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Posted on March 2, 2004 ...

Recently, the movie The Passion of the Christ opened in theaters everywhere. Rarely has the release of a motion picture received such attention and notoriety. Even before the movie began showing, people were asking my opinion about it. I waited to reserve judgment until I saw it myself. Our ministerial staff was fortunate to attend a special preview showing for local ministers on Ash Wednesday.

Personally, I tend to judge Hollywood’s renderings of Biblical stories by two criteria: First, what items were brought into the story that are not part of the Biblical accounts. (A TV miniseries about Noah added Lot as a main character. Actually, Noah and Lot lived hundreds of years apart.) Second, what details from the Scriptures are left out or changed. (For example, the animated Prince of Egypt shows baby Moses being discovered in his little basket/boat by Pharaoh’s wife. The Bible says it was Pharaoh’s daughter.) Therefore, I urge that everyone read again the Passion narratives in all four gospels in order to better recognize what is accurate to the Scriptures.

Consequently, I found The Passion of the Christ to be very faithful to the stories of Jesus arrest, trial, and crucifixion as told in the Gospels. Having visited Jerusalem on several occasions, I even found the settings quite similar to how I had envisioned them to look. Because all four gospels give their accounts a bit differently, it would be impossible to reconcile all their details. Nevertheless, almost all of the scripture texts I hoped to see were included. The omission I regret the most is the absence of the Roman Centurion declaring, Surely this was the Son of God immediately following Jesus’ death (Mark 15:39).

Director Mel Gibson elected to portray above all the candid brutality of Jesus’ beatings, scourging, and crucifixion. I do not agree that The Passion of the Christ is the most violent movie ever made. (The invasion of Normandy scenes in Saving Private Ryan are much more gruesome.) Still, this motion picture is neither for children nor for those people who are squeamish. Images from the film certainly will come to my mind when I read the Bible. Decide whether you wish to be exposed to such graphic detail before seeing the movie.

Some have questioned whether The Passion’s depiction was too violent or even beyond what Jesus historically endured, especially the scene where Jesus is scourged. In truth, the Bible tells neither the length nor severity of this flogging. But there is no doubt that the practice was painful and torturous. We have seen many sanitized representations of Jesus’ physical pain. I see nothing wrong in balancing these images with one that depicts a fuller degree of our Lord’s potential suffering. It is worth noting that the six hours Jesus hung on the cross (Mark 15:25, 33), is reduced to only about 25 minutes in the film. Thus, the portrayal of His greatest agony is actually abbreviated greatly.

The movie does introduce action and dialogue that is not found in the Bible. Much of this added material involves the role of Jesus’ mother, Mary, and follows several Catholic traditions and representations regarding her. However, nothing characterizes Mary as anything more than a greatly devoted mother to Jesus. Other insertions of “artistic license” do not take away from the central focus upon Jesus’ passion.

The real impact of the movie depends upon the perspective of the one watching it. The people without theological convictions will witness a tale about the helpless, unjust suffering of an innocent man. To these folks, blame for Jesus death likely will fall upon religious leaders, Pilate, and/or the crowd in Jerusalem. Christians will see well beyond the surface of the story itself. We understand that, in the end, it was the sinners like you and me who killed Jesus. (While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 NIV.) When we watch Jesus’ passion we do not watch a helpless victim. Instead, we watch one who went to the cross voluntarily! Had anyone else been beaten down in such a manner, he or she would have no choice but to endure the pain. Jesus, however, possessed the power and ability to end the brutality at any moment. (Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and He will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way? Matthew 26:53-54 NIV.) One word, and His ordeal would have ended. Finally, believers sympathize not only with Jesus’ physical pain but also with the spiritual sense of abandonment He felt from His Heavenly Father.

Prayerfully, the truth of the resurrection scene will cause non-Christians to reconsider what was really going on during those hours on that dark Friday. As Christians, helping non-believers with their questions gives us our greatest opportunity to utilize this film as a tool for outreach. Not only do I recommend that you see The Passion of the Christ, I recommend that you invite a lost or unchurched friend along with you.