director of the ministry came and he watched and he was, he watched a couple performances and rehearsals and was giving me some notes and stuff and just really encouraged me to focus on the two things.
Speaker: Like one was showing emotion because, um,
Speaker: Not that I wasn't showing emotion, but showing emotion.
Speaker: How about acting?
Speaker: Could you just act better?
Speaker: That's the note I got, but I didn't want to say it.
Speaker: No, but like, because Jesus didn't...
Speaker: not feel emotion.
Speaker: Right.
Speaker: He actually, he was like, he actually felt more emotion than we could ever imagine.
Speaker: Like, I was like, yeah, that's a lot to think about, but I also get it.
Speaker: So like, I can, I can try and show as much as I can, but it's only going to be scratching the surface of what he felt in that moment.
Speaker: But the other thing that, um, I was going to say to, to answer your question of kind of what I focused on was, um, just the word of compassion.
Speaker: Hmm.
Speaker: which I love that part of compassion is passion and it was passion the musical compassion the musical I really focused on compassion and just because it's just dealing with that very hard situation and when I told people I was playing Jesus I had family being like can you play Jesus that's not stoic and boring because that's how so many people play it he's Jesus and I'm like
Speaker: I'm going to try, but this is about his dad.
Speaker: Like it's not, there's not the fun parts.
Speaker: This is maybe the part where he is the most.
Speaker: We're not doing the fun parts.
Speaker: But even in like, even when I said that and then I got into personal, it's like, oh no, there is moments of that.
Speaker: And they kept helping me try and find that of like,
Speaker: Cause like we start when we're singing Psalm 23 and we're getting ready for the Passover and, and like, they're just like, just enjoy being with your disciples.
Speaker: And so like, I was just like, we're in it up and just, just enjoy being with my disciples and kind of like the hardest thing was kind of dealing with Judas because you have to have such a heart for him.
Speaker: And it's this difficult balance of,
Speaker: I know you're going to do what you need to do.
Speaker: I know you have to do what you have to do.
Speaker: But I still love you and I still... My heart goes out to you.
Speaker: And so like...
Speaker: I did not think of a certain thing because it worked, but also it made me laugh because it's the, I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed.
Speaker: Jesus never hated Judas because he had to do, but it was just that his heart broke for him just as much as everybody else, even more because of that.
Speaker: So that was a really hard thing, but a very important thing for me.
Speaker: And then just finding that and going through the trial sequence,
Speaker: that we had and like just all these moments of people like attacking jesus and uh and then when peter denied we had this moment you know because the scriptures actually say that the lord looked turned and looked at him so we had that like a great cinematic moment yeah it is very cinematic oh we made it you can see the like michael bay we had the we hit the rooster crow and then he's like standing there center stage and they're like and the lord turned and looked at him i was like
Speaker: um and it almost broke my heart every night yeah because like the way the the actor that we had played it and and how i like just i just literally like honestly in my head would focus on the word compassion compassion compassion for all those people all the pharisees and and guards that were mistreating me and all those things but then just
Speaker: for my disciples that were so broken and lost in that moment of just like, and you're, and like the look I, I tried to throw Peter was like, I forgive you in that moment of like, like I knew that was going to happen.
Speaker: I like the idea that that's what then broke Peter is that being shown love in that moment and how it's like,
Speaker: I just betrayed the best person who loves me the most.
Speaker: And that just broke me.
Speaker: Right.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: And then like, I let that carry on to the next moment.
Speaker: Like they, like they move on from that moment.
Speaker: Peter like ran out and he changes characters and all the other characters, they're like moving on.
Speaker: But I kind of stayed in that moment and I kind of just let that break me a little bit more.
Speaker: And, and, and so yeah, compassion was really, and then being up on the cross was just like thinking about, um, um,
Speaker: As actors, we really have to make things personal.
Speaker: Some of that works in, like you were saying, of picturing close friends being the people hurting Jesus.
Speaker: What I really tended to focus on was personally thinking about me seeing Jesus up on the cross and feeling that emotion of how I felt about it and just really seeing...
Speaker: my sins being poured out on him just like like i i would first start focusing on like the things that i've done the sins that i've done against him and he's forgiven but he you know has poured out um his soul so i'm just thinking of that like weight being laid on him and then i just was like and just multiply that
Speaker: by the thousands of millions of people that have sinned and all of that.
