A Christian and The Passion of the Christ

We saw The Passion of The Christ on opening night. The theater was sold out.

As a christian, the story is very personal to me. How could it not be? This was God's plan to reconcile man to Himself. To do so, He took the punishment that I deserved upon Himself.

I couldn't do it for myself, because the sacrifice had to be without spot or blemish to be acceptable to God. Think of when Jesus was baptised by John. The voice from heaven says, "This is my Son in whom I am well pleased." In other words, this is the acceptable sacrifice. My Son, and my Son alone is qualified because he is both fully man and fully God.

We really want to believe there are scales somewhere, where the good we have done will be measured against the bad we have done. If the good outweighs the bad - Bingo - heaven! Of course none of us would ever have the scales tip in the wrong direction. That's for serial killers and pedophiles. The bible tells a different story. It says that all of us have a problem that we can't resolve on our own. No amount of work on the good deed side will outweigh what we've done wrong. The only way is to have the slate wiped clean. The only way to wipe the slate clean is to believe in Christ, to believe his sacrifice paid the price.

For this reason He lived. For this reason he laid down His life. He did it out of love, that we might once again be able to know Him.

I think I held my breath for about half the movie simply because I was anticipating what would come next.

The garden - the kiss is coming
After the arrest - Peter's denials
With Pilate - the scourging is coming
The Cross - who can bear it?

I've never seen a movie where the audience was so quiet, except I could hear weeping. Even after the lights came up, it was as if no one could move........and so very quiet.

When my mother asked me about the movie, I told her, "It was like watching the brutal execution of a loved one." This film is definitely not for everyone.

Did Mel take artistic license? He did with some things. Having Satan in the garden and at the scourging are not in scripture. Mary being at the Sanhedrin after the arrest is not in scripture. I might have done some things differently, but I didn't find anything in Mel's version unacceptable. As far as the charges of anti-semitism, I think Franklin Graham answered it best, "I worship a Jew."

Some of the things he included made me ponder things I hadn't considered. Mary is not mentioned being at the arrest, but wouldn't you go if you heard your son was arrested? I had always imainged the scourging hidden in a basement somewhere, but with the Romans, it's very possible it was done for all to see as an example. When the crucifixtion was over, imagine the despair at the scene of the cross. They did not yet understand the ressurection was coming.

One thing I was very happy to see included in the movie was the curtain of the temple being torn in two by the earthquake when Christ died. This represents the fundamental change brought by Christ's death. No longer is the presence of God confined to the Holy of Holies. The curtain separating God and man no longer exists. We can now know Him and approach Him with Christ as our High Priest.

So why would christians feel it important to see a depiction of the suffering. There are at least a couple reasons.

2 Timothy 1:8: Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God.

The Passion = The Suffering
of The Christ = of the Messiah

Suffering for the gospel is not something the American Christian church is very familiar with, probably because we have lived with the freedom to worship as we please. In fact, I believe it was Corrie Ten Boom who once said the American church is the only one who believes we will be raptured before the Tribulation. In much, if not most of the world, Christians have been persecuted for their beliefs, and still are today. How would I react if I were put in a position where I would have to suffer for the gospel? Would I hold fast to my confession of faith upon penalty of death?

It's healthy for us to reflect upon and remind ourselves the price that was paid to redeem us. Face it. We're spoiled. We've sanitized and aestheticized Jesus into a peace talking healer. The truth is much more brutal and much more profound. He came to die for us, and having done so, He proved Himself to be the Messiah by rising from the dead. The Cross and the Empty tomb. Without these two things, there would be nothing to believe in.

Comments

[pam]

The movie was based not only on scripture, but also on Sister Anne Emmerich's book "The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ" - which accounts for the differences...

I want to watch it, but I don't, because I know exactly what I'll see. And like you said, it will be like watching "the brutal execuation of a loved one". Not something I'm looking forward to, but this is certainly the season for it.

[DC]

I'd be the first to tell you the movie is not for everyone. After seeing it we decided the Boy is not ready to watch it, (middle school.) The Girl probably is, (high school), but I would want to be with her if she did. (She originally wanted to see it, but is not decided now that her Dad and I told her how difficult it was to watch.) It was disturbing to have kids in the audience when we saw it.

I know some adults that have decided it's not something they can watch. To be honest, I wouldn't want to see it again very soon. I left the theater emotionally spent.

We have had feedback from others though who've reported that watching it has deepened their faith. Many churches, (mine included), are scheduling counselors to be available at local theaters at the end of showings.