The Passion of
the Christ
March 1, 2004
Never in the history of the movie industry has a
film more accurately depicted the death of Christ. Not only did
Gibson's masterpiece give a clear picture of Christ's suffering,
it artistically explained the purpose for his death.
Since the movie does nothing more than put on the
big screen what is written in the pages of the Bible, why has it
triggered such controversy? Was it the violence? Of course not!
Many other films, such as Saving Private Ryan, Pulp Fiction, and
Reservoir Dogs, contained more violence and yet they, and many
other violent films, received wide acclaim.
Was it because the movie was anti-Semitic? I
certainly don't remember anyone accusing Stephen Spielberg of
being anti-German after the release of Schlindler's List.
Besides, how could anti-Semitism be the cause of the hostility
when Jesus, Mary, and the disciples were also Jews? One pundit
said the religious leaders appeared like the bad guys and the
Romans seemed much nicer. When I heard that comment on CNN I
wondered if the critic meant the Romans seemed nicer when they
spat on Jesus, beat him with canes, scourged him with a
flagellum, found him innocent yet condemned him to die, whipped
him as he carried the cross, drove hails in his hands and feet
or gambled for his clothes. In a contest for unlikable
characters I'd have to say the religious leaders and Romans ran
a close race.
I'm convinced that behind the venomous reviews and
toxic criticism rests an understandable and human rejection of
the necessity of Christ's death. The clear message of The
Passion of the Christ is that Jesus died for everyone--including
the unbelieving critics and pundits. Such a message assumes
everyone needs a savior. As long as the purpose for Christ's
death remained within the pages of the Bible or walls of the
church, nobody cared. But when a superstar uses his artistic
genius, financial resources, and marketing network to write the
message in the sky--well, that's going too far and both Gibson
and his film had to be shot down.
Amazingly, the efforts of the critics to belittle
the film have created more interest and discussion than if they
had remained silent. As followers of Christ we have a strategic
opportunity to engage in spiritual discussions with friends and
co-workers. I want to encourage you to invite a friend to see
the movie with you. If you can't do that, ask your friends what
they thought of the film. Listen to their review. If they're
critical, try to discern what bothered them the most about the
film. If they're favorable, ask them if they believe Jesus died
for them. Share how watching a depiction of the death of Christ
affected you. And tell them why.
God has opened a door for us all. Let's walk
through it with wisdom and grace.
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