The Green Pastures, a 1930 Broadway play by Marc Connelly that was turned into a major Hollywood movie, also directed by Marc Connelly, in 1936, is one of the great contributions to American life and literature. It featured an all-African-American cast — not a single white actor — and sought to present the African-American religious experience faithfully and even profoundly, winning the Pulitzer Prize in 1930.
In the conclusion of the play, God, known as ‘De Lawd’, confronts a character named ‘Hezdrel’, who is the creation of Marc Connelly and is not in the Bible. ‘Hezdrel’ is in command of a remnant of Jewish soldiers who are defending the Temple against attack and who are certain to die in battle the following day.
Hezdrel informs De Lawd that he and his men no longer worship “Dat ol’ God of wrath and vengeance. We have de God dat Hosea preached to us. He’s de one God.”
De Lawd then asks Hezdrel, “Who’s he?” Hezdrel answers, “De God of mercy.’
A little further along, it goes like this:
GOD: How you s’pose Hosea found dat mercy?
HEZDREL: De only way he could find it. De only way I found it. De only way anyone kin find it.
GOD: How’s dat?
HEZDREL: Through sufferin’.
Now, it is easy to get nervous, though, talking about The Green Pastures. That is because scene II, in particular, contains racial stereotypes. In fact, the entire play has become “hot to handle” on account of these stereotypes. Yet even the strongest critics of the play are stumped by its conclusion.
What the play does is bring to the fore, in a fresh, unexpected way, what other Christians have sometimes called the Theology of the Cross. It is an inspired moment in the theater.
Incidentally, in the movie version from 1936, the same actor (Rex Ingram) plays De Lawd and Hezdrel. (A split-screen is used to do this for the viewer.) That, too, was Marc Connelly’s conception — to illustrate that God discovers within Himself a new core element.
The very last scene in “The Green Pastures” takes place in Heaven, where De Lawd returns, pensive and almost crestfallen, from the encounter with Hezdrel.
God says to the Angel Gabriel these words: “I’m just thinkin’.. ‘Bout something de boy tol’ me. Somethin’ ’bout Hosea, and himself. How dey found somethin’ … Mercy … Through sufferin’, he said. I’m tryin’ to find it, too. It’s awful impo’tant. It’s awful impo’tant to all de people on my earth. Did he mean that even God must suffer?”
At that exact moment — the conclusion of the play — everyone suddenly looks down at the earth and they see Jesus carrying the cross. “Hallelujah, King Jesus,” they all sing.
Now here’s a howdy do! Where did the author of these words get them? It was before Jürgen Moltmann’s time. Connelly himself grew up as a choirboy in St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, McKeesport, PA. (Paging Frau Linebaugh.) And much of the rest of the play was derived in spirit from an earlier book by Roark Bradford. But where did the author of The Green Pastures get the heart of it. For he did. I don’t know the answer. Read some of it now (below). Maybe you’ll find out. Personally, every time I read the play or see the movie, I’m speechless at the end.
GOD: Hello, Hezdrel — Adam.
HEZDREL: [Rubbing his forehead] Who is you?
GOD: Me? I’m jest an ol’ preacher, from back in de hills.
HEZDREL: What you doin’ yere ?
GOD: I heard you boys was fightin’. I jest wanted to see how it was goin’.
HEZDREL: Well, it ain’t goin’ so well.
GOD: Dey got you skeered, huh ?
HEZDREL: Look yere, who is you, a spy in my brain?
GOD: Cain’t you see I’s one of yo’ people?
HEZDREL: Listen, Preacher, we ain’t skeered. We’s gonter be killed, but we ain’t skeered.
GOD: Is glad to hear dat. Kin I ask you a question, Hezdrel?
HEZDREL: What is it?
GOD: How is it you is so brave ?
HEZDREL: Caize we got faith, dat’s why!
GOD: Faith? In who?
HEZDREL: In our dear Lawd God.
GOD: But God say he abandoned ev’ one down yere.
HEZDREL: Who say dat ? Who dare say dat of de Lawd God of Hosea?
GOD: De God of Hosea?
HEZDREL: You heard me. Look yere, you is a spy in my brain!
GOD: No, I ain’t, Hezdrel. I’m jest puzzled. You ought to know dat.
HEZDREL: How come you so puzzled ’bout de God of Hosea?
GOD: I don’ know. Maybe I jest don’ hear things. You see, I live ‘way back in de hills.
HEZDREL: What you wanter find out?
GOD: Ain’t de God of Hosea de same Jehovah dat was de God of Moses?
HEZDREL: [Contemptuously] No. Dat ol’ God of wrath and vengeance? We have de God dat Hosea preached to us. He’s de one God.
GOD: Who’s he?
HEZDREL: [Reverently] De God of mercy.
GOD: Hezdrel, don’ you think dey must be de same God?
HEZDREL: I don’ know. I ain’t bothered to think much about it. Maybe dey is. Maybe our God is de same ol’ God. I guess we jest got tired of his appearance dat ol’ way.
GOD: What you mean, Hezdrel?
