The candlelit room and a deep voice transport us to the Passion Week’s final scenes. Beside me sit my friends, Mohammad and Khadija, refugees from Iraq, whom I’ve invited to the SonRise Resurrection Pageant at Southern Adventist University. A student portraying Mary Magdalene steps from the shadows. She explains how the Jesus she knew wasn’t a detached preacher of truth. He saved her life by writing in the dust and commanding that “those who are free from sin cast the first stone.” As we leave the church and walk to the next station of the pageant, Khadija clasps my hand and says, “We all need to live by the words of Isa, alyahi salam” (Jesus, peace be upon Him). And for the next few minutes, she imagines a world ruled by Jesus, a world where no one throws stones and sins are forgiven. Both Khadija and I feel drawn to Him as we reflect. A little later, as the Gethsemane scene unfolds, Mohammad wonders aloud who Jesus is praying to. Underneath his question lie many layers of theological debris, resulting from centuries of Christian-Muslim misunderstandings. I’ve told Mohammad before that I believe Jesus is God. “So, is God praying to Himself?” he asks. I could launch into a detailed explanation of the Trinity, but I don’t want to interrupt the Holy Spirit’s influence. “Jesus is praying to his beloved Father,” I answer simply. Over the years, I’ve learned that truth that is not presented in the context of a relationship seldom moves the heart. So, I add, “Just before coming to the garden, Jesus prayed for all who would one day follow Him. He was thinking of us all.” Next, we approach the court of Pilate. Mohammad hears voices calling for Jesus to be crucified and is confused. “Why would anyone wish to crucify Jesus, who is the purest of prophets?” he asks. He reflects on current events in the Middle East and the need to return to Jesus’ example. I’m curious to hear more of his thoughts, but our group is moving toward the crosses, and our conversation lags. Muslims view the crucifixion differently. In their story, God demonstrates His power by rescuing Jesus and taking Him to heaven before He dies. This interpretation upholds justice— Jesus’ innocence is vindicated and someone who is truly guilty is crucified in His place. For Christians, the cross represents God’s love through His willingness to die for humanity.

As we stand at the scene of the three crosses, I explain to Mohammad what makes Jesus’ death different from that of the thieves beside Him: “In Jannah (paradise), God gave Adam and Eve everything they needed to live an abundant life because He loved them. He told them that their lives would continue forever if they didn’t sin, but that the consequence of sin was death. They chose sin, and ever since, we have all been subject to sin and death. Everyone except Jesus, who was sinless, which the Qur’an affirms. The only way death could touch Jesus was if He gave up His life. I believe He died on the cross, as prophesied in the Torah, and that He did so voluntarily to show His love. He was the Adam that didn’t sin. Death came into the world by the first Adam; deliverance from it came from the second one.” Mohammad listens quietly, while I pray for God to reveal Himself to us afresh. Finally, we move to the last scene of the pageant, where music about our risen Lord moves me to tears. “Brother,” I say, “this is the heart of my faith: because Jesus carried the sins of each sinner, we can be purified with the purity of Jesus, but death could not hold Him in the grave. On the third day, He was raised back to the right hand of God, where He rules with love. Soon, He will return as a just judge and will break open all the graves, for he is the resurrection and the path to eternal life.” Mohammad is also moved; this version of Jesus is full of hope. His response surprises me: “We Muslims need to return to Jesus, not the Jesus of Islamic scholars and traditions, but the real Jesus. We keep telling Christians with our mouths that we also love Jesus, that he is one of our prophets, while collecting stones with our hands. We need to listen again to Jesus, for he is peace for us too.” I left the scene sensing that Jesus not only had ministered to our needs, but He had also won our confidence, and now it was time to follow Him.