Speaker: Which is a pretty low percentage when you take all the billions who have lived.
Speaker: I mean, yeah.
Speaker: It wasn't that bad.
Speaker: I could only do so much, okay?
Speaker: I had to stand there with a beam.
Speaker: You had to hold the leaf together.
Speaker: Jordan's like, I can take on millions of sin.
Speaker: Not like Jesus.
Speaker: That's where I cap off.
Speaker: So if it's ever too much for you, Nate, just remember Jordan's right there and he can also take on millions.
Speaker: Jordan, tap in.
Speaker: Tap in.
Speaker: I'll tap in.
Speaker: You guys switch costumes really fast.
Speaker: The audience is like, ooh, artsy.
Speaker: And we're like, no, he just can't do it.
Speaker: Can't do it.
Speaker: Speaking of heresy, that would be a big heresy.
Speaker: So, yeah.
Speaker: So, John, in your production, how many sins did you take?
Speaker: I took on six billion.
Speaker: Oh, crap.
Speaker: There's one billion that I didn't take.
Speaker: I actually didn't get to portray the crucifixion.
Speaker: Really?
Speaker: That all happened offstage.
Speaker: Interesting.
Speaker: Which is a little sad for me, but that's fine.
Speaker: It worked for the story.
Speaker: I'll let you know that.
Speaker: I'm sure.
Speaker: Well, I still had to do some stuff backstage.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Because there were sounds that I made.
Speaker: Right.
Speaker: But you're on your Game Boy while you're doing it.
Speaker: Yeah, I'm playing Zelda.
Speaker: All that's actually happening is just I'm rage quitting a video game.
Speaker: You can hear the grief in his voice.
Speaker: Bowser got him again.
Speaker: No, they just, which I think was powerful in and of itself because you just saw Matthew, who narrates the whole story, narrating it.
Speaker: And I played violin in it as well.
Speaker: So he held my violin while he was narrating that, which I think was a cool moment.
Speaker: And then you just would hear me get choked out because he was lynched.
Speaker: So you would hear me go like... Wow.
Speaker: And then...
Speaker: Say whatever I said for the like, Father, and dear hands, I command my spirit.
Speaker: Whatever that line was.
Speaker: It was more hillbilly-ish.
Speaker: Daddy.
Speaker: No, he always, okay, this was actually really profound.
Speaker: He always called God Daddy.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Which I know.
Speaker: Because that's like what Abba means.
Speaker: But it was really, it worked with the Southern.
Speaker: Because I would just be going somewhere and then I would have an aside and I'd be like, Daddy, I just don't know what I'm doing.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: And there was something really intimate about that that has radically transformed the way I connect to God.
Speaker: I like that.
Speaker: Like to this point.
Speaker: if I am in a genuinely emotional time spiritually and I hear God as daddy, not in a cringe way, because there can definitely be a cringe way to it, but in, in just a genuine way, like that will bypass everything in my heart and just hit me right to the corner.
Speaker: I'm like, Oh, um, this is probably like, I don't know.
Speaker: He said something about daddy, but, um, I don't remember where I got there, but yeah, I didn't do the crucifixion, but,
Speaker: But that's still such a powerful way to do it.
Speaker: Sometimes, especially in theater, what you don't show can be just as powerful as what you do show.
Speaker: I think so.
Speaker: And then I would... So while I was doing that, I was getting makeup on, which was kind of an interesting thing in and of itself.
Speaker: And they scarred me up, and then they would carry on my dead body.
Speaker: So I had just this completely tattered version of the costume that I wore, and movie blood all over me, and prosthetic... We did...
Speaker: The crew was amazing.
Speaker: There was a thing in my side that they were not sure the audience was going to see ever, but there was enough cuts in my clothing that we were like, if it shifts just right, then we'll have a prosthetic right here so they can see a spear hole.
Speaker: Wow.
Speaker: Or a knife hole or whatever.
Speaker: And that was really...