HEZDREL: Oh, dat ol’ God dat walked de earth in de shape of a man. I guess he lived wid man so much dat all he seen was de sins in man. Dat’s what made him de God of wrath and vengeance. Co’se he made Hosea. An’ Hosea never would a found what mercy was unless dere was a little of it in God, too. Anyway, he ain’t a fearsome God no mo’. Hosea showed us dat.
GOD: How you s’pose Hosea found dat mercy?
HEZDREL: De only way he could find it. De only way I found it. De only way anyone kin find it.
GOD: How’s dat?
HEZDREL: Through sufferin’.
GOD: [After a pause.] What if dey kill you in de mo’nin’, Hezdrel.
HEZDREL: If dey do, dey do. Dat’s all.
GOD: Herod say he’s goin’ to burn de temple —
HEZDREL: So he say.
GOD: And burn de Ark an’ de books. Den dat’s de end of de books, ain’t it?
HEZDREL: [Buoyantly.] What you mean? If he burns dem things in dere? Naw. Dem’s jest copies.
GOD: Where is de others?
HEZDREL: [Tapping his head.] Dey’s a set in yere. Fifteen got out through de hole in the city wall today. A hundred and fifty got out durin’ de week. Each of em is a set of de books. Dey’s scattered safe all over de countryside now, jest waitin’ to git pen and paper fo’ to put ’em down agin.
GOD: [Proudly.] Dey cain’t lick you, kin dey Hezdrel?
HEZDREL: [Smiling] I know dey cain’t. [Trumpet.] You better get out o’ yere, Preacher, if you wanter carry de news to yo’ people. It’ll soon be daylight.
GOD: I’m goin’. [He takes a step upstage and stops.] Want me to take any message?
HEZDREL: Tell de people in de hills dey ain’t nobody like de Lawd God of Hosea.
GOD: I will. If dey kill you tomorrow I’ll bet dat God of Hosea’ll be waitin’ for you.
HEZDREL: I know he will.
GOD: [Quietly.] Thank you, Hezdrel.
HEZDREL: Fo’ what?
GOD: Fo’ tellin’ me so much. You see I been so far away, I guess I was jest way behin’ de times.
[He exits. Pause, then trumpet sounds.]
[Hezdrel paces back and forth once or twice. Another young soldier appears. Other men enter and stand grouped about Hezdrel.]
SECOND OFFICER: [Excitedly.] De cock’s jest crowed, Hezdrel. Dey started de fightin’ ag’in.
HEZDREL: We’s ready for ’em. Come on, boys. [From the darkness upstage comes another group of soldiers.] Dis is de day dey say dey’ll git us. Le’s fight till de last man goes. What d’you say?
CORPORAL: Le’s go, Hezdrel!
HEZDREL: [Calling left] Give ’em ev’ything, boys!
[There is a movement toward the left, a bugle call and the sound of distant battle. The lights go out. The Choir is heard singing, “March On,” triumphantly. They continue to sing after the lights go up on the next scene.]
Scene VIII
It is the same setting as the Fish Fry Scene in Part I. The same angels are present but the Choir, instead of marching, is standing in a double row on an angle upstage right. God is seated in an armchair near center. He faces the audience. As the Choir continues to sing, Gabriel enters, unnoticed by the chattering angels. He looks at God who is staring thoughtfully toward the audience.
GABRIEL: You look a little pensive, Lawd. [God nods his head] Have a seegar, Lawd?
GOD: No thanks, Gabriel.
[Gabriel goes to the table, accepts a cup of custard; chats with the angel behind the table for a moment as he sips, puts the cup down and returns to the side of God.]
GABRIEL: You look awful pensive, Lawd. You been sittin’ yere, lookin’ dis way, an awful long time. Is it somethin’ serious, Lawd?
GOD: Very serious, Gabriel.
GABRIEL: [Awed by His tone.] Lawd, is de time come for me to blow?
GOD: Not yet, Gabriel. I’m just thinkin’.
GABRIEL: What about, Lawd? [Puts up hand. Singing stops]
GOD: ‘Bout somethin’ de boy tol’ me. Somethin’ ’bout Hosea, and himself. How dey foun’ somethin’.
GABRIEL: What, Lawd ?
GOD: Mercy. [A pause.] Through suffering he said.
GABRIEL: Yes, Lawd.
GOD: I’m tryin’ to find it, too. It’s awful impo’tant. It’s awful impo’tant to all de people on my earth. Did he mean dat even God must suffer?
[God continues to look out over the audience for a moment and then a look of surprise comes into his face. He sighs. In the distance a voice cries.]
THE VOICE: Oh, look at him! Oh, look, dey goin’ to make him carry it up dat high hill! Dey goin’ to nail him to it! Oh, dat’s a terrible burden for one man to carry!
[God rises and murmurs “Yes!” as if in recognition. The heavenly beings have been watching him closely, and now, seeing him smile gently, draw back, relieved. All the angels burst into “Hallelujah, King Jesus!’ God continues to smile as the lights fade away. The singing becomes fortissimo.]
CURTAIN
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2 responses to “The Green Pastures”
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WOW
Thanks for sharing this wonderful culturally relevant story of da God of wrath and mercy. Enjoyed watching it on Vimeo this snowy afternoon. Smiled a bunch!