Performer of ‘Twelve’, Julie-Ann Hilton

READING, England — What was it like to be Mary, the mother of the perfect child? Or to be an adulterer, about to be stoned to death? What was going through the mind of the woman who touched the hem of Jesus’ robe?

Few people take time to imagine what it would have been like to meet Jesus in person. Our reading of the Scriptures is private, personal, and often analytical. And in some Western countries today, research is showing that fewer and fewer people are reading the Bible – non-Christians and even Christians.

It is in this context that, over the last several years, the British and Foreign Bible Society (BFBS) has been re-examining its mission: how do we bring the Gospel to people today? The printed Scriptures alone just will not do it. So, while continuing to publish the printed word, BFBS has ventured into new areas: media, education, campaigning (e.g. advertising, influencing key leaders), and the creative arts. These are the main drivers of change in Western culture.

In the creative arts, the BFBS is sponsoring a drama that is now on a national tour of England and Wales. ‘Twelve’ is part of the BFBS effort to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ back into the public domain, giving it a place where it is seen, discussed, and debated. ‘Twelve’ is a one-person show based on material written by Peter Wheatley and performed by actress Julie-Ann Hilton (pictured), in which she portrays 11 women from the Bible, some of whom are less well-known, but all of whom have some experience of Jesus.

The Scripture message is communicated in a way that is confrontational without making the audience feel uncomfortable. When Julie-Ann portrays the woman who is bent double (Luke 13:10-20) you begin to understand the sense of pain and isolation this woman experienced, and you realize that the issue being addressed is why there is suffering in the world. And as the woman tells the story of her healing by Jesus, you blink away the tears.

Death, too, is dealt with in a profound way in the story of the widow whose son has died (Luke 7:11-17). One feels – and fears – the searing pain of losing a child. But in the midst of this sensitive subject, Julie-Ann injects humour and by doing so, puts her audience at ease: it is okay to experience emotion when we hear the Gospel. Life is like that: not dominated by one emotion, but by a mixture that forces us to confront the unpredictability of our circumstances and our bewildering reactions to those circumstances.

‘Maggie’, a girl from Bethany afflicted by leprosy, is performed in a way that can only be described as powerfully sensitive and touching, challenging our own attitude toward the disabled and marginal. There is a frightening depiction of Herodias, Herod’s wife, as she describes her gruesome scheme to have John the Baptist beheaded. You are in the presence of pure evil here, and the audience is hushed by the horrible deed this person commits. But the message about power and opposition to Jesus is as true today as it was then.

Julie-Ann clearly understands the Jewish culture in which these stories take place, and captures the oppression under which people lived – foreign oppression by the Romans, but also oppression by the religious leaders of the day. One of the common themes is how each person is touched by God’s grace as they move through the pain of their lives. We are also reminded of the low regard in which women were viewed in the culture of that time. Julie-Ann shows how Jesus’ teaching and actions reversed centuries of oppression, drawing out lessons about justice, equality, ambition, guilt, priorities – all of which apply to today’s world, and to everyone, man or woman.
 

The use of regional accents and the portrayal of different social classes brings the drama to life and adds to the humour. Even the universality of Jesus is illustrated at one point where he speaks in a Caribbean accent.

In ‘Twelve’ we meet 11 women from the Bible, and through them we meet Jesus, which is, of course, the purpose of the Scriptures, and therefore in keeping with the Bible Society mission. People will find it difficult to walk away from this drama saying that the Bible is not relevant to their lives. And who is the twelfth person, hidden behind a theatrical mask? Maybe it is Julie-Ann. Or someone you know. Or me. Or you.