Speaker: cool and powerful and I got carried on and that was a really great moment and then we did the this was awesome um oh I'm forgetting the name I always forget the name but the Michelangelo's famous statue the Pieta um we did the Pieta with uh the lady who played Mary her name was Brenda um that was really cool um
Speaker: But I was off stage, so I didn't carry any sins.
Speaker: So.
Speaker: Well, so the Zuby people, they're playing real Jesus.
Speaker: Let's talk here.
Speaker: Well, you know.
Speaker: Did you guys have any reservations when you were asked to play Jesus?
Speaker: Oh, yeah.
Speaker: Oh, yeah.
Speaker: Like it was through the audition process of the show, like I knew there was a possibility of playing Jesus.
Speaker: And then I was like, I wanted to do it.
Speaker: But then as soon as I got it, I was like,
Speaker: Oh, that is hard.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Um, and I think I touched on it, like we've all touched on a little bit of just like, I think the fear of it is, um, especially as believers, like that's feels like such a taboo thing to touch.
Speaker: Cause you're just like, how can I even begin to portray the perfectness that is Jesus?
Speaker: Um, um,
Speaker: Yeah, so that was definitely, you know, a big reservation for me.
Speaker: I was like, how do I even begin to do that?
Speaker: But I think some of what started, like, to help me feel better before we even got into the rehearsal process was just thinking about, like,
Speaker: taking this as an opportunity to be able to go all in with the way that we're called to be like Jesus anyway.
Speaker: I was like, we're told to be like Jesus anyway.
Speaker: Now I get to practice that by just being Jesus.
Speaker: So yeah, but yeah, definitely had reservations.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: I thought for years, I thought I would love the opportunity to play Jesus just to have...
Speaker: Like what you had, I think, when you played him.
Speaker: That concentrated opportunity to get to know him better by like, okay, I have to be in him and thinking about how he thinks and stuff.
Speaker: And that would be just really cool spiritually to do.
Speaker: And then I think it was like the night before or a couple nights before auditions, I went and saw Dune 2.
Speaker: Oh, yeah.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: About the guy who decides he's a messiah.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: And I'm like sitting there and like, oh goodness.
Speaker: It's kind of a big and scary deal to have the audacity to say that you're the Messiah.
Speaker: And I'm like wanting to audition for this.
Speaker: And like, I don't know about this now.
Speaker: And it kind of gave me some reservations.
Speaker: So, yeah.
Speaker: But.
Speaker: Just wait till.
Speaker: I know.
Speaker: And inspired by Dune 2, Nate's going to start a holy war at the end.
Speaker: We're jumping right to the Crusades.
Speaker: Oh no.
Speaker: But yeah, some of the idea of playing him like we talked about before, I thought that I had that I think is helpful, but I want to hear what you guys think about it.
Speaker: So we're all God's creation and we know he is vast.
Speaker: I also completed that too.
Speaker: I thought he was going to stop.
Speaker: We're all gods.
Speaker: We're all gods.
Speaker: Well, that's basically a joke.
Speaker: Jesus did say that.
Speaker: Wait, hang on.
Speaker: Where?
Speaker: Isn't it said in the prophets that you are all gods and when he's like talking to the Pharisees?
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: gods as in God's possession or we are all like actual gods?
Speaker: Because I don't know.
Speaker: Like actual like lowercase G gods.
Speaker: I'm curious now.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Oh, my phone is recording.
Speaker: I can't look this up.
Speaker: No, it's a weird thing, but we don't need to get into that.
Speaker: Jordan's looking it up.
Speaker: It's too late.
Speaker: You keep going and Jordan will interject.
Speaker: So, so we're all.
Speaker: This is why you need like a producer to like do that.
Speaker: This is in my tiny office.
Speaker: I don't have space for shoes.
Speaker: Can you check that out?
Speaker: Jimmy just appears behind the camera.
Speaker: I'm just going to look down, but Jim's got it.
Speaker: But yeah, I feel like God is so vast and multifaceted and in us, we are like unique parts of like as Christians, we're unique parts of his body.
Speaker: Yes.
Speaker: And there's just so many parts of that body because there's so many Christians, but we're each unique.
Speaker: And I feel like the good in us is.
Speaker: is like, huge diamond is like a facet, a little facet of who he is.
Speaker: So I was kind of thinking that,
Speaker: When playing him, like I am as his creation and as a Christian, I am already a little Jesus.
