The musical Godspell, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, opened off-Broadway in 1971. Based on the Gospel of Matthew, it retells the parables and teachings of Jesus Christ in a modern, comedic style. But how accurately does it portray the Bible?
To properly evaluate the biblical accuracy of Godspell, we must first understand its purpose. As a musical, the priority is on entertainment value rather than theological precision. Songs are adapted or created to be catchy and memorable for the audience. Story elements are changed to better suit the medium and timeframe. So we should not expect it to strictly adhere to scripture word-for-word. However, we can still analyze its faithfulness to the core messages and themes of the source material.
Use of Parables
The majority of Godspell involves the telling of Jesus’ parables, usually through song. These include both well-known stories like the Prodigal Son and Good Samaritan and less familiar ones like the Parable of the Sower. While details are altered for artistic purposes, the underlying meanings remain intact. For example, in the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, the rich man still ignores the beggar Lazarus in life and then suffers in the afterlife (Luke 16:19-31). The parables thus accurately convey Christ’s teachings on topics like forgiveness, mercy, and the Kingdom of God.
Miracles and Healings
Godspell depicts a abbreviated number of Jesus’ miracles, including healing a paralytic (Matthew 9:2-7), feeding the 5000 (Matthew 14:13-21), and raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-44). These retain the supernatural wonder and astonishment of witnessing God’s power. However, many other miracles, such as walking on water or calming a storm, are not included due to time constraints. So while the miracles shown in Godspell are biblically based, the musical does not encompass the full scope of Christ’s miraculous works as contained in the Gospels.
Christ’s Crucifixion
The climax of Godspell centers around the arrest, trial, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. These scenes stay relatively faithful to the biblical accounts in Matthew 26-28, Mark 14-16, Luke 22-24, and John 18-21. Momentous events like the Last Supper, Judas’ betrayal, Peter’s denial, and the giving up of Christ’s spirit on the cross are depicted. The most major deviation is the lack of Jesus’ scourging by the Romans, possibly to retain a lighter tone. Overall, the musical captures the essential story of Christ’s passion while taking some artistic license.
Teachings and Preachings
Throughout Godspell, Jesus delivers monologues and sermons between parables and other scenes. Many of these are adapted word-for-word from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. These famous passages include the Beatitudes (“Blessed are the poor in spirit…”) and the Lord’s Prayer (“Our Father who art in heaven…”). Other original speeches seem to summarize Christ’s general themes of loving others, rejecting materialism, and building faith on a solid foundation. While abridged, Jesus’ spoken messages in Godspell accurately reflect Bible verses and ideas.
Comedic Tone and Anachronisms
One of the biggest departures from scripture is Godspell’s lighthearted, silly tone. Christ and his disciples act more like clowns or vaudeville performers than devout Jews. There is slapstick humor, bad puns, and outrageous costumes played for laughs. This comedic approach makes the musical more engaging, but less serious and reverent. In addition, the characters and setting contain deliberate anachronisms or modernisms. Jesus wears a Superman logo and clown makeup. People sing into microphones, use#—————————————————————————–to invest. These creative liberties were likely taken to make the material feel current and relatable, not bound to one period.
Additional Songs and Content
Since Godspell is a musical, it naturally contains songs and content not found in the Bible. Some songs like “Day by Day” expand on themes or ideas expressed in scripture. Others like “We Beseech Thee” are simple word-for-word Bible verses set to music. A small number seem more tangentially related, meant mostly to advance the plot or provide a moment of levity or humanity. While entertaining, these original additions have no direct biblical basis. However, they generally align with the Gospel messages rather than contradicting them.
Key Omissions
Due to its limited runtime, Godspell cannot cover everything in the lengthy Gospel accounts. Some key events left out include Jesus’ baptism, transfiguration, and ascension, as well as most of Holy Week between Palm Sunday and the crucifixion. Godspell also omits the vast majority of Christ’s teachings, healings, and interactions beyond a select few parables. Furthermore, it incorporates very little biographical background, only alluding to his origins, family, and childhood sparingly. While comprehensiveness is impossible for a musical, those looking for the complete Gospel story will need to consult scripture itself.
Adaptation to Modern Times
Godspell aims to adapt the Gospel message for a modern audience. So it takes some liberties in updating the settings and characters. Unlike the ancient Middle East setting of the Bible, Godspell appears to take place in contemporary New York or another modern city. The disciples’ costumes and speech patterns feel much more 20th century hippie culture than 1st century Jews. This allows modern listeners to better relate to the teachings of Christ, but loses historical context and accuracy. However, the core themes and narratives remain the same.
Prioritizing Entertainment Value
As a musical, Godspell clearly prioritizes creative expression, music, and entertainment value over precisely adhering to the letter of scripture. The writers employ artistic license freely, altering details or timelines to serve the song lyrics or overall story flow. Audience enjoyment takes precedence over accuracy. This does not diminish the inspirational themes and messages derived from the Gospels. But those desiring strict biblical faithfulness may be disappointed by the liberties taken. Scripture itself, while less entertaining, will provide greater precision.
Accessibility to Non-Scholars
By adapting the parables and teachings of Jesus into catchy, easily digestible songs, Godspell makes scripture more accessible to mainstream audiences. The sophisticated theological concepts contained in the Gospels become simplified and memorable through repetition, humor, and music. Listeners need not be Bible experts to grasp the essential meanings. In this way, Godspell serves a valuable evangelistic and educational function. The trade-off is a lack of depth and nuance compared to studying the source material directly.
Creative License with Themes and Symbols
The writers use creative license in adding or altering symbolic elements with no direct biblical equivalent. For example, the clown makeup and costumes worn by Jesus and disciples do not appear in the Gospels. But they reflect themes of joy, foolishness of the Gospel, and childlike faith. The exaggerated and whimsical miracles also employ artistic symbolism and imagery. Additions like these enhance entertainment value and allow new perspectives on biblical principles. But those desiring unembellished scriptural fidelity may find them distracting or unwarranted.
In Summary
Godspell aims to retell the Gospel of Matthew in an entertaining, modern musical format. It takes substantial creative liberties with plot, themes, tone, settings, and other elements to enhance audience enjoyment and engagement. The parables and teachings of Jesus are adapted or expanded through new songs and content. While core messages remain intact, strict biblical accuracy is purposely sacrificed. As an artistic adaptation, Godspell captures the spirit of the Gospels. But the Bible itself will always provide greater depth, detail and faithfulness for those desiring scriptural precision over entertainment value.