Speaker: I'm like a little facet of the magnitude of who he is.
Speaker: So it's almost doing it right in a way.
Speaker: We can't get the fullness of Jesus, but I can, in a sense, be my part of Jesus when playing him.
Speaker: But like try to, you know, push aside any of my sinful tendencies and
Speaker: And then that at least shows a little piece of Jesus because all of us believers are a little piece of Jesus as part of his body.
Speaker: I resonate with that.
Speaker: I didn't when I was playing it because I was 17.
Speaker: So there was a lot of things I've thought about since then that I know were going on in there that I haven't said.
Speaker: But since then and since having seen many of my friends play Jesus and been in several other productions where somebody else was playing Jesus, which is really weird after you've played Jesus.
Speaker: Sure.
Speaker: I know I'm judging me every night.
Speaker: It works well because Jordan's playing Satan, so the judgment resonates well.
Speaker: Legally, ensemble member number nine.
Speaker: Ensemble number nine.
Speaker: Ensemble number nine.
Speaker: Upside nine, number six.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Even though there are only six other ensemble members.
Speaker: I still love that you call them ensemble member number nine.
Speaker: That's how it's sticking.
Speaker: Um...
Speaker: But since then, I've been like, this is like I've seen my friend Tyler play him.
Speaker: We all know Rich Garnotte to a degree.
Speaker: We've seen him play, well, we all know Tyler, too.
Speaker: We all know Tyler to a degree.
Speaker: I know Tyler better.
Speaker: Yeah, that's true.
Speaker: But so, like, I've seen them.
Speaker: My friend Matt Gommerson I've seen play Jesus.
Speaker: You I've now seen play Jesus.
Speaker: I didn't get to see you play Jesus, which was sad, but that's okay.
Speaker: I can show you a video.
Speaker: That would be cool.
Speaker: But I love footage.
Speaker: Bring it up.
Speaker: Jim, you got that?
Speaker: Jim.
Speaker: Enjoy this 50-minute production.
Speaker: Now it's a two-hour episode.
Speaker: But just the... Yeah, I love... They're all different people, but they also ring true of something of Christ.
Speaker: And I think that that is a beautiful representation of who the body of Christ is because he cannot be captured by one person.
Speaker: And...
Speaker: And that means that every portrayal of him will be inaccurate.
Speaker: But it also means every portrayal is going to touch on something that's important about Jesus that somebody needs to see.
Speaker: There were things about my Jesus that were really important for some fellow cast members or for some audience to see.
Speaker: There's some things about your Jesus that are really important for audience or our fellow cast or for me to see.
Speaker: And the same for yours.
Speaker: Even though if you stack them up next to each other, they're pretty different guides if you're just taking them as characters.
Speaker: Right.
Speaker: Especially since...
Speaker: I mean, there's the factor of they're different shows.
Speaker: Right.
Speaker: So that in and of itself.
Speaker: But even in that, each actor, I think you put it in a really good way of like, each actor who's portrayed Jesus has, there's been some reason that they've honed in on something that is a piece that, like you said, an audience or a castmate, but I would even go farther out of like, that may be something like,
Speaker: they need as an actor.
Speaker: That's true.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: And that just really, like, playing Jesus is such an eye-opening experience.
Speaker: Mm-hmm.
Speaker: And I wish everybody, every Christian actor, Seriously.
Speaker: be able to play a version of Jesus.
Speaker: For their whole life.
Speaker: But, I mean, method act that one.
Speaker: And it's crazy because even if,
Speaker: Excuse me.
Speaker: No.
Speaker: Even if we were able to somehow combine every performance of Jesus ever.
Speaker: It still wouldn't work.
Speaker: It still wouldn't even measure up at all, but it would still be such a great picture.
Speaker: But yeah, now I'm just thinking of like those weird like half southern.
Speaker: Half southern.
Speaker: Yeah, but even if every portrayal of Jesus was the same production.
Speaker: Even if we had all done Godspell or all done Passion or all done Patch Patch.
Speaker: Right.
Speaker: Cabbage Patch Gospel.
Speaker: My mom did that all the time.
Speaker: I bet she did.
Speaker: Because I wasn't there to do it.
Speaker: Cabin Patch Gospel.
Speaker: But even if we all did the same production, our Jesus would be all so different.
Speaker: Well, yeah, because I don't think that what... We just named six characteristics of Jesus that we all honed in on that are all absolutely true of him.
Speaker: That can all be combined into a performance that still wouldn't encapsulate all of him.
Speaker: But we didn't arrive at those necessarily just because of the show that we were in.
Speaker: That was just us examining the person, and then that's what we felt drawn to...
Speaker: So I think you could totally do any of the shows that we did with that in mind.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: And like you were just saying, those were just six that we honed in on.
Speaker: Right.
Speaker: We definitely probably used pieces and bits of what other people honed in on.
Speaker: Mm-hmm.
Speaker: even though you can't completely encapsulate Jesus, you are still going to draw elements of all these other things.
Speaker: And you're still going to be playing like 150 different things going on at the same time.
Speaker: You're really going to hone in on one or two or three, but you're going to play all these different things.
Speaker: And there's still millions and millions and infinity of what you can't play.
Speaker: But we're all still kind of like have those connections of, I'm sure there's moments where we're like, Oh, I played it like this.
Speaker: And like, Oh, I played something very similar like that.
Speaker: And yeah.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Cause I like the idea that,
Speaker: anything that is good, Jesus had that characteristic to him.
Speaker: What a full...
Speaker: and complex person that is.
Speaker: Cause I feel like we know people who like, okay, this person really embodies joviality.
Speaker: This person's very patient and peaceful.
Speaker: This person is hilarious, you know?
Speaker: And, but Jesus had like all of that.
Speaker: And so no wonder he was like so attractive to people.
Speaker: That's cool.
Speaker: Um,
Speaker: Do you guys have a memorable story from your performance?
Speaker: Nate, all the time you've done it.
Speaker: It's one of the aspects that you're honing in on prophecy.
Speaker: All the standing ovations, wow.
Speaker: When you won that Tony for a production in Grand Rapids, what?
Speaker: Yeah, just think to the future.
Speaker: Prophesy.
Speaker: What could be?
Speaker: What's going to impact you?
Speaker: What are you really hoping for?
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: You got it.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: A story like... I don't know.
Speaker: Was there a moment that happened that you were like, wow.
Speaker: Or were like, oof.
Speaker: Or were like, aw.
Speaker: Or were like... I don't know what other sound effects I can make.
Speaker: Boing!
Speaker: That happens in ours.
Speaker: It does.
Speaker: It does.
Speaker: A couple times.
Speaker: A couple different boings.
Speaker: What moment playing Jesus did I think, boing?
Speaker: Boing!
Speaker: The Ascension.
Speaker: Boilings up.
Speaker: Boilings up into heaven.
Speaker: I have a derailment thought, but I don't know if I should have to go there.
Speaker: Just throw it.
Speaker: We'll get back.
Speaker: Okay.
Speaker: We can always edit this out.
Speaker: I was at the beach last night, and I was, like, laying on the ground staring up at the sky.
Speaker: And I was imagining, you know how, like, eagles, they can be, like, so high up that you can't even see them, and then they'll just, like, dive on down on some prey?
Speaker: And I was just really tickled by the idea of, like, a land-based creature or even, like, a man who would, like...
Speaker: look up at the sky for an eagle and then suddenly shoves straight up his mouth open
Speaker: Just super fast.
Speaker: He will fly on wings like eagles.
Speaker: Yeah, that's kind of like the reason why, right?
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Great.
Speaker: We're back.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: It wasn't like what we see when we're doing productions where they're like this slow lift.
Speaker: I want to see a production who's like, peace be with you.
Speaker: I will return.
Speaker: Where'd he go?
Speaker: That actually honestly makes more sense.
Speaker: I think so, because they were all like, what the heck?
Speaker: Because they were all like, whoa, where'd he go?
Speaker: And the thing was just like slowly being lifted.
Speaker: Then it's like half an hour of it just like beep, beep.
Speaker: Think about that speed, but how long it would take for him to like disappear.
Speaker: He's having to hold his arms like this the whole time.
Speaker: Are you going to come back down?
Speaker: You guys can just go home.
Speaker: This will take a bit.
Speaker: I'm all powerful, but my invisible elevator up to heaven, that's where it starts to be.
Speaker: It's like a genie lift at us.
Speaker: It's just beep.
Speaker: Okay.
Speaker: Anyway, so... We got so serious.
Speaker: I'm trying to think of moments.
Speaker: There's just so many.
Speaker: Peter Moment, that was a good one.
Speaker: That's cool.
Speaker: Tell us about that again.
Speaker: So basically what happened was... Yeah, there's just so many moments in the show and some of it was being Jesus.
Speaker: Other moments were like... It's hard when you're in a production like that because it's like...
Speaker: I mean, definitely it's true.
Speaker: My other actors were terrific and they gave so much.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Um, but it also helped encourage me that I was giving what they needed because of, of their reactions.
Speaker: Um, I mean, a mini memorable thing.
Speaker: I kind of wanted to touch on this just to like praise my friend.
Speaker: Um, but the, the girl playing, um,
Speaker: all the women.
Speaker: She was Mary, Mary Magdalene, the other Mary.
Speaker: As she's narrating, she's like, Mary, this Mary, this Mary.
Speaker: And you're playing all of them just by putting your little scarf over your head.
Speaker: That's amazing.
Speaker: But yeah, so there's the scene, and I'm not even in it, but I think just the whole show affected her in such a way that the angel comes out after the resurrection to announce to Mary that
Speaker: He's risen.
Speaker: And it's this really fun, like, up-tempo song.
Speaker: And he's like...
Speaker: riffing and it's a very talented friend of mine and he's just like singing this beautiful song and during the first verse she's like out there reacting to it and then she eventually like leaves to let him finish the song but every time she came backstage i'm waiting to go on to reveal myself to her but she like she comes backstage and pretty much every time she was just crying just it just it was just so powerful of a show i'm like i love how it's like affecting us that much and like how often we've rehearsed this
Speaker: it still affected her every show.
Speaker: Very similar thing with the guy who, because the guy who played the angel also played Thomas.
Speaker: So we had this cool moment of coming out and, and, you know, cause he's, he's singing about, you know, unless I put my fingers in the nails, in the nail holes, unless I put my hand in his side, I won't, I won't believe.
Speaker: And then I come out,
Speaker: And I go, peace be with you.
Speaker: And then I'm like, put it here.
Speaker: And he comes in.
Speaker: Put her there.
Speaker: And I'm offering my side, which is like a torn t-shirt.
Speaker: Put her there.
Speaker: Yep.
Speaker: A little funny thing I did was I realized that because the way we did it was like,
Speaker: I had a red T-shirt on, and on top of that was a white T-shirt that was ripped.
Speaker: Oh, yeah.
Speaker: And I changed into that.
Speaker: And then, like, tore off the shirt that was on top of that when they scourged me.
Speaker: But then when I go and resurrect, I changed shirts.
Speaker: So it was a white shirt under the ripped white shirt.
Speaker: so it was still ripped like the wounds were still there but they were healed and they were you know so it was like but there was one rip in the side here and I think it wasn't on purpose at all but I was like oh that's kind of great so I'm walking in like put your hand in my side and I one night I grabbed his hand and I put it in the shirt and
Speaker: That was really fun for me because I'm like trying to enjoy this moment.
Speaker: But yeah.
Speaker: But yeah, just seeing like the pure shock, but joy in his face every night.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: And it's going to take too long to explain why it's a funny joke for the people that I was with.
Speaker: But we always kind of had this this running joke about.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: just kind of like we call it a neck grab when you like grab somebody's like face like this kind of thing.
Speaker: It's just a very like important intimate moment.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: And it's weird when anybody does it, but then when Jesus does it, you're like, this is right.
Speaker: This is okay.
Speaker: So that was another thing I kind of honed in on was just like connecting with everyone.
Speaker: I was imagining we were talking about the facets of Jesus.
Speaker: And so I'm like, there's one man out there who is the perfect neck grabber.
Speaker: And he reflects that part of Jesus.
Speaker: He's such a good neck grabber.
Speaker: No, but like, it kind of, I'm glad I did it.
Speaker: Like it's, it's funny.
Speaker: The things that's like, start off as a joke.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Um, just for fun and rehearsals.
Speaker: And you're like, I'm not actually going to do that.
Speaker: And then you're like,
Speaker: No, wait.
Speaker: So I made it a point to have... Because we also had these other moments where our director was like... The way they staged it, there was a moment with almost every disciple where I got low with them and would lift them up in a way.
Speaker: Whether it was foot washing or...
Speaker: um with mary when she's like she falls down and and i you know come pick her up it's like don't i haven't ascended to my father yet go tell them yeah or and then um the moment with thomas like we're singing to each other and he drops down and then i like pick him up and raise him up so that was a moment but i made sure like i had a moment with everyone of some way of it started off as a joke of like i'm gonna
Speaker: Like, like grab your neck at some point in the show to that to the actors.
Speaker: But then it came this moment of like connecting with each one of them individually.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: And.
Speaker: And so just yeah, just finding that connection and like even having those moments where when it's really started to affect them.
Speaker: And they're having tears.
Speaker: Like there was one moment where I was, I was doing the, the, one of my last songs that was, um, the, the, the great commission.
Speaker: So I'm like, I have a moment with each one and I'm commending them and I'm giving them the great commission and I get to my friend, um,
Speaker: who was playing Judas, and now he's playing one of the other disciples.
Speaker: Because we have four people playing all 12.
Speaker: So that's three disciples per person.
Speaker: Bartholomew is one of the ones we don't talk about.
Speaker: We joked, our woman was both.
Speaker: I think one of ours is Bartholomew.
Speaker: I think.
Speaker: Or is he Philip?
Speaker: I don't remember.
Speaker: Anyways, I gave them all ones that are inspired by.
Speaker: Oh, that's fine.
Speaker: But...
Speaker: We even had a joke that the woman played, she played both James and John.
Speaker: We were like, you are the sons of thunder.
Speaker: But then I went to my friend who was playing Judas and now he was, I think, John.
Speaker: He said he later became John.
Speaker: And towards the end of the run, I don't know what necessarily was affecting him as much, but he would start to tear up in that moment.
Speaker: Tears running down his face.
Speaker: And I just took this moment to hold his head.
Speaker: And then some nights I just went with my impulse and would just wipe away those tears.
Speaker: And at first, doing it in that moment, I was just like, oh, yeah, I'm just going to do this for him so that he's not crying all over the stage.
Speaker: And then I get to the next person, and I'm going out and having my moment.
Speaker: And then it finally hits me, and I go, think about he will wipe away every tear.
Speaker: And I'm just like...
Speaker: no i'm gonna cry now i have to sing yeah so just a lot of beautiful moments being able to connect with in a way that show is also very much about community but i think i think every story about it it has to be well because the church is his body and he inaugurates the church that's part of the gospel yeah so yeah yeah and um
Speaker: And yeah, and then there's just not to keep like talking about all these other moments.
Speaker: One of my favorite moments, though, in it was doing the Passover.
Speaker: So breaking the body and sharing the blood.
Speaker: And so we did all the scripture and I'm doing the things and passing out the things.
Speaker: And I'm calling out Judas.
Speaker: I felt like I called out Judas a lot at the beginning of the show.
Speaker: It felt like every two seconds I was like, one of you will betray me.
Speaker: Someone will betray me.
Speaker: You know what you have to do.
Speaker: Like, I'm always looking at him at that moment.
Speaker: I'm like, I'm just really calling out Judas.
Speaker: Do you want some dip, Judas?
Speaker: Pull out the bowl.
Speaker: Delicious olive oil?
Speaker: Judas, the one who's dipping his bread in the olive oil is going to betray me.
Speaker: You want some, Judas?
Speaker: He so calls him out.
Speaker: But that moment with John, who's it going to be?
Speaker: The one who dips.
Speaker: Judas, have a little dip.
Speaker: What if Judas was just like, but I just, I love an olive oil dip, man.
Speaker: I just love it.
Speaker: I just got to give some.
Speaker: I got to, I can't, I can't.
Speaker: All right, okay.
Speaker: You got it out of me.
Speaker: Okay.
Speaker: But no, yeah, so we go through the whole thing.
Speaker: And then we had this beautiful... Sorry.
Speaker: You guys want to step out.
Speaker: I'm just going to keep talking.
Speaker: Step out and talk about my love for bread and olive oil.
Speaker: Who doesn't love bread and olive oil?
Speaker: Nate.
Speaker: Because... Gluten-free sound test.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: This guy.
Speaker: That guy.
Speaker: You guys don't have to break bread.
Speaker: We're trying to find some good gluten-free bread.
Speaker: I have a contact them.
Speaker: Oh, cool.
Speaker: Is it circular?
Speaker: I really want the circular image.
Speaker: I don't need to have a production.
Speaker: Something round.
Speaker: Yeah, I don't know if you can get it gluten-free, but we had like naan.
Speaker: Yep.
Speaker: Oh, yeah.
Speaker: It was what we were supposed to have because we were touring.
Speaker: We would often forget our bread.
Speaker: So we'd get to the venue and we're like, do you have any bread?
Speaker: So one time I'm like breaking a baguette.
Speaker: Oh, gosh.
Speaker: That was like the best night.
Speaker: It was like a loaf of bread.
Speaker: And I'm like, ah.
Speaker: break it yeah but then the next morning we had our worst one which was they were like here's half a donut hole and so i literally had a donut hole and i'm like oh oh no everybody here you get a crumb of the eucharist it was it was it was bad it's kind of like how community is now really yes so small
Speaker: It's like a little tiny thing.
Speaker: No, but my favorite moment of that was like, then we'd go into this acapella song, which was literally just like so short in one line.
Speaker: It was just, take this and do this in remembrance of me.
Speaker: Everybody sang all the way up to remembrance of, and then everybody stopped singing.
Speaker: I sang me with the cup held out.
Speaker: But it was just this beautiful song.
Speaker: I think just the chords and things that we were saying was just so beautiful.
Speaker: But just that picture of Jesus leading in communion was just really cool.
Speaker: That's awesome.
Speaker: And then just being able to talk with people afterwards because we'd be prayer partners.
Speaker: So if people needed prayer, they'd come down the front and we'd talk to them.
Speaker: And just getting the opportunity.
Speaker: Whenever I volunteered to be a prayer partner or to help with something, they were like, even if I didn't volunteer to be a prayer partner,
Speaker: some people would hand things out or things like that afterwards.
Speaker: And if I didn't have a job, they were just like, can you just stand where people can see you?
Speaker: Because everybody always wants to talk to Jesus.
Speaker: And I was like, yeah, I'm not Jesus, but like, sure, they can come talk to me.
Speaker: But yeah, but just getting to like talk to people and see how it affects people is just really cool.
Speaker: I've gone on way too long.
Speaker: Yeah, come on, Jordan.
Speaker: But I guess he doesn't have stories to share.
Speaker: You might.
Speaker: Has there been cool things or a cool moment that you get to do that's been really rich?
Speaker: Yeah, one I was thinking about was there's a song where one of the disciples is singing a thank you to God song.
Speaker: And it starts out, but then it kind of turns it towards Jesus.
Speaker: And the look in his face, Spencer...
Speaker: the character is so loving and like grateful because it's a very grateful to God song and all how he is.
Speaker: His voice is so beautiful and his face is so sincere.
Speaker: And at the end of the song, Jesus comes down like from like his stairs and comes down and has a great moment with him.
Speaker: And I'm just like looking at Spencer as if I'm,
Speaker: Jesus and I'm just like loving him so much and he's looking back very like grateful and at the end of his song we decide like we kind of have a thing of Jesus and Spencer we do like kind of like a like a soft like head touch together and then a hug and it's just so sweet and like I want to just like
Speaker: ponder that more and like just realize that that kind of heart is like how Jesus feels about us but of course bet more and better that yeah that's one of my favorite moments of the whole show that gets me and that's one of my favorite songs so I love that beautiful moment isn't one of my favorite songs yeah it's cool
Speaker: Thanks for tuning into this episode, guys.
Speaker: Part two is going to release next Friday.
Speaker: So it's going to be an earlier episode than usual.
Speaker: Still a lot of great conversations to come about our experiences playing Jesus.
Speaker: We'd love to have you guys tune in.
Speaker: So we will see you next week.
